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USS Thomas Freeborn (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Thomas Freeborn was a steam tug
acquired by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
.
Thomas Freeborn was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
relief expedition. She was detained at New York
, however, and did not sail with the other two ships, Yankee
and Uncle Ben,
On 7 May, she was purchased by the Union Navy and, under the command of Comdr. James H. Ward
, joined the newly formed "Flying Flotilla" as his flagship
. She departed New York City
on 16 May for duty in the Chesapeake Bay
and at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
and Thomas Freeborn engaged Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point
, Virginia
, on 19 May. The next day, Thomas Freeborn carried Senators Benjamin F. Wade, Zachariah Chandler
, and Robert Morrill to Washington, returning to Hampton Roads on 22 May.
She again sailed for the Washington Navy Yard
on 23 May and took part in the Union occupation of Alexandria, Virginia
, on the 24th. Thomas Freeborn deployed on permanent blockade and patrol duty in the Potomac River
on 27 May.
There, Anacostia
, Resolute
, and Thomas Freeborn fired on and silenced Confederate batteries at Aquia Creek
, Virginia
, on the last day of May. On 24 June, Thomas Freeborn and Pawnee
shelled Confederate installations at Mathias Point, Virginia, after having received sporadic shore fire from the batteries earlier. Casualties included Commander James H. Ward
who was shot and killed while attempting to land on the point during the evening of 27 June. Thomas Freeborn returned to the Washington Navy Yard for repairs on 12 July.
A. B. Leon off White House Point, Virginia, on 26 July 1861. On 4 August, she captured schooner
Pocahantas and sloop Mary Grey in Pohick Creek
, Virginia, and, on 10 November, received fire from Confederate batteries on Maryland Point, Virginia, but sustained no damage.
Thomas Freeborn captured schooner Mail and her cargo of salt in Coan River
, Virginia, on 1 August 1862, and seized and burned schooner Arctic in Maryland
's Great Wicomico River
on 15 September. She captured sloop Thomas Reilly on 1 October at the mouth of Quantico Creek
, Virginia.
and Fredericksburg, Virginia
, to Richmond, Virginia
, on 4 October 1862. On 21 February 1863, Dragon
and Thomas Freeborn engaged a Confederate battery near Fort Lowry, Virginia; each vessel received minor damage. Thomas Freeborn helped Yankee, Fuchsia
, and Tulip
destroy a Confederate encampment under construction at Carter's Creek, Virginia, on 29 April.
The vessel spent the remainder of 1863 and all of 1864 on patrol and reconnaissance
duty along the Potomac River
.
in early January 1865. Returning to duty, she captured blockade runner William Smith on 3 March in the Piankatank River
, Virginia. On 17 April, she was ordered by the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton
, to patrol the Chesapeake Bay
from Point Lookout, Maryland
, to the mouth of the Patuxent River
, Maryland
, in search of the assassins of President Abraham Lincoln
.
Finding nothing, she was ordered to proceed to Cherrystone, Virginia
, on 1 May 1865 and warned of the expected arrival of Confederate ram CSS Stonewall from Europe
. The steamer returned to the Washington Navy Yard later in the month.
on 17 June 1865 and was sold at auction there on 20 July to Anthony Raybold. She was redocumented as Philip on 14 September 1865 and finally disposed of in 1887.
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...
acquired 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 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...
.
Thomas Freeborn was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
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...
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Built for the relief of Fort Sumter
Thomas Freeborn -- a sidewheel steamer built in 1861 at Brooklyn, New York -- was one of three steam tugs chartered by the Navy in April 1861 for use in the unsuccessful Fort SumterFort 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 :...
relief expedition. She was detained at New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, however, and did not sail with the other two ships, Yankee
USS Yankee (1861)
USS Yankee was a steam powered side-wheel tugboat acquired by the Union Navy just prior to the outbreak of the American Civil War.- Provisioning Fort Sumter, evacuating Norfolk :...
and Uncle Ben,
On 7 May, she was purchased by the Union Navy and, under the command of Comdr. James H. Ward
James H. Ward
Commander James Harmon Ward was the first officer of the United States Navy killed during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, joined the newly formed "Flying Flotilla" as his flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
. She departed 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 16 May for duty in the 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...
and at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Operations in the Virginia area
In Hampton Roads, MonticelloUSS Monticello (1859)
The first USS Monticello was a wooden screw-steamer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the home of Thomas Jefferson. She was briefly named Star in May 1861....
and Thomas Freeborn engaged Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point
Sewell's Point
Sewells Point is a peninsula of land in the independent city of Norfolk, Virginia in the United States, located at the mouth of the salt-water port of Hampton Roads. Sewells Point is bordered by water on three sides, with Willoughby Bay to the north, Hampton Roads to the west, and the Lafayette...
, 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...
, on 19 May. The next day, Thomas Freeborn carried Senators Benjamin F. Wade, Zachariah Chandler
Zachariah Chandler
Zachariah Chandler was Mayor of Detroit , a four-term U.S. Senator from the state of Michigan , and Secretary of the Interior under U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant .-Family:...
, and Robert Morrill to Washington, returning to Hampton Roads on 22 May.
She again sailed for the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
on 23 May and took part in the Union occupation of Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, on the 24th. Thomas Freeborn deployed on permanent blockade and patrol duty in 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...
on 27 May.
There, Anacostia
USS Anacostia (1856)
USS Anacostia was a steamer, constructed as a tugboat, that was first chartered by the United States Navy for service during the Paraguay crisis of the 1850s and then commissioned as a U.S. Navy ship. She later served prominently in the Union Navy during the American Civil War.-Under charter to...
, Resolute
USS Resolute (1860)
The first USS Resolute was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was purchased by the Union Navy to be part of the fleet of ships stationed in coastal waterways to prevent blockade runners from entering or departing ports of the Confederacy...
, and Thomas Freeborn fired on and silenced Confederate batteries at Aquia Creek
Aquia Creek
Aquia Creek is a tributary of the tidal segment of the Potomac River and is located in northern Virginia. The creek's headwaters lie in southeastern Fauquier County, and it empties into the Potomac at Brent Point in Stafford County, south of Washington, D.C....
, 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...
, on the last day of May. On 24 June, Thomas Freeborn and Pawnee
USS Pawnee (1859)
The first USS Pawnee was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for the Pawnee Indian tribe....
shelled Confederate installations at Mathias Point, Virginia, after having received sporadic shore fire from the batteries earlier. Casualties included Commander James H. Ward
James H. Ward
Commander James Harmon Ward was the first officer of the United States Navy killed during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
who was shot and killed while attempting to land on the point during the evening of 27 June. Thomas Freeborn returned to the Washington Navy Yard for repairs on 12 July.
Return to the Potomac River Flotilla after repairs at Washington
Thomas Freeborn soon rejoined the flotilla, capturing sloopSloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
A. B. Leon off White House Point, Virginia, on 26 July 1861. On 4 August, she captured 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....
Pocahantas and sloop Mary Grey in Pohick Creek
Pohick Creek
Pohick Creek is a tributary stream of the Potomac River in Fairfax County in the U.S. state of Virginia. It takes its name from the Pohick Native American tribe once prevalent in the area....
, Virginia, and, on 10 November, received fire from Confederate batteries on Maryland Point, Virginia, but sustained no damage.
Thomas Freeborn captured schooner Mail and her cargo of salt in Coan River
Coan River
The Coan River is a river in Virginia's Northern Neck region. It is a tributary of the Potomac River. It flows from its source in Heathsville through Northumberland County and into the Potomac between Lewisetta and Walnut Point....
, Virginia, on 1 August 1862, and seized and burned schooner Arctic in 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...
's Great Wicomico River
Great Wicomico River
The Great Wicomico River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia, located approximately northeast of Richmond. In 1864, during the American Civil War, one of the torpedo boats of Admiral David Dixon Porter's fleet ran into the Great Wicomico River and was captured.-Geography:The Great Wicomico...
on 15 September. She captured sloop Thomas Reilly on 1 October at the mouth of Quantico Creek
Quantico Creek
Quantico Creek is a tidal tributary of the Potomac River in eastern Prince William County, Virginia. Quantico Creek rises southeast of Independent Hill, flows through Prince William Forest Park and Dumfries and empties into the Potomac at Possum Point....
, Virginia.
Crew goes ashore to cut telegraph lines
A landing party from Thomas Freeborn cut telegraph lines stretching from OccoquanOccoquan, Virginia
Occoquan is a town in Prince William County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 759 at the 2000 census, but as of the census of 2010, there were 934 people residing in the town of Occoquan. The town is a suburb of Washington, D.C. and is adjacent to Woodbridge...
and Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
, to Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, 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...
, on 4 October 1862. On 21 February 1863, Dragon
USS Dragon (1861)
USS Dragon was a small 118-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the start of the American Civil War.Dragon's primary assignment was to participate as a gunboat in the Union blockade of the ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America.- Purchased in New York City in 1861...
and Thomas Freeborn engaged a Confederate battery near Fort Lowry, Virginia; each vessel received minor damage. Thomas Freeborn helped Yankee, Fuchsia
USS Fuchsia (1863)
USS Fuchsia was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....
, and Tulip
USS Tulip (1862)
USS Tulip was a 183-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Tulip was outfitted with heavy guns and was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy in order to prevent the South from trading with other countries.- Built in New York...
destroy a Confederate encampment under construction at Carter's Creek, Virginia, on 29 April.
The vessel spent the remainder of 1863 and all of 1864 on patrol and reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
duty along 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...
.
Searching for the assassins of President Lincoln
Thomas Freeborn was repaired at the Washington Navy YardWashington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
in early January 1865. Returning to duty, she captured blockade runner William Smith on 3 March in the Piankatank River
Piankatank River
The Piankatank River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. Located on the Middle Peninsula, between the Rappahannock and York rivers, it was the site of numerous actions during the American Civil War....
, Virginia. On 17 April, she was ordered by the Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin M. Stanton
Edwin McMasters Stanton was an American lawyer and politician who served as Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during the American Civil War from 1862–1865...
, to patrol the 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...
from Point Lookout, Maryland
Point Lookout, Maryland
Point Lookout is a Maryland state park at the southern tip of St. Mary's County, Maryland. It is a peninsula formed by the confluence of the Chesapeake Bay and the Potomac River....
, to the mouth of the Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River 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...
, in search of the assassins of 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...
.
Finding nothing, she was ordered to proceed to Cherrystone, Virginia
Cherrystone, Virginia
Cherrystone is an unincorporated community in Northampton County, Virginia, United States.-References:*...
, on 1 May 1865 and warned of the expected arrival of Confederate ram CSS Stonewall from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The steamer returned to the Washington Navy Yard later in the month.
Post-war decommissioning and redocumentation
Thomas Freeborn was decommissioned at the Washington Navy YardWashington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
on 17 June 1865 and was sold at auction there on 20 July to Anthony Raybold. She was redocumented as Philip on 14 September 1865 and finally disposed of in 1887.