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USS Sagamore (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Sagamore was a built on behalf of the United States Navy
for service during the American Civil War
. She was outfitted as a gunboat
and assigned to the Union blockade
of the Confederate States of America
. Sagamore was very active during the war, and served the Union both as a patrol ship and a bombardment vessel.
built by the A. & G. T. Sampson and Atlantic Works Boston, Massachusetts — was launched on 1 September 1861 and commissioned on 7 December 1861 at the Boston Navy Yard
.
for duty as part of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron which patrolled the waters off the coasts of Florida
, Alabama
, and Mississippi
.
Sagamores first encounter with the enemy came at Apalachicola, Florida
. On 3 April 1862, armed boat crews from Sagamore and captured the city without resistance.
On 11 September, a landing party from Sagamore destroyed the salt works, which could produce 200 bushel
s a day, at St. Andrews Bay, Florida.
Sagamore next captured the blockade-running English schooner
By George off Indian River
, Florida on 1 December, with a cargo of coffee
and sugar
.
In January 1863, Sagamore captured Avenger, Julia, and destroyed the sloop
Elizabeth. Next she captured the sloop Enterprise on 8 March 1863, and the sloop New York on 26 April.
, Florida. After shelling the town, Union forces captured two schooners; caused the Confederate forces to destroy several other vessels, some of which were loaded with cotton
and ready to sail; and burned large quantities of cotton on shore.
Following the attack at New Smyrna, Sagamore returned to her coastal duties. On 8 August, Sagamore captured the sloops Clara Louise, Southern Rights, Shot, and Ann.
, Florida.
Sagamores final action in the Civil War
took place on 7 June. Suspecting that Confederate forces were using cotton to erect breastworks on the banks of the Suwannee River, a boat expedition composed of men from Sagamore and proceeded up the river and captured over 100 bales of cotton in the vicinity of Clay Landing.
, and was sold at New York City
. on 13 June 1865.
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
for service during 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...
. She was outfitted as a gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
and assigned to the Union blockade
Union blockade
The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...
of the Confederate States of America
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...
. Sagamore was very active during the war, and served the Union both as a patrol ship and a bombardment vessel.
Commissioned in 1861 at the Boston Navy Yard
The first U.S. Navy ship to be so named, USS Sagamore — a wooden-hulled, screw-driven gunboatGunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
built by the A. & G. T. Sampson and Atlantic Works Boston, Massachusetts — was launched on 1 September 1861 and commissioned on 7 December 1861 at the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
.
Assigned to the East Gulf blockade
On 26 November 1861, Sagamore received orders to report to Flag Officer William McKeanWilliam McKean
William Wister McKean was an admiral in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was noted for his service in the Union blockade that effectively closed Confederate seaports in the Gulf of Mexico....
for duty as part of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron which patrolled the waters off the coasts of 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...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, and Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
.
Sagamores first encounter with the enemy came at Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola, Florida
Apalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida, on US 98 about southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimated the city's population at 2,340...
. On 3 April 1862, armed boat crews from Sagamore and captured the city without resistance.
Bushel
A bushel is an imperial and U.S. customary unit of dry volume, equivalent in each of these systems to 4 pecks or 8 gallons. It is used for volumes of dry commodities , most often in agriculture...
s a day, at St. Andrews Bay, Florida.
Sagamore next captured the blockade-running English schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
By George off Indian River
Indian River (Florida)
The Indian River is a waterway in Florida, a part of the Indian River Lagoon system which forms the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It extends southward from the Ponce de Leon inlet in New Smyrna Beach, Florida [Volusia County] southward and across the "Haulover Canal" and along the western shore...
, Florida on 1 December, with a cargo of coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and sugar
Sugar
Sugar is a class of edible crystalline carbohydrates, mainly sucrose, lactose, and fructose, characterized by a sweet flavor.Sucrose in its refined form primarily comes from sugar cane and sugar beet...
.
In January 1863, Sagamore captured Avenger, Julia, and destroyed the sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
Elizabeth. Next she captured the sloop Enterprise on 8 March 1863, and the sloop New York on 26 April.
Shelling New Smyrna, Florida
On 28 July, boats from Sagamore and attacked New SmyrnaNew Smyrna Beach, Florida
New Smyrna Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 20,048 according to the 2000 census. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 23,161.-History:...
, Florida. After shelling the town, Union forces captured two schooners; caused the Confederate forces to destroy several other vessels, some of which were loaded with cotton
Cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
and ready to sail; and burned large quantities of cotton on shore.
Following the attack at New Smyrna, Sagamore returned to her coastal duties. On 8 August, Sagamore captured the sloops Clara Louise, Southern Rights, Shot, and Ann.
Suwannee River operations
On 21 April 1864, boat expeditions from Sagamore took 100 bales of cotton and destroyed 300 additional bales near Clay Landing on the Suwannee RiverSuwannee River
The Suwannee River is a major river of southern Georgia and northern Florida in the United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwannee Straits which separated peninsular Florida from the panhandle.-Geography:The river rises in the...
, Florida.
Sagamores final action in the 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...
took place on 7 June. Suspecting that Confederate forces were using cotton to erect breastworks on the banks of the Suwannee River, a boat expedition composed of men from Sagamore and proceeded up the river and captured over 100 bales of cotton in the vicinity of Clay Landing.
Decommissioning
Sagamore was decommissioned on 1 December 1864 at Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, 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,...
, and was sold at New York City
New 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 13 June 1865.
External links
- Images, Naval History and Heritage Command website.