USS John P. Jackson (1860)
Encyclopedia
USS John P. Jackson (1860) was a steamship acquired by the United States Navy
during the beginning of the American Civil War
. She was assigned to the Union blockade
of the Confederate States of America
. as well as the bombardment of Mississippi River
ports.
, from Jersey City Ferry Company on 6 November 1861. She was commissioned at New York Navy Yard on 14 February 1862, Lieutenant Selim E. Woodworth
in command.
on 10 February to serve as one of the steamers in Comdr. David D. Porter's mother flotilla. On 30 March she arrived at Ship Island from Key West, Florida
, as Flag Officer David Farragut
assembled vessels for his campaign against New Orleans, Louisiana
.
While Farragut labored to move his deep-draft, sea-going ships across the bar into the Mississippi River
, John P. Jackson was part of the task force which secured Pass Christian, Mississippi
on 4 April. During the operation she joined USS New London
and USS Hatteras
in driving off Confederate
steamers Carondelet
, Pamlico, and Oregon
as they attempted to prevent the Union landing which wrested the area around Biloxi, Mississippi
from the South. The same day John P. Jackson captured steamer P. C. Wallis with a cargo of naval stores.
's occupation troop ships to the Mississippi passes while towing Army
transport Great Republic. Leaving the Union Army
vessels at the mouth of the Mississippi to await the outcome of the impending naval effort against New Orleans, John P. Jackson joined the mortar boats for the intense bombardment of Forts St. Philip
and Jackson.
The cannonade began 18 April and lasted until Farragut's ships had safely passed the Confederate batteries 6 days later, dooming the Southern riverside strongholds and the metropolis which they had fought to protect.
almost two months later to meet Flag Officer Charles Henry Davis
, who had battled south along the Mississippi valley. Braving the fire of skillfully used Vicksburg cannons
, Porter's flotilla peppered the Southern emplacements with shell, grape, and shrapnel throughout the daring dash.
During the fray John P. Jackson was hit twice by 7-inch rifle projectiles, leaving her without power and causing other serious damage. Moments later Clifton
, coming to her aid with a towline, was struck in her starboard boiler; seven men were killed by scalding steam. John P. Jackson quickly lowered her boats to save a number of other men who had been forced overboard by the steam.
on 30 September for reconnaissance
work; and she served there throughout the remainder of the war. Fire broke out in her engineering spaces on 8 October, but efficient and courageous damage control action extinguished the blaze and saved the ship. She captured sloop Young Gustave in Mississippi Sound on 21 October, and diligently performed blockade duty in the months that followed.
On 12 September 1863 she cooperated with Genesee
and Calhoun
in chasing steamer Fanny ashore where she was burned to prevent her falling into Union hands. The next day the same team engaged Confederate steamer Jeff Davis, forcing her to withdraw to the shelter of batteries at Grant's Pass. The Union vessels then silenced the Grant's Pass guns. John P. Jackson overhauled and took schooner Syrena bound from Biloxi, Mississippi
, to Pascagoula, Mississippi
, on 21 October.
. John P. Jackson was on hand at the outset of the campaign
on 16 February 1864 when she towed three schooner
s into position for the bombardment of Fort Powell and then joined in the cannonade. For the next six months she operated from New Orleans supporting the operations which culminated on 5 August in Admiral Farragut's stirring victory.
John P. Jackson captured the schooner Medora in Mississippi Sound on 8 December 1864, and continued to serve in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron until after the end of the war.
in New Orleans to Marcy, Maury & Co. on 27 September 1865. She was renamed J. P. Jackson on 3 October 1865 and was later abandoned in 1871.
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...
during the beginning 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...
. She was assigned to the Union blockade
Union blockade
The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...
of the Confederate States of America
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...
. as well as the bombardment of Mississippi River
Mississippi 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...
ports.
Commissioned at the New York Navy Yard
John P. Jackson was built at Brooklyn, New York, in 1860 and purchased by the Navy at Newark, New JerseyNewark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, from Jersey City Ferry Company on 6 November 1861. She was commissioned at New York Navy Yard on 14 February 1862, Lieutenant Selim E. Woodworth
Selim E. Woodworth
Selim E. Woodworth was a commander in the United States Navy, prominent San Francisco businessman, and member of the Woodworth political family.-Early years:...
in command.
Assigned to the Gulf blockade
John P. Jackson was ordered to Key WestKey West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
on 10 February to serve as one of the steamers in Comdr. David D. Porter's mother flotilla. On 30 March she arrived at Ship Island from 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...
, as Flag Officer David Farragut
David Farragut
David Glasgow Farragut was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. He is remembered in popular culture for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased: "Damn the...
assembled vessels for his campaign against 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...
.
While Farragut labored to move his deep-draft, sea-going ships across the bar into the Mississippi River
Mississippi 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...
, John P. Jackson was part of the task force which secured Pass Christian, Mississippi
Pass Christian, Mississippi
Pass Christian , nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States, along the Gulf of Mexico. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area...
on 4 April. During the operation she joined USS New London
USS New London (1859)
USS New London was a screw steamer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was outfitted with a Parrott rifle and 32-pounders, and was assigned as a gunboat in the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America....
and USS Hatteras
USS Hatteras (1861)
The first USS Hatteras was a heavy 1,126-ton steamer purchased by the Union Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War. She was outfitted as a gunboat and assigned to the Union blockade of the ports and waterways of the Confederate States of America...
in driving off 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...
steamers Carondelet
USS Carondelet (1861)
USS Carondelet was a gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War...
, Pamlico, and Oregon
CSS Oregon
CSS Oregon, a wooden steam gunboat was the only ship of the Confederate States Navy to be named for the 33rd state. A wooden steamer similar to California, she was built at New York City in 1846 for the Mobile Mail Line, 60 percent owned at the end of April 1861 by the Geddes family of New...
as they attempted to prevent the Union landing which wrested the area around Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
from the South. The same day John P. Jackson captured steamer P. C. Wallis with a cargo of naval stores.
Bombarding Forts St. Philip and Jackson
She next escorted General 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....
's occupation troop ships to the Mississippi passes while towing Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
transport Great Republic. Leaving 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...
vessels at the mouth of the Mississippi to await the outcome of the impending naval effort against New Orleans, John P. Jackson joined the mortar boats for the intense bombardment of Forts 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...
and Jackson.
The cannonade began 18 April and lasted until Farragut's ships had safely passed the Confederate batteries 6 days later, dooming the Southern riverside strongholds and the metropolis which they had fought to protect.
Sailing under fire past Vicksburg
John P. Jackson again supported Farragut when he ran the gauntlet at Vicksburg, MississippiVicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
almost two months later to meet Flag Officer Charles Henry Davis
Charles Henry Davis
Charles Henry Davis was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, serving primarily during the American Civil War, and with the United States Coast Survey.-Early life and career:...
, who had battled south along the Mississippi valley. Braving the fire of skillfully used Vicksburg cannons
Battle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
, Porter's flotilla peppered the Southern emplacements with shell, grape, and shrapnel throughout the daring dash.
During the fray John P. Jackson was hit twice by 7-inch rifle projectiles, leaving her without power and causing other serious damage. Moments later Clifton
USS Clifton (1861)
USS Clifton was a light-draft side-wheel gunboat in the United States Navy.Clifton was built in 1861 at Brooklyn, New York, as a civilian ferryboat. She was purchased by the Navy in early December of that year and placed in commission after conversion for combat service.-US Navy Service:Clifton...
, coming to her aid with a towline, was struck in her starboard boiler; seven men were killed by scalding steam. John P. Jackson quickly lowered her boats to save a number of other men who had been forced overboard by the steam.
Continued blockade operations
After repairs at New Orleans, John P. Jackson was ordered to Mississippi SoundSound (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 ....
on 30 September for reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
work; and she served there throughout the remainder of the war. Fire broke out in her engineering spaces on 8 October, but efficient and courageous damage control action extinguished the blaze and saved the ship. She captured sloop Young Gustave in Mississippi Sound on 21 October, and diligently performed blockade duty in the months that followed.
On 12 September 1863 she cooperated with Genesee
USS Genesee (1862)
USS Genesee was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries....
and Calhoun
USS Calhoun (1851)
USS Calhoun was a captured Confederate steamer acquired by the Union Navy from the prize court during the American Civil War.Calhoun was put into service as a gunboat by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.-Captured...
in chasing steamer Fanny ashore where she was burned to prevent her falling into Union hands. The next day the same team engaged Confederate steamer Jeff Davis, forcing her to withdraw to the shelter of batteries at Grant's Pass. The Union vessels then silenced the Grant's Pass guns. John P. Jackson overhauled and took schooner Syrena bound from Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, to Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
, on 21 October.
Bombardment of Fort Powell
Admiral Farragut's next major objective was Mobile BayMobile 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...
. John P. Jackson was on hand at the outset of the campaign
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...
on 16 February 1864 when she towed three 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....
s into position for the bombardment of Fort Powell and then joined in the cannonade. For the next six months she operated from New Orleans supporting the operations which culminated on 5 August in Admiral Farragut's stirring victory.
John P. Jackson captured the schooner Medora in Mississippi Sound on 8 December 1864, and continued to serve in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron until after the end of the war.
Post-war decommissioning and sale
She departed Pensacola Navy Yard on 26 July 1865 and two days later arrived New Orleans, where she decommissioned 5 September. She was sold at public auctionPublic auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
in New Orleans to Marcy, Maury & Co. on 27 September 1865. She was renamed J. P. Jackson on 3 October 1865 and was later abandoned in 1871.