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USS Pocahontas (1852)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Pocahontas, a screw steamer
built at Medford, Massachusetts
in 1852 as City of Boston, and purchased by the Navy at Boston, Massachusetts on 20 March 1855, was the first United States Navy
ship to be named for Pocahontas
, the Algonquian wife of Virginia colonist John Rolfe
. She was originally commissioned as USS Despatch — the second U.S. Navy ship of that name — on 17 January 1856, with Lieutenant
T. M. Crossan in command, and was recommissioned and renamed in 1860, seeing action in the American Civil War
. As Pocahontas, one of her junior officers was Alfred Thayer Mahan
, who would later achieve international fame as a military writer and theorist of naval power.
on 4 April for the Gulf of Mexico
, returned on 12 June, and decommissioned on 4 July for installation of improved boilers and condensers. The ship was in custody of the U.S. Coast Survey Service from January–March 1857.
Recommissioned on 1 March 1858, Despatch departed New York on the 6th to cruise along the Gulf coast seeking ships attempting to smuggle slaves into the nation. She headed north in December, arriving Norfolk, Virginia
on the 20th where, following a run to Washington, D.C.
to tow to Norfolk, she decommissioned on 2 January 1859.
S. F. Hazzard in command. The revitalized warship got under way for the Gulf on the 27th. Arriving Vera Cruz
on 16 April, she joined the Home Squadron
and cruised along the Mexican coast protecting American citizens and commerce and carrying diplomatic despatches.
on 12 March, and on 5 April was assigned to the small joint Army
-Navy force sent to Charleston Harbor
to provision the federal garrison at Fort Sumter
. However, she did not reach Charleston Harbor until the afternoon of the 13th, as Major Robert Anderson
was surrendering the beleaguered U.S. fort. The next day, she helped evacuate the Union troops and returned north.
During the first months of the Civil War, Pocahontas patrolled the Potomac
and Rappahannock
rivers and Chesapeake Bay
protecting water approaches to Washington, D.C.
against possible Confederate naval attack. She seized steamer James Guy off Machodoc Creek, Virginia on 21 May and fired on and damaged Confederate sidewheel steamer, in Aquia Creek, Va. on 7 July.
Assigned to the newly established South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Pocahontas departed Washington on 15 October for Newport News, Virginia
and sortied from Hampton Roads on the 29th with Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont's fleet.
, Pocahontas arrived at Port Royal, South Carolina
, either after its defensive forts had been destroyed by other Union vessels or near the end of the battle; Drayton's brother Thomas
was commanding Confederate
troops on shore in a literal instance of the "brother against brother" phrase used to describe the American Civil War
. At the battle, Pocahontas was apparently piloted into the anchored by its executive officer
, a man who would later achieve international fame as a renowned naval theorist: Lt. Alfred Thayer Mahan
.
The joint Army-Navy task force captured Port Royal Sound
on 7 November, winning for the Union what Du Pont called "the most important point to strike, and the most desirable to have first and to hold...." Port Royal, he continued, "alone admits the large ships — and gives us a naval position on the sea coast as our Army is holding across the Potomac." Subsequent Union naval operations along the Confederate coast fully substantiated Du Pont's appraisal of Port Royal's strategic value.
, Georgia
, and Florida
, performing blockade duty, reconnoitering rivers and inlets, and supporting amphibious operations. She helped to capture Tybee Island, Georgia
on 24 November and assisted in towing ships of the "Stone Fleet
" to Maffitt's channel and sank them from 20–26 January 1862 to block the approaches to Charleston from the sea.
From 28 February-15 March, she participated in an expedition which captured St. Simons Island
and Brunswick, Georgia
, and Fernandia, Florida. She then continued blockade duty through the spring and early summer. On 14 August, Pocahontas and tug
fought Confederate troops ashore along some 20 mi (32.2 km) of the Black River
while trying to capture steamer Nina. Later that month she was ordered north for repairs and arrived Philadelphia Navy Yard on the 31st.
Assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Pocahontas departed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on 2 October and reported to Admiral
David Farragut
at Pensacola, Florida
on the 18th. The steamer performed blockade duty off Mobile Bay
where she captured British
steamer Antona with a valuable cargo of munitions and merchandise on 6 January 1863. On 5 March, her guns destroyed blockade running sloop Josephine, previously forced aground by near Fort Morgan. After repairs at New Orleans, Louisiana
from 6 July-19 August, Pocahontas sailed north. Damaged severely in a storm during the passage, the steamer arrived on 7 September and decommissioned a week later for repairs.
and Texas
, operating primarily off Sabine Pass
. After repairs at New Orleans from 22 December 1864-23 April 1865, the steamer returned to the Texas coast where she served until departing Galveston, Texas
on 6 July for the east coast. After stops at Pensacola and Port Royal, South Carolina
Pocahontas arrived New York on 25 July and decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on the 31st. Sold at New York on 30 November, the ship was reduced to a bark
and served as Abby Bacon until 1868.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
built at Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
in 1852 as City of Boston, and purchased by the Navy at Boston, Massachusetts on 20 March 1855, was the first United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
ship to be named for Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
, the Algonquian wife of Virginia colonist John Rolfe
John Rolfe
John Rolfe was one of the early English settlers of North America. He is credited with the first successful cultivation of tobacco as an export crop in the Colony of Virginia and is known as the husband of Pocahontas, daughter of the chief of the Powhatan Confederacy.In 1961, the Jamestown...
. She was originally commissioned as USS Despatch — the second U.S. Navy ship of that name — on 17 January 1856, with Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
T. M. Crossan in command, and was recommissioned and renamed in 1860, seeing action in the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. As Pocahontas, one of her junior officers was Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
, who would later achieve international fame as a military writer and theorist of naval power.
Service as USS Despatch
Despatch, carrying naval passengers and cargo, departed New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 4 April for the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, returned on 12 June, and decommissioned on 4 July for installation of improved boilers and condensers. The ship was in custody of the U.S. Coast Survey Service from January–March 1857.
Recommissioned on 1 March 1858, Despatch departed New York on the 6th to cruise along the Gulf coast seeking ships attempting to smuggle slaves into the nation. She headed north in December, arriving Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
on the 20th where, following a run to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
to tow to Norfolk, she decommissioned on 2 January 1859.
Rebuilt and renamed Pocahontas, 1860
Rebuilt at the Norfolk Navy Yard, the ship was enlarged to 694 LT (705.1 t), reclassified a second-class sloop, renamed Pocahontas, the first U.S. Navy ship of that name, on 27 January 1860, and recommissioned on 19 March 1860, CommanderCommander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
S. F. Hazzard in command. The revitalized warship got under way for the Gulf on the 27th. Arriving Vera Cruz
Veracruz, Veracruz
Veracruz, officially known as Heroica Veracruz, is a major port city and municipality on the Gulf of Mexico in the Mexican state of Veracruz. The city is located in the central part of the state. It is located along Federal Highway 140 from the state capital Xalapa, and is the state's most...
on 16 April, she joined the Home Squadron
Home Squadron
The Home Squadron was part of the United States Navy in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress piracy and the slave trade, make coastal surveys, and train ships to relieve others on distant stations...
and cruised along the Mexican coast protecting American citizens and commerce and carrying diplomatic despatches.
Fort Sumter and early Civil War
Departing Vera Cruz during the secession crisis, Pocahontas arrived Hampton RoadsHampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
on 12 March, and on 5 April was assigned to the small joint Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
-Navy force sent to Charleston Harbor
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
to provision the federal garrison at Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter is a Third System masonry coastal fortification located in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina. The fort is best known as the site upon which the shots initiating the American Civil War were fired, at the Battle of Fort Sumter.- Construction :...
. However, she did not reach Charleston Harbor until the afternoon of the 13th, as Major Robert Anderson
Major Robert Anderson
Robert Anderson was an American military leader. He served as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War, known for his command of Fort Sumter at the start of the war. He is often referred to as Major Robert Anderson, referring to his rank at Fort Sumter...
was surrendering the beleaguered U.S. fort. The next day, she helped evacuate the Union troops and returned north.
During the first months of the Civil War, Pocahontas patrolled the Potomac
Potomac
-Places in the United States:Washington, D.C. area:*The Potomac River, which flows through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, DC**The Potomac Highlands of West Virginia, a region of the Potomac River's watershed in West Virginia...
and Rappahannock
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
rivers and Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
protecting water approaches to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
against possible Confederate naval attack. She seized steamer James Guy off Machodoc Creek, Virginia on 21 May and fired on and damaged Confederate sidewheel steamer, in Aquia Creek, Va. on 7 July.
Assigned to the newly established South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Pocahontas departed Washington on 15 October for Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
and sortied from Hampton Roads on the 29th with Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont's fleet.
Bombardment of Port Royal
Under the command of Percival DraytonPercival Drayton
Percival Drayton was a United States Navy officer during the American Civil War.-Biography:Born in Charleston, South Carolina, Drayton was the son of a prominent lawyer William Drayton who eventually relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
, Pocahontas arrived at Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...
, either after its defensive forts had been destroyed by other Union vessels or near the end of the battle; Drayton's brother Thomas
Thomas Drayton
Thomas Fenwick Drayton was a plantation owner, politician, railroad president, and military officer, serving in the United States Army and then as a brigadier general in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Drayton was a native of South Carolina, most...
was commanding Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
troops on shore in a literal instance of the "brother against brother" phrase used to describe the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. At the battle, Pocahontas was apparently piloted into the anchored by its executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
, a man who would later achieve international fame as a renowned naval theorist: Lt. Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
.
Port Royal Sound
Port Royal Sound is a coastal sound, or inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the Sea Islands region, in Beaufort County in the U.S. state of South Carolina...
on 7 November, winning for the Union what Du Pont called "the most important point to strike, and the most desirable to have first and to hold...." Port Royal, he continued, "alone admits the large ships — and gives us a naval position on the sea coast as our Army is holding across the Potomac." Subsequent Union naval operations along the Confederate coast fully substantiated Du Pont's appraisal of Port Royal's strategic value.
Blockade duty
During the following months, Pocahontas operated along the coasts of South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, and Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, performing blockade duty, reconnoitering rivers and inlets, and supporting amphibious operations. She helped to capture Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island, Georgia
Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia near the city of Savannah in the southeastern United States. It is the easternmost point in the state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,990. Tybee Island is an island and city in Chatham County, Georgia near...
on 24 November and assisted in towing ships of the "Stone Fleet
Stone Fleet
The Stone Fleet consisted of a fleet of aging ships purchased in New Bedford and other New England ports, loaded with stone, and sailed south during the American Civil War by the Union Navy for use as Blockships...
" to Maffitt's channel and sank them from 20–26 January 1862 to block the approaches to Charleston from the sea.
From 28 February-15 March, she participated in an expedition which captured St. Simons Island
St. Simons, Georgia
St. Simons is a census-designated place located on St. Simons Island in Glynn County, Georgia, United States. Both the community and the island are commonly considered to be one location, known simply as "St. Simons Island", or locally as "The Island". St...
and Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick is the major urban and economic center in southeastern Georgia in the United States. The municipality is located on a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles north of Florida and 70 miles south of South Carolina. Brunswick is bordered on the east by the Atlantic...
, and Fernandia, Florida. She then continued blockade duty through the spring and early summer. On 14 August, Pocahontas and tug
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
fought Confederate troops ashore along some 20 mi (32.2 km) of the Black River
Black River (South Carolina)
The Black River is a blackwater river in South Carolina in the United States....
while trying to capture steamer Nina. Later that month she was ordered north for repairs and arrived Philadelphia Navy Yard on the 31st.
Assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Pocahontas departed Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
on 2 October and reported to Admiral
Admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard and the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, admiral is a four-star flag officer rank, with the pay grade of O-10. Admiral ranks above vice admiral and below Fleet Admiral in the Navy; the Coast Guard and the Public Health...
David Farragut
David Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: "Damn the...
at Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
on the 18th. The steamer performed blockade duty off Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
where she captured British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
steamer Antona with a valuable cargo of munitions and merchandise on 6 January 1863. On 5 March, her guns destroyed blockade running sloop Josephine, previously forced aground by near Fort Morgan. After repairs at New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
from 6 July-19 August, Pocahontas sailed north. Damaged severely in a storm during the passage, the steamer arrived on 7 September and decommissioned a week later for repairs.
End of Civil War, decommissioning
Recommissioned 16 March 1864, Pocahontas sailed for the gulf on 14 April and arrived New Orleans on 9 May. On blockade duty for the remainder of the year, she cruised along the coast of LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, operating primarily off Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass
Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana.Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and Second Battles of Sabine Pass....
. After repairs at New Orleans from 22 December 1864-23 April 1865, the steamer returned to the Texas coast where she served until departing Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
on 6 July for the east coast. After stops at Pensacola and Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...
Pocahontas arrived New York on 25 July and decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on the 31st. Sold at New York on 30 November, the ship was reduced to a bark
Barque
A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing vessel with three or more masts.- History of the term :The word barque appears to have come from the Greek word baris, a term for an Egyptian boat. This entered Latin as barca, which gave rise to the Italian barca, Spanish barco, and the French barge and...
and served as Abby Bacon until 1868.