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USS Britannia (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS Britannia (1862) was a steamer captured by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat and patrol vessel in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate
waterways.
constructed the iron-hulled, side-wheel steamer Britannia at Leith
, Scotland
, to run through the Union Navy's blockade of the Confederate coast during the American Civil War.
After three successful voyages carrying munitions and supplies to the beleaguered South, Britannia departed Charleston, South Carolina
, on 21 June 1863 and headed for Nassau, New Providence
, with a cargo of cotton.
sighted the blockade runner
some 90 miles east northeast of Eleuthera
Island. Britannia attempted to escape; but, at the end of a day-long chase "against a strong wind and sea" in which the Union sidewheel steamer slowly gained on the fleeing ship, Santiago de Cuba, about 7:00 p.m., finally was close enough to open fire. Her shells fell close around their target and quickly brought Britannia to. Commander Robert H. Wyman, the captain of Santiago de Cuba, placed a prize crew
under Acting Master Edgar C. Merriman on board Britannia and sent her to Boston, Massachusetts.
there and sold to the United States Navy
on 29 September 1863. However, almost a fortnight
before, the Navy—anticipating the completion of this transaction—had placed Britannia in commission on 16 September 1863 at the Boston Navy Yard
, Acting Master Hugh H. Savage in command.
, but experienced disabling boiler trouble en route and was towed into Beaufort, North Carolina
, on 26 September for temporary repairs. Then, following permanent repairs at the Norfolk Navy Yard, she left Hampton Roads, Virginia, late in November and finally took station off New Inlet, North Carolina, in the blockade of Wilmington, North Carolina
.
. Britannia's commanding officer
was confident of having scored several hits, but the speedy steamer reached safety at Wilmington nonetheless.
, Florida
, and Cambridge
under Comdr. Benjamin M. Dove.
The aim of the expedition was to capture or to destroy two blockade running schooners reported to be lying to at Swansboro, North Carolina
, and to capture the Confederate troops on the south end of Bogue Island Banks
. Arriving off Bogue Inlet late at night, the expedition encountered high winds and heavy seas which prevented landing on the beach. Early on the morning of the 25th, a second attempt was made under similarly difficult conditions. Nevertheless, a party got through to Bear Creek and burned one of the schooners. Bad weather persisted throughout the day and the expedition eventually returned to Beaufort on the 26th with its mission only partially completed.
Light in the Bahamas on 20 March. She had departed Abaco
19 days before under a prize crew, but had lost her sails in a gale, and was leaking seriously. Her commander was planning "...to run her ashore as the only means of saving himself and (his) crew."
-- led a small naval force out of the Cape Fear River
and over the bar at New Inlet. After crossing that barrier, Lynch headed straight for Britannia which promptly sent up several rockets to warn her sister blockaders of the impending attack and fired her 30-pounder Parrott rifle
at Raleigh. Nevertheless, Britannia, badly overmatched, headed out to sea in an effort to escape.
Eager for action, the determined Southerner continued her advance toward the fleeing blockader; but her consorts, the steam gunboat Equator and the tug Yadkin turned back. As Britannia retreated, she fired at Raleigh with her 24-pounder howitzer
. Meanwhile the Southerner had opened fire and put out the blockader's binnacle
lights with her first shot and came close to scoring again with subsequent rounds.
captured her pursuer's attention. Raleigh and Nansemond exchanged salvos, and Britannia heard the roar of cannon from time to time during the night. At dawn, she saw Raleigh fighting off several other Northern warships as she retired toward the Cape Fear River
. The Confederate ironclad ran aground while attempting to get over the bar off New Inlet and had to be destroyed.
. The most memorable of these actions occurred on the night of 25 August after she had been alerted by warning rockets from other Union blockaders which had just seen CSS Tallahassee -- commanded by Comdr. John Taylor Wood
, CSN, the swashbuckling grandson of President of the United States
, Zachary Taylor
-- as that Confederate cruiser was returning from one of the South's most successful commerce raiding cruises and was attempting to slip through the blockade to safety in Wilmington.
A bit under an hour after Britannia had gone to general quarters
, she "...saw a stranger on our port quarter running alongshore." The Union warship "...put the helm hard aport and went ahead fast, and fired as soon as the guns would bear. Continued firing and chasing until she (Tallahassee) was close under Fort Fisher
, in white water, the breakers being between us and her."
Tallahassee, joined by Southern batteries emplaced on the Mound, fired back at Britannia; and shrapnel from one shell which burst close aboard caused some damage to the Union blockader. Britannia's captain, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Samuel Huse, reported that he felt "...confident that two of Britannia's shells took effect..." on Tallahassee. Still, the Confederate warship managed to dash by Britannia -- the last blockader between her and the bar—and safely reached Wilmington.
.
The Union task force—commanded by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
-- was delayed by bad weather, but launched its attack on the morning of 24 December 1864, following the detonation of the Union powder boat Louisiana
. Transports carrying the Army troops had retired to Beaufort in order to avoid the anticipated effects of the explosion, and fleet units had assembled in a rendezvous area 12 miles from the fort.
At daylight on 24 December, the huge fleet got underway, formed in line of battle before the formidable Confederate works, and commenced a furious bombardment. The staunch Southern defenders, under the command of the Col. William Lamb, were driven from their guns and into the bombproofs of Fort Fisher, but managed to return the Federal fire from a few of their heavy cannon. Transports carrying the Union soldiers did not arrive from Beaufort until evening, too late for an assault that day. Accordingly, Porter withdrew his ships, intending to renew the attack the next day.
, the ships again opened fire on the fort and maintained the bombardment while troops landed north of the works, near Flag Pond Battery. Naval gunfire kept the garrison largely pinned down and away from their guns as about 2,000 men landed and advanced toward the land face of the fort. Late in the afternoon, Union Army
skirmishers supported by heavy fire from Union vessels, advanced to within yards of the fort. Union Army commanders, however, considered the works too strongly defended to be carried by assault with the troops available, and the soldiers began to re-embark. Naval gunfire protected some 700 troops who were left on the beaches as the weather worsened. By 27 December the last troops were reembarked.
For a bit more than a fortnight thereafter, the side-wheel steamer busied herself with cleanup operations in the Cape Fear River
. Her assignments included holding and transporting prisoners who had been captured at the Confederate surrender.
waters for duty in the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. She reached Key West, Florida
, in mid-February and, about a week later, left that port with a joint Army-Navy force which had been assembled to attack Fort St. Mark, Florida
, which the South was attempting to strengthen so that it might be, in the words of the squadron commander, Acting Rear Admiral Cornelius K. Stribling,
The shallow water of the river prevented the Union warships from ascending the St. Marks River
high enough to attack the fort. Britannia managed by great effort to get higher than most of her consorts, but a report that the Army was retreating prompted the naval force to begin to withdraw on 7 March. However, some Union ships remained at the mouth of the river to prevent the South from using St. Marks as a port of entry. Moreover, the expedition managed to destroy extensive salt works in the vicinity.
Britannia served in Florida waters through the Confederate collapse and sailed north in mid-June.
, on 28 June 1865 and sold at auction there on 10 August 1865. Documented as SS Britannia on 8 September 1865, the steamer served under the American flag as a merchantman until sold abroad in 1886.
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 and patrol vessel 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.
Britannia constructed in England to run the Union blockade
In 1862, speculators in the British IslesBritish Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
constructed the iron-hulled, side-wheel steamer Britannia at Leith
Leith
-South Leith v. North Leith:Up until the late 16th century Leith , comprised two separate towns on either side of the river....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, to run through the Union Navy's blockade of the Confederate coast during the American Civil War.
After three successful voyages carrying munitions and supplies to the beleaguered South, Britannia departed 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...
, on 21 June 1863 and headed for Nassau, New Providence
Nassau, 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...
, with a cargo of cotton.
Britannia captured by Santiago de Cuba
About dawn on the 25th, Santiago de CubaUSS Santiago de Cuba (1861)
USS Santiago de Cuba was a brig acquired by the Union Navy during the first year of the American Civil War. She was outfitted as a gunboat with powerful 20-pounder rifled guns and 32-pounder cannon and was assigned to the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America.- Commissioned in New...
sighted the blockade runner
Blockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
some 90 miles east northeast of Eleuthera
Eleuthera
Eleuthera is an island in The Bahamas, lying 50 miles east of Nassau. It is very long and thin—110 miles long and in places little more than a mile wide. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Eleuthera is approximately 8,000...
Island. Britannia attempted to escape; but, at the end of a day-long chase "against a strong wind and sea" in which the Union sidewheel steamer slowly gained on the fleeing ship, Santiago de Cuba, about 7:00 p.m., finally was close enough to open fire. Her shells fell close around their target and quickly brought Britannia to. Commander Robert H. Wyman, the captain of Santiago de Cuba, placed a prize crew
Prize crew
Prize crew is a term used to indicate a number of crew members of a ship chosen to take over the operations of a captured ship.In the early days of sailing and up into the American Civil War, capturing enemy ships was quite common...
under Acting Master Edgar C. Merriman on board Britannia and sent her to Boston, Massachusetts.
Awarded to the Union Navy by the prize court
She was condemned by the admiralty courtAdmiralty court
Admiralty courts, also known as maritime courts, are courts exercising jurisdiction over all maritime contracts, torts, injuries and offences.- Admiralty Courts in England and Wales :...
there and sold to the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
on 29 September 1863. However, almost a fortnight
Fortnight
The fortnight is a unit of time equal to fourteen days, or two weeks. The word derives from the Old English fēowertyne niht, meaning "fourteen nights"....
before, the Navy—anticipating the completion of this transaction—had placed Britannia in commission on 16 September 1863 at the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
, Acting Master Hugh H. Savage in command.
Assigned to the Union Blockade of the Confederacy
Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, she sailed soon thereafter for waters off Wilmington, North CarolinaWilmington, 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...
, but experienced disabling boiler trouble en route and was towed into Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort, North Carolina
Beaufort is a town in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. Established in 1709, it is the third-oldest town in North Carolina.The population was 4,189 at the 2008 census and it is the county seat of Carteret County...
, on 26 September for temporary repairs. Then, following permanent repairs at the Norfolk Navy Yard, she left Hampton Roads, Virginia, late in November and finally took station off New Inlet, North Carolina, in the blockade of 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...
.
Britannia hits blockade runner, but the ship escapes
Her first action came in the predawn darkness of 10 December when she fired upon an incoming blockade runnerBlockade runner
A blockade runner is usually a lighter weight ship used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait, as opposed to confronting the blockaders to break the blockade. Very often blockade running is done in order to transport cargo, for example to bring food or arms to a blockaded city...
. Britannia'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...
was confident of having scored several hits, but the speedy steamer reached safety at Wilmington nonetheless.
Participating in the Bogue Inlet expedition
Britannia was somewhat more successful in her next major action early in the spring of 1864. On 24 March, she departed Beaufort to launch a closely coordinated Army-Navy expedition. She carried some 200 soldiers commanded by Col. James Jourdan and about 50 sailors from Union warships Keystone StateUSS Keystone State (1853)
USS Keystone State was a wooden sidewheel steamer that served in the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Keystone State was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1853 by J. W. Lynn. She was chartered by the Navy on 19 April 1861 from the Ocean Steam Navigation Co. at Philadelphia, and...
, Florida
USS Florida (1861)
The second USS Florida was a sidewheel steamer in the United States Navy.Florida was purchased and commissioned on 5 October 1861, with Lieutenant J. R. Goldsborough in command....
, and Cambridge
USS Cambridge (1860)
USS Cambridge was a heavy steamship purchased by the Union Navy at the start of the American Civil War.She was outfitted as a gunboat, with two powerful rifled guns, and assigned to the blockade of ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America.-Built in Massachusetts in 1861:Cambridge...
under Comdr. Benjamin M. Dove.
The aim of the expedition was to capture or to destroy two blockade running schooners reported to be lying to at Swansboro, North Carolina
Swansboro, North Carolina
Swansboro is a town in Onslow County, North Carolina, United States. In 2007, the estimated population was 1,540. It is part of the Jacksonville, North Carolina Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and to capture the Confederate troops on the south end of Bogue Island Banks
Bogue Banks
Bogue Banks form a barrier island off the mainland of North Carolina in Carteret County. The island, separated from the mainland by Bogue Sound, runs east to west, with the ocean beaches facing due south...
. Arriving off Bogue Inlet late at night, the expedition encountered high winds and heavy seas which prevented landing on the beach. Early on the morning of the 25th, a second attempt was made under similarly difficult conditions. Nevertheless, a party got through to Bear Creek and burned one of the schooners. Bad weather persisted throughout the day and the expedition eventually returned to Beaufort on the 26th with its mission only partially completed.
Tioga, drifting towards the Confederates is rescued by Britannia
On the morning of 8 April, Britannia steamed within range of Confederate coastal batteries to take under tow a small sailing ship which seemed to be drifting helplessly toward the Southern shore. The vessel proved to be the Swallow, a sloop which had been captured by Union side-wheeler Tioga off Elbow CayElbow Cay
Elbow Cay is a six-mile long cay in the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas. Originally populated by British loyalists fleeing the newly independent United States of America in 1785, it has survived on fishing, boat building, and salvage...
Light in the Bahamas on 20 March. She had departed Abaco
Abaco Islands
The Abaco Islands lie in the northern Bahamas and comprise the main islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with the smaller Wood Cay, Elbow Cay, Lubbers Quarters Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Great Guana Cay, Castaway Cay, Man-o-War Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay, Walker's Cay, Little Grand...
19 days before under a prize crew, but had lost her sails in a gale, and was leaking seriously. Her commander was planning "...to run her ashore as the only means of saving himself and (his) crew."
Britannia attacked by CSS Raleigh
The next noteworthy event in Britannia's career occurred about a month later. On the evening of 6 May, Flag Officer William Francis Lynch, CSN—in the Southern ironclad steam sloop RaleighCSS Raleigh (1864)
CSS Raleigh, a casemate ironclad, was constructed by the Confederate States Navy at Wilmington, North Carolina in 1863-64, with Lieutenant John Wilkinson, CSN, commanding. She was reported in commission on April 30, 1864 under the command of Lieutenant J. Pembroke Jones, CSN.Built to Constructor...
-- led a small naval force out of the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
and over the bar at New Inlet. After crossing that barrier, Lynch headed straight for Britannia which promptly sent up several rockets to warn her sister blockaders of the impending attack and fired her 30-pounder Parrott rifle
Parrott rifle
The Parrott rifle was a type of muzzle loading rifled artillery weapon used extensively in the American Civil War.-Parrott Rifle:The gun was invented by Robert Parker Parrott, a West Point graduate. He resigned from the service in 1836 and became the superintendent of the West Point Foundry in Cold...
at Raleigh. Nevertheless, Britannia, badly overmatched, headed out to sea in an effort to escape.
Eager for action, the determined Southerner continued her advance toward the fleeing blockader; but her consorts, the steam gunboat Equator and the tug Yadkin turned back. As Britannia retreated, she fired at Raleigh with her 24-pounder howitzer
Howitzer
A howitzer is a type of artillery piece characterized by a relatively short barrel and the use of comparatively small propellant charges to propel projectiles at relatively high trajectories, with a steep angle of descent...
. Meanwhile the Southerner had opened fire and put out the blockader's binnacle
Binnacle
A binnacle is a waist-high case or stand on the deck of a ship, generally mounted in front of the helmsman, in which navigational instruments are placed for easy and quick reference as well as to protect the delicate instruments. Its traditional purpose was to hold the ship's magnetic compass,...
lights with her first shot and came close to scoring again with subsequent rounds.
Nansemond comes to the rescue of Britannia
Britannia frantically changed course several times before escaping in the darkness after the Union side-wheeler NansemondUSS Nansemond (1862)
The first USS Nansemond, a side wheel steamer built at Williamsburg, N.Y. in 1862, as James F. Freeborn, was purchased by the United States Navy at New York City on 18 August 1863 from Richard Squires; it was renamed Nansemond and commissioned at Baltimore on 19 August, with Lieutenant Roswell H...
captured her pursuer's attention. Raleigh and Nansemond exchanged salvos, and Britannia heard the roar of cannon from time to time during the night. At dawn, she saw Raleigh fighting off several other Northern warships as she retired toward the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
. The Confederate ironclad ran aground while attempting to get over the bar off New Inlet and had to be destroyed.
CSS Tallahassee tries to slip through the blockade
From time to time during the last year of the Civil War, Britannia chased ships which were attempting either to slip into, or to escape from, Wilmington, North CarolinaWilmington, 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...
. The most memorable of these actions occurred on the night of 25 August after she had been alerted by warning rockets from other Union blockaders which had just seen CSS Tallahassee -- commanded by Comdr. John Taylor Wood
John Taylor Wood
John Taylor Wood was an officer in the United States Navy who became a "leading Confederate naval hero" as a captain in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, CSN, the swashbuckling grandson of President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States and an American military leader. Initially uninterested in politics, Taylor nonetheless ran as a Whig in the 1848 presidential election, defeating Lewis Cass...
-- as that Confederate cruiser was returning from one of the South's most successful commerce raiding cruises and was attempting to slip through the blockade to safety in Wilmington.
A bit under an hour after Britannia had gone to general quarters
General quarters
General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage....
, she "...saw a stranger on our port quarter running alongshore." The Union warship "...put the helm hard aport and went ahead fast, and fired as soon as the guns would bear. Continued firing and chasing until she (Tallahassee) was close under Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher
Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865....
, in white water, the breakers being between us and her."
Tallahassee, joined by Southern batteries emplaced on the Mound, fired back at Britannia; and shrapnel from one shell which burst close aboard caused some damage to the Union blockader. Britannia's captain, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Samuel Huse, reported that he felt "...confident that two of Britannia's shells took effect..." on Tallahassee. Still, the Confederate warship managed to dash by Britannia -- the last blockader between her and the bar—and safely reached Wilmington.
Britannia shells steamer Ella which had run aground
Early in December, Britannia took part in the shelling of the steamer Ella which other Northern steamers had run aground on the shoals near the light at Bald Head Point on Smith's Island while that blockade runner was approaching the Western Bar Channel of the Cape Fear RiverCape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
.
Participating on the attack on Fort Fisher
Soon thereafter, Britannia began preparations to take part in a joint Army-Navy expedition against Fort Fisher which Confederate forces had erected to control the New Inlet entrance to the Cape Fear River. The ultimate objective of the project was the closing of Wilmington, the Confederacy's only major blockade running port still open.The Union task force—commanded by Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
-- was delayed by bad weather, but launched its attack on the morning of 24 December 1864, following the detonation of the Union powder boat Louisiana
USS Louisiana (1861)
The second USS Louisiana was a propeller-driven iron hull steamer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Steamboat Origins:...
. Transports carrying the Army troops had retired to Beaufort in order to avoid the anticipated effects of the explosion, and fleet units had assembled in a rendezvous area 12 miles from the fort.
At daylight on 24 December, the huge fleet got underway, formed in line of battle before the formidable Confederate works, and commenced a furious bombardment. The staunch Southern defenders, under the command of the Col. William Lamb, were driven from their guns and into the bombproofs of Fort Fisher, but managed to return the Federal fire from a few of their heavy cannon. Transports carrying the Union soldiers did not arrive from Beaufort until evening, too late for an assault that day. Accordingly, Porter withdrew his ships, intending to renew the attack the next day.
Second day of the attack on Fort Fisher
At 10:30 the following morning, ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, the ships again opened fire on the fort and maintained the bombardment while troops landed north of the works, near Flag Pond Battery. Naval gunfire kept the garrison largely pinned down and away from their guns as about 2,000 men landed and advanced toward the land face of the fort. Late in the afternoon, Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
skirmishers supported by heavy fire from Union vessels, advanced to within yards of the fort. Union Army commanders, however, considered the works too strongly defended to be carried by assault with the troops available, and the soldiers began to re-embark. Naval gunfire protected some 700 troops who were left on the beaches as the weather worsened. By 27 December the last troops were reembarked.
Attack on Fort Fisher fails, Union forces withdraw
The first major attack on Fort Fisher had failed. Confederate reinforcements under General R. F. Hoke were in Wilmington and arrived at Confederate Point just after Union forces departed. The Army transports returned to Hampton Roads to prepare for a second move on the Confederate bastion, while Porter's fleet, including Britannia, remained in the Wilmington-Beaufort area and continued sporadic bombardment in an effort to prevent repair of the fort.Union forces return and Fort Fisher capitulates
Britannia was a part of the new and more powerful Union task force which attacked Fort Fisher early on the morning of 13 January 1865. After taking part in the prelanding bombardment, she lowered her boats to carry troops to the peninsula on which the Confederate fort had been built. Then, once the assault teams were on the sandy beaches, she intermittently shelled the Confederate works during the bloody three-day struggle which culminated with the surrender of the gallant, but beleaguered, Southern garrison on the evening of the 15th.For a bit more than a fortnight thereafter, the side-wheel steamer busied herself with cleanup operations in the Cape Fear River
Cape Fear River
The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The overall water quality of the river is continuously measured and monitored by and conducted by the , , and the...
. Her assignments included holding and transporting prisoners who had been captured at the Confederate surrender.
Reassigned to the East Gulf Blockade
On the last day of January, orders detached Britannia from Porter's fleet and sent her to FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
waters for duty in the East Gulf Blockading Squadron. She reached 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...
, in mid-February and, about a week later, left that port with a joint Army-Navy force which had been assembled to attack Fort St. Mark, Florida
St. Marks, Florida
St. Marks is a city in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 272 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau is 299 .-Geography:...
, which the South was attempting to strengthen so that it might be, in the words of the squadron commander, Acting Rear Admiral Cornelius K. Stribling,
- "...in some sort a compensation for the loss of Wilmington."
The shallow water of the river prevented the Union warships from ascending the St. Marks River
St. Marks River
The St. Marks River is a river in the Big Bend region of Florida. It has been classified by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection as an Outstanding Florida Water, and is the easternmost river within the Northwest Florida Water Management District....
high enough to attack the fort. Britannia managed by great effort to get higher than most of her consorts, but a report that the Army was retreating prompted the naval force to begin to withdraw on 7 March. However, some Union ships remained at the mouth of the river to prevent the South from using St. Marks as a port of entry. Moreover, the expedition managed to destroy extensive salt works in the vicinity.
Britannia served in Florida waters through the Confederate collapse and sailed north in mid-June.
Post-war decommissioning, sale, and subsequent civilian career
She was decommissioned 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,...
, on 28 June 1865 and sold at auction there on 10 August 1865. Documented as SS Britannia on 8 September 1865, the steamer served under the American flag as a merchantman until sold abroad in 1886.