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USS William Bacon (1863)
Encyclopedia
USS William Bacon (1863) 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.
under tow on 6 February and arrived at Key West, Florida
, on 18 February. The next day, she shifted to Pilot Town.
to commence one phase of the move designed to split the Confederacy asunder along that major waterway. Defending the mouth of that key artery were Forts Jackson
and St. Philip
, mounting between them 115 guns, in addition to a heavy barrier of chained hulks and logs that lay in the river below the forts to obstruct the passage.
took William Bacon under tow on the morning of 11 April and, at 0915, headed upriver; at 1300, the crew on board the mortar schooner began dressing the masts with green bushes in an attempt to camouflage the ship—a standard practice throughout the flotilla as it began to clear for action with the Confederate forces upstream.
-- surrendered, thus removing a formidable barrier to the Federal operations. William Bacon, her task in the reduction of the forts completed, dropped down the river to Southwest Pass, where she awaited further orders.
Briefly assigned to the Potomac Flotilla
, William Bacon subsequently received orders on 11 December 1862 to report for duty with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Wilmington, North Carolina
.
Three days later, she began taking on stores at Hampton Roads for delivery to the ships already off Wilmington and apparently arrived later in the month to take up her duties. Extant records indicate that the blockade had been strengthened with additional ships by 29 December -- William Bacon included.
of North Carolina
into 1863. Relieving Matthew Vassar
at Little River Inlet on 13 March 1863, she was receiving fresh water from the steamer Victoria
on 21 March, off the mouth of the Little River, when lookouts sighted a sail to the westward at about 0900. Victoria, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Edward Hooker commanding, immediately got up steam and gave chase. In accordance with orders from Hooker, William Bacon slipped her anchor chain and made sail.
Victoria, the faster of the two Union vessels, managed to close the range in the fog and mist prevailing offshore that morning and lobbed a few shots at the stranger, all of which fell close aboard. While William Bacon came up rapidly, the unidentified vessel hove around and stood toward the two blockaders; Acting Master Rogers, commanding William Bacon, later reported :
, for Charleston, South Carolina
, with a cargo of dry goods, arms, and ammunition. Victoria consequently took her prize into custody and took her up to the main body of the fleet. William Bacon soon returned to the drudgery of coastal patrols.
on 17 June 1865, William Bacon was sold at auction to William L. Wall and Co., on 20 July of the same year.
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....
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...
. She was used by the Union Navy 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:...
in support of the Union Navy blockade of 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...
waterways.
Commissioned in New York City in 1862
William Bacon -- a wooden-hulled schooner—was purchased by the Union Navy on 6 September 1861 from Van Brunt and Slaight and commissioned at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York, on 3 February 1862, Acting Master William P. Rogers, USN, in command.Assigned to the West Gulf Blockade mortar flotilla
Assigned to the mortar flotilla attached to Flag Officer David Glasgow Farragut's West Gulf Blockading Squadron, William Bacon departed 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...
under tow on 6 February and arrived at 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...
, on 18 February. The next day, she shifted to Pilot Town.
The need to pass Forts Jackson and St. Philip
Flag Officer Farragut gathered his forces at the mouth of the Mississippi RiverMississippi 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...
to commence one phase of the move designed to split the Confederacy asunder along that major waterway. Defending the mouth of that key artery were Forts Jackson
Fort Jackson, Louisiana
Fort Jackson is a decommissioned masonry fort located some up river from the mouth of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana. It was constructed as a coastal defense of New Orleans between 1822 and 1832, and was a battle site in the American Civil War. It is a National Historic...
and 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...
, mounting between them 115 guns, in addition to a heavy barrier of chained hulks and logs that lay in the river below the forts to obstruct the passage.
William Bacon furtively ascends the Mississippi River
The steamer WestfieldUSS Westfield (1861)
USS Westfield was a sidewheel steam ferryboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.Westfield was purchased by the Navy from Cornelius Vanderbilt on 22 November 1861; outfitted at Jacob Aaron Westervelts shipyard in New York; and commissioned in January 1862, Commander William B...
took William Bacon under tow on the morning of 11 April and, at 0915, headed upriver; at 1300, the crew on board the mortar schooner began dressing the masts with green bushes in an attempt to camouflage the ship—a standard practice throughout the flotilla as it began to clear for action with the Confederate forces upstream.
Bombarding the forts with mortar fire while Farragut makes his run
William Bacon and the other ships of the mortar flotilla kept up a steady, heavy fire on the two Confederate forts over the next week. Farragut's squadron, meanwhile, battered their way through the barrier and successfully made passage. Three days later, the forts—heavily battered by the shells from the mortar flotilla and surrounded on the landward sides by the Army's expeditionary forces under General Benjamin Franklin ButlerBenjamin Franklin Butler (politician)
Benjamin Franklin Butler was an American lawyer and politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States House of Representatives and later served as the 33rd Governor of Massachusetts....
-- surrendered, thus removing a formidable barrier to the Federal operations. William Bacon, her task in the reduction of the forts completed, dropped down the river to Southwest Pass, where she awaited further orders.
Reassigned to the North Atlantic blockade
Because of the enervating climate, however, William Bacon did not tarry long at the mouth of the Mississippi River. She sailed for Hampton Roads, Virginia, soon thereafter and refitted there into the summer.Briefly assigned to the Potomac Flotilla
Potomac 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...
, William Bacon subsequently received orders on 11 December 1862 to report for duty with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, 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...
.
Three days later, she began taking on stores at Hampton Roads for delivery to the ships already off Wilmington and apparently arrived later in the month to take up her duties. Extant records indicate that the blockade had been strengthened with additional ships by 29 December -- William Bacon included.
Chasing a sail off Wilmington, North Carolina
William Bacon operated primarily off Wilmington and the soundsSound (geography)
In geography a sound or seaway is a large sea or ocean inlet larger than a bay, deeper than a bight and wider than a fjord; or it may be defined as a narrow sea or ocean channel between two bodies of land ....
of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
into 1863. Relieving Matthew Vassar
USS Matthew Vassar (1861)
USS Matthew Vassar was a schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy primarily as a mortar gunboat, but also as a gunboat stationed off Confederate ports to prevent their trading with foreign countries.Matthew Vassar, a wooden, centerboard...
at Little River Inlet on 13 March 1863, she was receiving fresh water from the steamer Victoria
USS Victoria (1855)
USS Victoria was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Victoria was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways....
on 21 March, off the mouth of the Little River, when lookouts sighted a sail to the westward at about 0900. Victoria, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Edward Hooker commanding, immediately got up steam and gave chase. In accordance with orders from Hooker, William Bacon slipped her anchor chain and made sail.
Victoria, the faster of the two Union vessels, managed to close the range in the fog and mist prevailing offshore that morning and lobbed a few shots at the stranger, all of which fell close aboard. While William Bacon came up rapidly, the unidentified vessel hove around and stood toward the two blockaders; Acting Master Rogers, commanding William Bacon, later reported :
- "And as we did not know but what there might be some resistance, every man was at the gun ready for immediate action."
The prize, English steamer Nicolai I, is captured
While William Bacon thus stood by in a posture of readiness, Victoria lowered a boat. Soon, the blockaders learned the identity of the strange ship: she was the English steamer Nicolai I, bound from Nassau, New Providence, in the BahamasNassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
, for 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...
, with a cargo of dry goods, arms, and ammunition. Victoria consequently took her prize into custody and took her up to the main body of the fleet. William Bacon soon returned to the drudgery of coastal patrols.
Final operations, decommissioning and sale
Records are not clear as to what the ship did next, but it may be presumed that she served in a support capacity for the duration of the Civil War. Ultimately 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, William Bacon was sold at auction to William L. Wall and Co., on 20 July of the same year.