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USS Varuna (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Varuna (1861) was a heavy (1,300 ton) steam-powered ship acquired by the Union Navy
during the early days of the American Civil War
. She was outfitted with powerful 8-inch guns and assigned, as a gunboat, to the Union blockade
of the waterways of the Confederate States of America
.
and New Orleans, Louisiana
. She was laid down in late January or early February 1861 at the Mallory Yard, Mystic, Connecticut
; launched there in the following September; and purchased by the Navy at New York City on 31 December of that same year.
was ready for action so that she might escort the new ironclad from New York to Hampton Roads
, Virginia
, to protect the wooden-hulled Union blockaders there from the Southern armored ram, CSS Virginia
.
However, these orders were revoked later that same day; and Varuna was assigned to the newly established West Gulf Blockading Squadron. En route south late in February, Varuna put into Port Royal, South Carolina
, for repairs, where the ship's commanding officer
, Commander Charles S. Boggs
, assumed temporary command of the harbor on 24 February during Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont's absence. The gunboat finally joined Rear Admiral David G. Farragut's West Gulf Blockading Squadron on 6 March.
below New Orleans -- Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip
.
and struck twice again immediately thereafter by the cottonclad ram CSS Stonewall Jackson
. After striking Varuna, Lt. Beverly Kennon, CSN in command of one of the Confederate warships, Governor Moore -- found himself unable to depress his guns far enough to fire upon the Union vessel; and so he shot through the bow of his own ship and used the resulting hole as a gun port. Although fatally damaged, Varuna backed off from the Confederate vessels and continued to subject them to a withering fire until rising water silenced her guns. Eight sailors of the Varuna received the Medal of Honor
for their actions during the battle: Seaman Thomas Bourne
, Landsman Amos Bradley, Captain of the Forecastle John Greene, Third Class Boy George Hollat, Seaman William Martin, Quartermaster John McGowan, Coxswain William McKnight
, and Second Class Boy Oscar E. Peck.
itself electrified the North. Varuna's part in the Union triumph was soon commemorated in George H. Bowker's poem, The Varuna, which appeared in the Philadelphia Press
on 12 May.
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 early days of 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 with powerful 8-inch guns and assigned, as a gunboat, 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 waterways 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...
.
Built in Connecticut
Varuna, the first U.S. Navy ship to bear the name, was originally intended for merchant service between 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...
and 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...
. She was laid down in late January or early February 1861 at the Mallory Yard, Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic, Connecticut
Mystic is a village and census-designated place in New London County, Connecticut, in the United States. The population was 4,001 at the 2000 census. A historic locality, Mystic has no independent government because it is not a legally recognized municipality in the state of Connecticut...
; launched there in the following September; and purchased by the Navy at New York City on 31 December of that same year.
Joining the Union blockade
On 10 February 1862, she was ordered to remain in New York until MonitorUSS Monitor
USS Monitor was the first ironclad warship commissioned by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She is most famous for her participation in the Battle of Hampton Roads on March 9, 1862, the first-ever battle fought between two ironclads...
was ready for action so that she might escort the new ironclad from New York to Hampton Roads
Hampton 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...
, 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...
, to protect the wooden-hulled Union blockaders there from the Southern armored ram, CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia
CSS Virginia was the first steam-powered ironclad warship of the Confederate States Navy, built during the first year of the American Civil War; she was constructed as a casemate ironclad using the raised and cut down original lower hull and steam engines of the scuttled . Virginia was one of the...
.
However, these orders were revoked later that same day; and Varuna was assigned to the newly established West Gulf Blockading Squadron. En route south late in February, Varuna put into 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...
, for repairs, where the ship's commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
, Commander Charles S. Boggs
Charles Boggs
Rear Admiral Charles Stuart Boggs served in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Early life and career:Boggs was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey...
, assumed temporary command of the harbor on 24 February during Flag Officer Samuel F. Du Pont's absence. The gunboat finally joined Rear Admiral David G. Farragut's West Gulf Blockading Squadron on 6 March.
Mississippi River operations
On 24 April 1862, Varuna was with the squadron during Farragut's daring nighttime dash past Confederate works guarding the MississippiMississippi
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...
below New Orleans -- Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip
Fort St. Philip is a decommissioned masonry fort located on the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, about up river from its mouth in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana...
.
Varuna sunk in action
At the height of the melee, Varuna was rammed twice by the steamer CSS Governor MooreCSS Governor Moore
LSNS Governor Moore was a schooner-rigged steamer in the Confederate States Navy.Governor Moore had been Southern S. S. Company's Charles Morgan, named for the firm's founder and built at New York in 1854 as a schooner-rigged, low pressure, walking beam-engined, seagoing steamer...
and struck twice again immediately thereafter by the cottonclad ram CSS Stonewall Jackson
CSS Stonewall Jackson
CSS Stonewall Jackson was a cotton-clad sidewheel ram of the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.Stonewall Jackson was selected in January 1862, by Capt. James E. Montgomery to be part of his River Defense Fleet at New Orleans...
. After striking Varuna, Lt. Beverly Kennon, CSN in command of one of the Confederate warships, Governor Moore -- found himself unable to depress his guns far enough to fire upon the Union vessel; and so he shot through the bow of his own ship and used the resulting hole as a gun port. Although fatally damaged, Varuna backed off from the Confederate vessels and continued to subject them to a withering fire until rising water silenced her guns. Eight sailors of the Varuna received the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
for their actions during the battle: Seaman Thomas Bourne
Thomas Bourne
-External links:...
, Landsman Amos Bradley, Captain of the Forecastle John Greene, Third Class Boy George Hollat, Seaman William Martin, Quartermaster John McGowan, Coxswain William McKnight
William McKnight
William McKnight was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the American Civil War....
, and Second Class Boy Oscar E. Peck.
Varuna honored with a poem
Rear Admiral Farragut's stunning victory at and subsequent capture of New OrleansBattle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans took place on January 8, 1815 and was the final major battle of the War of 1812. American forces, commanded by Major General Andrew Jackson, defeated an invading British Army intent on seizing New Orleans and the vast territory the United States had acquired with the...
itself electrified the North. Varuna's part in the Union triumph was soon commemorated in George H. Bowker's poem, The Varuna, which appeared in the Philadelphia Press
Philadelphia Press
The Philadelphia Press is a defunct newspaper that was published from August 1, 1857 to October 1, 1920.The paper was founded by John W. Forney. Charles Emory Smith was editor and owned a stake in the paper from 1880 until his death in 1908...
on 12 May.