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USS T. A. Ward (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS T. A. Ward (1861) was a 284-ton schooner
was purchased by the Union Navy
during the Union blockade
of the Confederate States of America
during the American Civil War
.
T. A. Ward was initially assigned by the Union Navy for blockade duty in the ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America; however, because of a change in Union strategy, she was redesignated a mortar gunboat
, and outfitted with a powerful 13-inch mortar which could fire up onto high riverbank targets, which regular guns could not reach.
on 9 October 1861. While the vessel was being fitted out for blockade duty, she was selected for service in the mortar flotilla being established by Comdr. David Dixon Porter
to support Flag Officer David G. Farragut's impending attack on New Orleans, Louisiana
.
The schooner was armed with a 13-inch seacoast mortar weighing over eight and one-half tons. Two 32-pounders were also installed to give her a low-trajectory punch. The ship was manned by a crew from the receiving ship North Carolina
and was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 17 January 1862, Lt. Walter W. Queen in command.
and Adolph Hugel
. From that port, she proceeded to Key West, Florida
, where Porter's flotilla was assembling. Early in March, she proceeded thence to Ship Island, Mississippi, the staging point for Farragut's invasion of the South.
In mid-March, the schooners sailed to Pass a l'Outre where they were towed across the bar into the Mississippi River
on the 18th. Once inside, they waited almost a month while Farragut's steamers labored to get the West Gulf Blockading Squadron's deep-draft ships over the bar and into the river and while other preparations were made for Farragut's attack on the South's greatest city.
towed T. A. Ward up the Mississippi River to a position just out of range of the Southern guns in Fort St. Phillip and Fort Jackson
. There, the crews camouflaged their ships with bushes and tree branches.
On the morning of the 18th, Lt. Queen, who also commanded the flotilla's second division, had the schooner towed upstream to a predesignated position on the northeast shore of the river less than 4,000 yards from Fort Jackson. Almost immediately, the guns of the fort opened fire on the schooners which, in turn, began lobbing shells into the Confederate stronghold.
in T. A. Ward's magazine but fortunately did not detonate the explosives. One-half hour later, a shot struck the schooner, damaging her rigging as it smashed through several bulkheads before leaving the vessel through a hole in T. A. Wards side a few inches above her waterline. Queen then ordered his division to drop downstream a few hundred yards where the schooner's gunners resumed the bombardment as her crew began to repair the damage.
The shelling continued for six days and nights. It reached a crescendo in the wee hours of 25 April to distract the gunners in the Southern forts as Farragut's fleet raced upstream past the Confederate strongholds to take New Orleans.
while awaiting Farragut's return from the Mississippi to join in an attack on Mobile, Alabama
.
Early in June, their blockade duty was interrupted by orders which sent the flotilla back up the Mississippi River to support Farragut in an attack on Vicksburg, Mississippi
, which he had been directed to undertake by President Abraham Lincoln
.
, on 28 June, in time to bombard the Confederate batteries which guarded the river at that point while Farragut's deep-draft warships dashed past the Southern guns to join Flag Officer Charles H. Davis
' Western Flotilla in the upper river.
While Farragut's daring foray past Vicksburg was tactically successful, it was brought to naught strategically by the Union Army's want of sufficient troops to take and hold the river fortress. Thus, after a fortnight's inconclusive operations with Davis, Farragut -- supported again by the mortar boats -- dashed once more under the Confederate guns and retired downstream to New Orleans.
, which beckoned T. A. Ward back to the U.S. East Coast. General George B. McClellan
’s drive up the Peninsula
toward the Confederate capital had been halted by General Robert E. Lee
's Army of Northern Virginia
in the Seven Days Campaign, and the Union's Army of the Potomac
was beleaguered in a bridgehead at Harrison's Landing on the northern bank of the James River
.
As a result, in an effort to save the imperiled Northern troops, Federal Army leaders in Washington asked U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles
for all possible naval support in the James. In compliance, the Union Secretary of the Navy ordered most of Porter's mortar boats back to Hampton Roads, Virginia, where T. A. Ward and her sisters arrived on the last day of July.
which was then protecting Union communications with Washington, D.C.
by water and attempting to stop Confederate traffic across the Potomac River
between Maryland
and Virginia
.
Her first contact with the enemy came on the night of 3 and 4 October near Blakistone Island, Maryland, when she captured a large man-of-war boat which was attempting to slip back to Virginia under cover of darkness.
The next night, she took two more boats attempting to run the blockade from Breton and St. Clement's Bays. Later in the month, the ship sailed to the Rappahannock River
for blockade duty. On 29 October, a party from T. A. Ward helped to put out a fire in the American merchant ship Alleghanian, which had been set ablaze by a group of Virginians.
By mid-November, the schooner was back on station in the Potomac and captured the sloop G. W. Green; a seine boat; and six prisoners near St. Jerome's Creek, Maryland. She continued to serve in the Potomac Flotilla until transferred to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron early in the summer of 1863.
, where she served on blockade duty into the autumn. On 26 September, orders from Washington directed her to proceed to waters off Charleston, South Carolina
, for duty with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
, boat crews from the schooner destroyed Southern merchant schooner Rover, before that blockade runner could slip to sea laden with cotton.
Three days later, a party from T. A. Ward went ashore to reconnoiter and obtain fresh water; but it was surprised by Confederate cavalry. Ten of the Union seamen were captured.
On 12 April 1864, boats from T. A. Ward and South Carolina
seized the blockade-running steamer Alliance, which the night before had run aground on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, laden with glass, liquor, and soap.
On 16 August 1864, a boat expedition from Saratoga
and T. A. Ward captured some 100 prisoners and a large quantity of arms during a daring raid into Mclntosh County, Georgia. The Union landing party also destroyed a salt works and a bridge across the South Newport River on the main road to Savannah, Georgia
.
Between the 23d and the 25th of the same month, men from these two ships engaged Confederate pickets along Georgia's Turtle River
.
; but, by New Year's Day
1865, she was on blockade duty off Charleston, South Carolina
, and she served in nearby waters through the end of the Civil War.
, on 15 July 1865, was decommissioned there on 22 July 1865, and was sold on 25 September 1865.
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....
was purchased by the Union Navy
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...
during 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...
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...
.
T. A. Ward was initially assigned by the Union Navy for blockade duty in the ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America; however, because of a change in Union strategy, she was redesignated a mortar 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 outfitted with a powerful 13-inch mortar which could fire up onto high riverbank targets, which regular guns could not reach.
Purchased and outfitted in New York City in 1861
Schooner T. A. Ward was purchased by the Union Navy at New York CityNew 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 9 October 1861. While the vessel was being fitted out for blockade duty, she was selected for service in the mortar flotilla being established by Comdr. David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
to support Flag Officer David G. Farragut's impending attack on 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...
.
The schooner was armed with a 13-inch seacoast mortar weighing over eight and one-half tons. Two 32-pounders were also installed to give her a low-trajectory punch. The ship was manned by a crew from the receiving ship North Carolina
USS North Carolina (1820)
The first USS North Carolina was a 74-gun ship of the line in the United States Navy.One of the "nine ships to rate not less than 74 guns each" authorized by Congress on 29 April 1816, she was laid down in 1818 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, launched on 7 September 1820, and fitted out in the...
and was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 17 January 1862, Lt. Walter W. Queen in command.
Assigned to the Mississippi River
Late in January, the schooner sailed for Hampton Roads, Virginia, carrying supplies for schooners George ManghamUSS George Mangham (1854)
USS George Mangham was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.- Commissioned at Philadelphia in 1862 :...
and Adolph Hugel
USS Adolph Hugel (1860)
USS Adolph Hugel was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.With her two 32-pounder guns, she was intended for use by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways...
. From that port, she proceeded to Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, where Porter's flotilla was assembling. Early in March, she proceeded thence to Ship Island, Mississippi, the staging point for Farragut's invasion of the South.
In mid-March, the schooners sailed to Pass a l'Outre where they were towed across the bar into the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
on the 18th. Once inside, they waited almost a month while Farragut's steamers labored to get the West Gulf Blockading Squadron's deep-draft ships over the bar and into the river and while other preparations were made for Farragut's attack on the South's greatest city.
Attack on Mississippi River forts
On 15 April, revenue cutter Harriet LaneUSS Harriet Lane (1857)
Harriet Lane was a revenue cutter of the United States Revenue Cutter Service and, on the outbreak of the American Civil War, a ship of the United States Navy and later Confederate States Navy. She was named after the niece of senator and later United States President, James Buchanan...
towed T. A. Ward up the Mississippi River to a position just out of range of the Southern guns in Fort St. Phillip and Fort Jackson
Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip
The Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip was the decisive battle for possession of New Orleans in the American Civil War. The two Confederate forts on the Mississippi River south of the city were attacked by a Union Navy fleet...
. There, the crews camouflaged their ships with bushes and tree branches.
On the morning of the 18th, Lt. Queen, who also commanded the flotilla's second division, had the schooner towed upstream to a predesignated position on the northeast shore of the river less than 4,000 yards from Fort Jackson. Almost immediately, the guns of the fort opened fire on the schooners which, in turn, began lobbing shells into the Confederate stronghold.
Damaged by Confederate shells
Early in the action, a near miss upset several barrels of gunpowderGunpowder
Gunpowder, also known since in the late 19th century as black powder, was the first chemical explosive and the only one known until the mid 1800s. It is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and potassium nitrate - with the sulfur and charcoal acting as fuels, while the saltpeter works as an oxidizer...
in T. A. Ward's magazine but fortunately did not detonate the explosives. One-half hour later, a shot struck the schooner, damaging her rigging as it smashed through several bulkheads before leaving the vessel through a hole in T. A. Wards side a few inches above her waterline. Queen then ordered his division to drop downstream a few hundred yards where the schooner's gunners resumed the bombardment as her crew began to repair the damage.
The shelling continued for six days and nights. It reached a crescendo in the wee hours of 25 April to distract the gunners in the Southern forts as Farragut's fleet raced upstream past the Confederate strongholds to take New Orleans.
New Orleans and Mississippi forts surrender
The following day, New Orleans fell; but Fort St. Philip and Fort Jackson held out until the 28th when they finally surrendered to Porter. On 6 May, T. A. Ward retired to Ship Island which the mortar flotilla used as a base for blockade operations to cut off Confederate commerce in the Gulf of MexicoGulf 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...
while awaiting Farragut's return from the Mississippi to join in an attack on Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
.
Early in June, their blockade duty was interrupted by orders which sent the flotilla back up the Mississippi River to support Farragut in an attack on Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
, which he had been directed to undertake by President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
.
Vicksburg operations
A shortage of steamers in the lower river delayed the flotilla's ascent of the river, but the mortar schooners were on station below Vicksburg, MississippiVicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
, on 28 June, in time to bombard the Confederate batteries which guarded the river at that point while Farragut's deep-draft warships dashed past the Southern guns to join Flag Officer Charles H. Davis
Charles Henry Davis
Charles Henry Davis was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, serving primarily during the American Civil War, and with the United States Coast Survey.-Early life and career:...
' Western Flotilla in the upper river.
While Farragut's daring foray past Vicksburg was tactically successful, it was brought to naught strategically by the Union Army's want of sufficient troops to take and hold the river fortress. Thus, after a fortnight's inconclusive operations with Davis, Farragut -- supported again by the mortar boats -- dashed once more under the Confederate guns and retired downstream to New Orleans.
Union crisis in Virginia
Meanwhile, events had occurred near Richmond, VirginiaRichmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, which beckoned T. A. Ward back to the U.S. East Coast. General George B. McClellan
George B. McClellan
George Brinton McClellan was a major general during the American Civil War. He organized the famous Army of the Potomac and served briefly as the general-in-chief of the Union Army. Early in the war, McClellan played an important role in raising a well-trained and organized army for the Union...
’s drive up the Peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
toward the Confederate capital had been halted by General Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
's Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
in the Seven Days Campaign, and the Union's Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
was beleaguered in a bridgehead at Harrison's Landing on the northern bank of the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
.
As a result, in an effort to save the imperiled Northern troops, Federal Army leaders in Washington asked U.S. Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869. His buildup of the Navy to successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key component of Northern victory of the Civil War...
for all possible naval support in the James. In compliance, the Union Secretary of the Navy ordered most of Porter's mortar boats back to Hampton Roads, Virginia, where T. A. Ward and her sisters arrived on the last day of July.
Reassigned to the Potomac River
By this time, however, the greatest danger to the Union Army had passed; and the mortar vessels were repaired before resuming active operations. When back in top fighting trim, T. A. Ward was assigned to the Potomac FlotillaPotomac Flotilla
The Potomac Flotilla, or the Potomac Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and their tributaries, and to disrupt Confederate communications and shipping in the...
which was then protecting Union communications with 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....
by water and attempting to stop Confederate traffic across the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
between Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
Her first contact with the enemy came on the night of 3 and 4 October near Blakistone Island, Maryland, when she captured a large man-of-war boat which was attempting to slip back to Virginia under cover of darkness.
The next night, she took two more boats attempting to run the blockade from Breton and St. Clement's Bays. Later in the month, the ship sailed to the Rappahannock River
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...
for blockade duty. On 29 October, a party from T. A. Ward helped to put out a fire in the American merchant ship Alleghanian, which had been set ablaze by a group of Virginians.
By mid-November, the schooner was back on station in the Potomac and captured the sloop G. W. Green; a seine boat; and six prisoners near St. Jerome's Creek, Maryland. She continued to serve in the Potomac Flotilla until transferred to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron early in the summer of 1863.
Transferred to the North Atlantic blockade
T. A. Ward arrived at Hampton Roads on 5 July and soon was stationed off Wilmington, North CarolinaWilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
, where she served on blockade duty into the autumn. On 26 September, orders from Washington directed her to proceed to waters off Charleston, South Carolina
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...
, for duty with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
Reassigned to the South Atlantic blockade
On 17 October 1863 at Murrell's Inlet, 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...
, boat crews from the schooner destroyed Southern merchant schooner Rover, before that blockade runner could slip to sea laden with cotton.
Three days later, a party from T. A. Ward went ashore to reconnoiter and obtain fresh water; but it was surprised by Confederate cavalry. Ten of the Union seamen were captured.
On 12 April 1864, boats from T. A. Ward and South Carolina
USS South Carolina (1860)
USS South Carolina was a steamer used by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries...
seized the blockade-running steamer Alliance, which the night before had run aground on Daufuskie Island, South Carolina, laden with glass, liquor, and soap.
On 16 August 1864, a boat expedition from Saratoga
USS Saratoga (1842)
USS Saratoga, a sloop-of-war, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of Saratoga of the American Revolutionary War. Her keel was laid down in the summer of 1841 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard...
and T. A. Ward captured some 100 prisoners and a large quantity of arms during a daring raid into Mclntosh County, Georgia. The Union landing party also destroyed a salt works and a bridge across the South Newport River on the main road to Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
.
Between the 23d and the 25th of the same month, men from these two ships engaged Confederate pickets along Georgia's Turtle River
Turtle River (Georgia)
The Turtle River is a tidal river in the vicinity of Brunswick, Georgia. It is the main tributary of the Brunswick River.- References :*USGS Hydrologic Unit Map - State of Georgia...
.
End-of-war operations
T. A. Ward spent the autumn and early winter undergoing repairs at Port Royal, South CarolinaPort 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...
; but, by New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1865, she was on blockade duty off Charleston, South Carolina
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...
, and she served in nearby waters through the end of the Civil War.
Post-war decommissioning
In June 1865, she was detached and sailed north. The schooner arrived at Portsmouth, New HampshirePortsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
, on 15 July 1865, was decommissioned there on 22 July 1865, and was sold on 25 September 1865.