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USS Estrella (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS Estrella (1862) was a 438-ton steamer acquired by the Union Navy
from the Union Army
during the second year of the American Civil War
.
Armed with heavy guns (one with rifled barrel) and with two howitzers for shore bombardment, Estrella was versatile and useful in both stopping blockade runners at sea and at bombarding shore positions.
in 1853 was reportedly captured in the Union blockade as a blockade runner. She was transferred from the Army to the Navy late in 1862, and commissioned soon after, Lieutenant Commander A. P. Cooke in command.
, and New Orleans, Louisiana
, along the Texas
coast, and up the rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico
.
During the first 13 days of November 1862 she took part in a series of engagements with CSS J. A. Cotton and Confederate shore batteries along the Atchafalaya River
and Bayou Teche
. With her captain serving as commander of the flotilla maintained in Berwick Bay
, Estrella led the attack on CSS Queen of the West
14 April 1863. The Confederate ship was set afire by Union gunfire and after 90 of her crew had been rescued, exploded.
Four days later, Cooke led his flotilla up the Atchafalaya once more, to attack the batteries at Butte-a-la-Rose, Louisiana
. The batteries were captured intact, with their garrison of 60 men and large supplies of ammunition and commissary stores. A Union Army garrison was at once sent up to hold the town, another key point won by the Union Navy in its continuing campaign to take complete control of coastal areas.
to join in the attack on Fort De Russy, and during June and July participated in the attacks on Port Hudson, Louisiana
which led to its fall on 9 July.
Other outstanding events in her very active service included the capture of schooner
Julia A. Hodges in Matagorda Bay
, Texas, on 6 April 1864 and a leading role in the attacks on Fort Powell in Mobile Bay
on 5 August 1864. These attacks were made in coordination with the brilliant battle of Mobile Bay
.
of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, continuing to cruise in the Gulf of Mexico and its tributary waters until 30 June 1867, when she sailed for New York Navy Yard.
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...
from the 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...
during the second year 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...
.
Armed with heavy guns (one with rifled barrel) and with two howitzers for shore bombardment, Estrella was versatile and useful in both stopping blockade runners at sea and at bombarding shore positions.
Acquired from the Army in 1862
Estrella, a side wheel steamer built in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1853 was reportedly captured in the Union blockade as a blockade runner. She was transferred from the Army to the Navy late in 1862, and commissioned soon after, Lieutenant Commander A. P. Cooke in command.
Gulf of Mexico operations
Assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Estrella served throughout the war off Mobile, AlabamaMobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
, 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...
, along the 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...
coast, and up the rivers flowing into the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
During the first 13 days of November 1862 she took part in a series of engagements with CSS J. A. Cotton and Confederate shore batteries along the Atchafalaya River
Atchafalaya River
The Atchafalaya River is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River....
and Bayou Teche
Bayou Teche
The Bayou Teche is a waterway of great cultural significance in south central Louisiana in the United States. Bayou Teche was the Mississippi River's main course when it developed a delta about 2,800 to 4,500 years ago...
. With her captain serving as commander of the flotilla maintained in Berwick Bay
Berwick Bay
Berwick Bay is the section of the Lower Atchafalaya River in Louisiana from Morgan City north to Sixmile Lake. U.S. Route 90 crosses Berwick Bay connecting the town of Berwick on the west bank of the Atchafalaya to Morgan City on the east bank. There is also a Southern Pacific vertical lift...
, Estrella led the attack on CSS Queen of the West
USS Queen of the West (1854)
US Ram Queen of the West, a sidewheel steamer built at Cincinnati, Ohio in 1854, was purchased by the United States Department of War in 1862 and fitted out as a ram for Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr.'s Ram Fleet which operated on the Mississippi River in the U.S...
14 April 1863. The Confederate ship was set afire by Union gunfire and after 90 of her crew had been rescued, exploded.
Four days later, Cooke led his flotilla up the Atchafalaya once more, to attack the batteries at Butte-a-la-Rose, Louisiana
Butte La Rose, Louisiana
Butte La Rose is an unincorporated area in St. Martin Parish, Louisiana, United States.-History:...
. The batteries were captured intact, with their garrison of 60 men and large supplies of ammunition and commissary stores. A Union Army garrison was at once sent up to hold the town, another key point won by the Union Navy in its continuing campaign to take complete control of coastal areas.
Attack on Fort De Russy
From 3 to 6 May 1863, Estrella sailed up the Red RiverRed River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
to join in the attack on Fort De Russy, and during June and July participated in the attacks on Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson is a small unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is most famous for an American Civil War battle known as the Siege of Port Hudson.-Geography:...
which led to its fall on 9 July.
Other outstanding events in her very active service included the capture of schooner
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....
Julia A. Hodges in Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay
Matagorda Bay is a large estuary bay on the Texas coast, lying in Calhoun and Matagorda counties and located approximately northeast of Corpus Christi, southeast of San Antonio, southwest of Houston, and southeast of Austin. It is separated from the Gulf of Mexico by Matagorda Peninsula and...
, Texas, on 6 April 1864 and a leading role in the attacks on Fort Powell in Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The Mobile River and Tensaw River empty into the northern end of the...
on 5 August 1864. These attacks were made in coordination with the brilliant battle of Mobile Bay
Battle of Mobile Bay
The Battle of Mobile Bay of August 5, 1864, was an engagement of the American Civil War in which a Federal fleet commanded by Rear Adm. David G. Farragut, assisted by a contingent of soldiers, attacked a smaller Confederate fleet led by Adm...
.
Service as flagship
After being repaired at New Orleans in the first 4 months of 1865, Estrella served as flagshipFlagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, continuing to cruise in the Gulf of Mexico and its tributary waters until 30 June 1867, when she sailed for New York Navy Yard.