USS Breaker (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS Breaker (1862) was a schooner
captured 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.
and as a general utility vessel in the inland waters along the Texas coast. The vessel was active at least as early as 11 July 1862, for on that day she carried a Confederate officer who was observing the operations of Union warships in Corpus Christi Bay
.
as well as the other Union forces afloat in the area, left his ship and entered Aransas Bay
in the tender Corypheus
accompanied by the gunboat Sachem
and the schooner Reindeer
. There they encountered Breaker, returning from a reconnaissance mission with a detachment of Confederate soldiers embarked. The Union ships gave chase and forced Breaker ashore. Her crew set her afire before abandoning ship, but a Federal boarding party quickly put out the flames.
, to secure the release of the family of Judge Edmund J. Davis
, a prominent political leader who had remained loyal to the Union after his state seceded and had escaped into exile to serve the Union cause.
Kittredge went ashore under a flag of truce at Corpus Christi where the Confederate commanding officer
refused to permit Mrs. Davis to leave Texas
, but promised to refer the matter to higher authority. While waiting a decision from San Antonio, Texas
, Kittredge took his two ships to Flour Bluffs where Belle Italia
joined them. The next morning, they fired upon several small vessels which escaped into Laguna de la Madre whose shallow waters forbade the Union ships to follow.
Kittredge landed a small party and took three prisoners before returning to Corypheus. The following morning, Kittredge again went ashore where he and his party of seven men were captured by a large group of Southern soldiers. Fear of harming Kittredge and his men prevented Breaker and her consorts from firing on the enemy ashore.
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....
captured 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.
Operating as a Confederate Government schooner in Texas waterways
Early in the Civil War the Confederate Government acquired the small schooner Breaker and used her as a pilot boat at Pass CavalloPass Cavallo (Texas)
Pass Cavallo, alternately known as Cavallo Pass, is one of five natural water inlets which separate the Gulf of Mexico and Matagorda Bay, in the U.S. state of Texas. René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle came ashore in Texas at this point. Matagorda Island Lighthouse was originally built on...
and as a general utility vessel in the inland waters along the Texas coast. The vessel was active at least as early as 11 July 1862, for on that day she carried a Confederate officer who was observing the operations of Union warships in Corpus Christi Bay
Corpus Christi Bay
Corpus Christi Bay is a scenic semi-tropical bay on the Texas coast found in San Patricio and Nueces counties, next to the major city of Corpus Christi. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Mustang Island, and is fed by the Nueces River and Oso Creek from its western and southern extensions,...
.
Kittredge in Arthur captures the schooner Breaker
A month later, Act. Vol. Lt. John W. Kittredge, who commanded the bark ArthurUSS Arthur (1855)
USS Arthur was a bark 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.- Arthur commissioned in New York City :...
as well as the other Union forces afloat in the area, left his ship and entered Aransas Bay
Aransas Bay
Aransas Bay is a bay on the Texas gulf coast, approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, and south of San Antonio. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by San José Island . Aransas Pass is the most direct navigable outlet into the Gulf of Mexico from the bay...
in the tender Corypheus
USS Corypheus (1862)
USS Corypheus was a schooner captured by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Corypheus was used by the Union Navy primarily as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy in order to prevent the South from trading with other countries...
accompanied by the gunboat Sachem
USS Sachem (1861)
The second Navy vessel to bear the name Sachem, this screw steamer was built in 1844 at New York City, where it was purchased by the Navy on September 20, 1861.-Battle of Hampton Roads:...
and the schooner Reindeer
USS Reindeer (1863)
USS Reindeer was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways. Post-war she was converted into a dispatch vessel and served that function until finally decommissioned.-Built in Cincinnati in...
. There they encountered Breaker, returning from a reconnaissance mission with a detachment of Confederate soldiers embarked. The Union ships gave chase and forced Breaker ashore. Her crew set her afire before abandoning ship, but a Federal boarding party quickly put out the flames.
Attempting to secure the release of Judge Edmund Jackson Davis’ Family
Kittredge refloated the schooner and added her to his flotilla as another tender to Arthur. In mid-September, Breaker accompanied Corypheus on an expedition to Corpus Christi, TexasCorpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
, to secure the release of the family of Judge Edmund J. Davis
Edmund J. Davis
Edmund Jackson Davis was an American lawyer, soldier, and politician. He was a Southern Unionist and served as a Union general in the American Civil War, besides serving one term as the 14th Governor of Texas.-Early years:...
, a prominent political leader who had remained loyal to the Union after his state seceded and had escaped into exile to serve the Union cause.
Kittredge went ashore under a flag of truce at Corpus Christi where the Confederate 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...
refused to permit Mrs. Davis to leave Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, but promised to refer the matter to higher authority. While waiting a decision from San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Kittredge took his two ships to Flour Bluffs where Belle Italia
USS Belle Italia (1862)
USS Belle Italia was a sloop captured 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.-Capture:...
joined them. The next morning, they fired upon several small vessels which escaped into Laguna de la Madre whose shallow waters forbade the Union ships to follow.
Kittredge landed a small party and took three prisoners before returning to Corypheus. The following morning, Kittredge again went ashore where he and his party of seven men were captured by a large group of Southern soldiers. Fear of harming Kittredge and his men prevented Breaker and her consorts from firing on the enemy ashore.