USS Ben Morgan (1826)
Encyclopedia
USS Ben Morgan (1826) was a schooner
acquired by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
. She was used by the Union Navy as a hospital ship
in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate
waterways.
in 1826 — was purchased at New York City
by the Navy on 27 May 1861 and renamed Ben Morgan soon thereafter. No logs for this ship have survived, and no record of her commissioning ceremony — if any indeed occurred — has been found. Nevertheless, Ben Morgan was fitted out as a hospital ship and was sent to Hampton Roads, Virginia, to take over the role of the Norfolk Naval Hospital which had fallen into Confederate hands when Union forces evacuated Norfolk, Virginia
, on 20 April 1861, three days after the Virginia
convention had voted for secession.
Master
James B. Gordon, the ship lay anchored in Hampton Roads as she cared for sick and wounded sailors from the Union warships blockading the Confederate coast. She also served concurrently as a collier
and supply ship. Possibly the highlight of her medical service began on 8 March 1862 when she received on board men who had been wounded during the deadly foray into Hampton Roads of CSS Virginia
, the former Federal screw frigate
which Union officers had put to the torch and scuttled just before abandoning the Norfolk Navy Yard almost a year before. Raised, rebuilt, protected by a thick covering of iron plates, and armed with a sharp, strong prow, the Southern ironclad ram had proved to be almost impervious to shot and shell as she destroyed Union frigates and and damaged other Federal warships before withdrawing for the night.
to continue its drive toward Richmond, Virginia
.
filled the Norfolk Naval Hospital with wounded soldiers and prevented the U.S. War Department from returning that facility to the Navy until September 1862. Thus Ben Morgan remained busy at Hampton Roads seeing to Navy needs.
broke out among her crew and the ship remained in quarantine
until after another vessel had taken her place in the North Carolina
Sounds
. As a result, when she was ready to resume her labors, Ben Morgan returned to Hampton Roads and served in the Norfolk vicinity until she returned to New York City
after the collapse of the Confederacy. She was sold there to a Mr. Hammill on 30 November 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....
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 hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
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.
Ben Morgan purchased in New York and converted into a hospital ship
Mediator — a ship rigged, sailing vessel launched 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,...
in 1826 — was purchased 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...
by the Navy on 27 May 1861 and renamed Ben Morgan soon thereafter. No logs for this ship have survived, and no record of her commissioning ceremony — if any indeed occurred — has been found. Nevertheless, Ben Morgan was fitted out as a hospital ship and was sent to Hampton Roads, Virginia, to take over the role of the Norfolk Naval Hospital which had fallen into Confederate hands when Union forces evacuated Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, on 20 April 1861, three days after the 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...
convention had voted for secession.
Ben Morgan stationed at Hampton Roads to care for the injured
Commanded by ActingBrevet (military)
In many of the world's military establishments, brevet referred to a warrant authorizing a commissioned officer to hold a higher rank temporarily, but usually without receiving the pay of that higher rank except when actually serving in that role. An officer so promoted may be referred to as being...
Master
Master (naval)
The master, or sailing master, was a historic term for a naval officer trained in and responsible for the navigation of a sailing vessel...
James B. Gordon, the ship lay anchored in Hampton Roads as she cared for sick and wounded sailors from the Union warships blockading the Confederate coast. She also served concurrently as a collier
Collier (ship type)
Collier is a historical term used to describe a bulk cargo ship designed to carry coal, especially for naval use by coal-fired warships. In the late 18th century a number of wooden-hulled sailing colliers gained fame after being adapted for use in voyages of exploration in the South Pacific, for...
and supply ship. Possibly the highlight of her medical service began on 8 March 1862 when she received on board men who had been wounded during the deadly foray into Hampton Roads of 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...
, the former Federal screw frigate
Screw frigate
Steam frigates and the smaller steam corvettes were steam-powered warships.The first vessel that can be considered a steam frigate was the Demologos which was launched in 1815 for the United States Navy....
which Union officers had put to the torch and scuttled just before abandoning the Norfolk Navy Yard almost a year before. Raised, rebuilt, protected by a thick covering of iron plates, and armed with a sharp, strong prow, the Southern ironclad ram had proved to be almost impervious to shot and shell as she destroyed Union frigates and and damaged other Federal warships before withdrawing for the night.
The battle between the Monitor and the Virginia
That evening, a novel Union vessel, , arrived in Hampton Roads and prepared to challenge Virginia upon her return. Built with a flat deck and an extremely low freeboard, Monitors huIl above the waterline was protected by strong iron plate which, the following day, enabled her to fight her Southern ironclad opponent to a standstill. This brave action saved the remaining Union fleet at Hampton Roads — including Ben Morgan — from almost certain destruction, maintained the blockade, and enabled the threatened Union Army of the PotomacArmy 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...
to continue its drive toward 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...
.
Heavy casualties in the Peninsula Campaign
These developments prompted the Confederates to evacuate Norfolk on 9 May, and Northern troops entered on the following day. However, heavy Union casualties during the Peninsula CampaignPeninsula Campaign
The Peninsula Campaign of the American Civil War was a major Union operation launched in southeastern Virginia from March through July 1862, the first large-scale offensive in the Eastern Theater. The operation, commanded by Maj. Gen. George B...
filled the Norfolk Naval Hospital with wounded soldiers and prevented the U.S. War Department from returning that facility to the Navy until September 1862. Thus Ben Morgan remained busy at Hampton Roads seeing to Navy needs.
Ben Morgans hospital staff moves ashore in Richmond
Meanwhile, the buildup of the fleet to tighten the Union blockade of the South increased the Navy’s need for arms and ammunition in Hampton Roads, and the task of storing ordnance supplies was added to Ben Morgans duties. In June 1862, when the Navy occupied a vacant building near Fort Norfolk, Ben Morgans embarked medical team — headed by Assistant Surgeon James H. Macomber — went ashore to turn that structure into a temporary naval hospital. This freed the ship to devote herself exclusively to her logistical missions. From that time on, she lay anchored in Hampton Roads — some distance from other ships lying there — while laden with explosives and moored at Norfolk when carrying a less dangerous cargo.Final operations and post-war decommissioning and sale
Early in the spring of 1863, the ship was surveyed and condemned; but the need for her services had proved so great that she continued to function in Hampton Roads until autumn when she entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for repairs and recaulking. She was scheduled to perform similar duties at New Berne, North Carolina, upon the completion of the yard work; but smallpoxSmallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
broke out among her crew and the ship remained in quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
until after another vessel had taken her place in the 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...
Sounds
Sound (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 ....
. As a result, when she was ready to resume her labors, Ben Morgan returned to Hampton Roads and served in the Norfolk vicinity until she returned to 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...
after the collapse of the Confederacy. She was sold there to a Mr. Hammill on 30 November 1865.