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USS Katahdin (1861)
Encyclopedia
USS Katahdin was a built for the U.S. Navy
during the American Civil War
.
Katahdin was outfitted as a gunboat
with cannon and rifled gun for blockade duty and two howitzers for shore bombardment.
, 12 October 1861, and commissioned at Boston Navy Yard
17 February 1862, Lieutenant George Henry Preble in command.
prepared for his epochal attack on New Orleans
. After entering the Mississippi River
early in April, Katahdin assisted Farragut in his unprecedented effort to work the squadron's deep-draft, salt-water ships across the bar into the river.
On 16 April she moved up the river with the fleet to a position below Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip
guarding the approaches to New Orleans with over 100 guns. The next morning a Confederate steamer came down and fired at the fleet; but, when Katahdin' s guns answered briskly the Southern ship retired out of range. The following day the mortar flotilla opened an intensive bombardment of the forts which continued intermittently for the next six days until it reached a mighty crescendo in the small hours of 24 April as the Union fleet got underway and headed up the river toward the forts.
After passing the forts and sailing beyond the range of their artillery, the Union ships anchored opposite Quarantine
abreast a Confederate encampment which raised a white flag
. During the morning she collected ordnance surrendered by Confederate troops ashore. The next day she proceeded up the river firing on and silencing Southern batteries on both banks. The afternoon, upon arriving New Orleans, Louisiana, with the fleet, she captured schooner
John Gilpin with a cargo of cotton.
. While moving up stream, she gathered valuable information about conditions in the Mississippi valley; and, throughout Farragut's operations above Vicksburg, she continued to perform reconnaissance missions as she convoyed vessels which supplied the force at Vicksburg from New Orleans.
In July, when Farragut withdrew from the Mississippi River to attend to his blockaders in the gulf, he left Katahdin in the river with Essex
, Sumter
, and Kineo to protect Army units in the area and to police the river. During much of this time Katahdin was stationed at Baton Rouge
.
On 5 August Confederates attacked the Union encampment at Baton Rouge in force. The gunboats supported the badly outnumbered Northern soldiers enabling them to repulse the attack. Then they fired over the town into the Confederate camp, forcing them to withdraw out of range. The next morning Kineo and Katahdin guarded the right flank of the Union Army
while Essex and Cayuga
got underway to engage ironclad ram
CSS Arkansas
. However, as the Union warships were closing on Arkansas, the ram's engines failed leaving her unable to flee or fight; she was set afire by her officers and abandoned before she blew up.
For the next fortnight the threat of an attack kept the ships constantly on the alert to protect the troops which depended upon naval fire support. Finally, upon orders from General Butler
, the Union Army evacuated Baton Rouge 21 August. Just before embarking the troops, the gunboats beat off an attack on the Union pickets with rapid and heavy fire. Katahdin brought up the rear as the ships steamed to New Orleans, where they arrived the following morning.
scouring the banks for information. With Itasca
she covered the landing of Army troops 22 September at Donaldsonville, Louisiana
. While the expedition was ashore, the gunboats protected them; and, shortly before the soldiers reembarked, naval gunfire beat back a Southern attack which threatened to cut off the landing party. This support prevented annihilation of the landing party by vastly superior forces and enabled it to retreat to Laurel Hill for passage to safety in New Orleans.
and loaded them on transports for passage to New Orleans. The value of this beef to the South can be attested by the fact that, four miles below Donaldsonville, about 3,000 infantrymen supported by nine field pieces struck back at the ships in a desperate attempt to recapture the cattle. The gunboats opened promptly and in about 20 minute drove the Confederates from their position.
The months that followed were a period of constant stress and peril for the gunboats. "We are constantly under fire ... as we pass up and down the river," Lt. Roe, the commanding officer
of Katahdin, reported.
after that port had been recaptured by the Confederacy on New Year's Day
. While serving in the Gulf off the Texas
coast, Katahdin and Owasco
' chased, captured, and burned blockade running schooner Hanover 10 May 1863. She captured schooner Excelsior 13 July off San Luis Pass, Texas.
Thereafter Katahdin continued to serve in the blockade of the Texas coast, cutting off supplies sorely needed by the Confederates. On 30 April 1864 she chased the former revenue cutter Harriet Lane and steamer Alice as they escaped from Galveston; but, after a brisk and lengthy race, Katahdin was finally outdistanced. She was more successful 31 October when the gunboat overtook Albert Edward as the British schooner tried to slip out of the same port with a cargo of cotton.
30 November and documented as Juno 20 October 1866.
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...
.
Katahdin was outfitted 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:...
with cannon and rifled gun for blockade duty and two howitzers for shore bombardment.
Built in Bath, Maine, in 1861
The "90-day gunboat" was launched by Larrabee & Allen of Bath, MaineBath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, 12 October 1861, and commissioned at 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...
17 February 1862, Lieutenant George Henry Preble in command.
Assigned to the West Gulf blockade
Katahdin was assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron to bolster its strength as Flag Officer David FarragutDavid 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...
prepared for his epochal attack on New Orleans
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...
. After entering 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...
early in April, Katahdin assisted Farragut in his unprecedented effort to work the squadron's deep-draft, salt-water ships across the bar into the river.
On 16 April she moved up the river with the fleet to a position below Fort Jackson and Fort 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...
guarding the approaches to New Orleans with over 100 guns. The next morning a Confederate steamer came down and fired at the fleet; but, when Katahdin
Racing past Forts Jackson and St. Philip
Half an hour later, when the Confederate guns opened fire, Katahdin steamed steadily ahead, replying with all her guns. Only two rounds struck the gunboat during the dash, one damaging the foremast and the other the smokestack.After passing the forts and sailing beyond the range of their artillery, the Union ships anchored opposite 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....
abreast a Confederate encampment which raised a white flag
White flag
White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of temporary truce in order to parley :...
. During the morning she collected ordnance surrendered by Confederate troops ashore. The next day she proceeded up the river firing on and silencing Southern batteries on both banks. The afternoon, upon arriving New Orleans, Louisiana, with the fleet, she captured 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....
John Gilpin with a cargo of cotton.
Lower Mississippi River operations
Katahdin operated in the vicinity of New Orleans until 16 May when she got underway up river to join the squadron, which had proceeded her to 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,...
. While moving up stream, she gathered valuable information about conditions in the Mississippi valley; and, throughout Farragut's operations above Vicksburg, she continued to perform reconnaissance missions as she convoyed vessels which supplied the force at Vicksburg from New Orleans.
In July, when Farragut withdrew from the Mississippi River to attend to his blockaders in the gulf, he left Katahdin in the river with Essex
USS Essex (1856)
USS Essex was a 1000-ton ironclad river gunboat of the United States Army and later United States Navy during the American Civil War. It was named for Essex County, Massachusetts...
, Sumter
USS Sumter (1863)
USS Sumter was a 525-ton steamer captured by the Union Navy during the Union blockade of the American Civil War.Sumter was the cottonclad ram CSS General Sumter...
, and Kineo to protect Army units in the area and to police the river. During much of this time Katahdin was stationed at Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
.
On 5 August Confederates attacked the Union encampment at Baton Rouge in force. The gunboats supported the badly outnumbered Northern soldiers enabling them to repulse the attack. Then they fired over the town into the Confederate camp, forcing them to withdraw out of range. The next morning Kineo and Katahdin guarded the right flank of 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...
while Essex and Cayuga
USS Cayuga (1861)
The first USS Cayuga was a in the United States Navy.Cayuga was launched 21 October 1861 by Gildersleeve and Son, East Haddam, Connecticut; outfitted at New York Navy Yard; commissioned 21 February 1862, Lieutenant N. B...
got underway to engage ironclad ram
Naval ram
A naval ram was a weapon carried by varied types of ships, dating back to antiquity. The weapon consisted of an underwater prolongation of the bow of the ship to form an armoured beak, usually between six and twelve feet in length...
CSS Arkansas
CSS Arkansas
The CSS Arkansas was a Confederate Ironclad warship during the American Civil War. Serving in the Western Theater, the vessel ran through a U.S. Navy fleet at Vicksburg, Mississippi, on 15 July 1862, in a celebrated action in which she inflicted more damage than she received...
. However, as the Union warships were closing on Arkansas, the ram's engines failed leaving her unable to flee or fight; she was set afire by her officers and abandoned before she blew up.
For the next fortnight the threat of an attack kept the ships constantly on the alert to protect the troops which depended upon naval fire support. Finally, upon orders from General Butler
Benjamin 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....
, the Union Army evacuated Baton Rouge 21 August. Just before embarking the troops, the gunboats beat off an attack on the Union pickets with rapid and heavy fire. Katahdin brought up the rear as the ships steamed to New Orleans, where they arrived the following morning.
Supporting Union troops at Donaldsonville
After repairs at New Orleans, the gunboat stood up the river 5 September with Kineo and SciotoUSS Sciota (1861)
USS Sciota was a built on behalf of the United States Navy for service during the American Civil War. She was outfitted as a gunboat, with both a 20-pounder rifle for horizontal firing, and two howitzers for shore bombardment, and assigned to the Union blockade of the waterways of the Confederate...
scouring the banks for information. With Itasca
USS Itasca (1861)
USS Itasca was a built for the U.S. 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....
she covered the landing of Army troops 22 September at Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville, Louisiana
Donaldsonville is a city in and the parish seat of Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States, along the west bank of the Mississippi River. The population was 7,605 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:Acadians began to settle in the area in...
. While the expedition was ashore, the gunboats protected them; and, shortly before the soldiers reembarked, naval gunfire beat back a Southern attack which threatened to cut off the landing party. This support prevented annihilation of the landing party by vastly superior forces and enabled it to retreat to Laurel Hill for passage to safety in New Orleans.
Capturing a large herd of cattle
In the months that followed, the gunboats constantly patrolled the river to protect Union communications, to gather information on Confederate activity, and to cut the flow across the Mississippi River of food and men to Confederate armies in the East. With 3 other gunboats Katahdin intercepted a drove of some 1,500 cattle from TexasTexas
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...
and loaded them on transports for passage to New Orleans. The value of this beef to the South can be attested by the fact that, four miles below Donaldsonville, about 3,000 infantrymen supported by nine field pieces struck back at the ships in a desperate attempt to recapture the cattle. The gunboats opened promptly and in about 20 minute drove the Confederates from their position.
The months that followed were a period of constant stress and peril for the gunboats. "We are constantly under fire ... as we pass up and down the river," Lt. Roe, the 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...
of Katahdin, reported.
- "Our fighting is a savage Indian warfare. The troops and guns are concealed, and watch for us as we pass along and fire and flee."
Blockading the Texas coast
In January 1863 Katahdin was ordered to reinforce the blockade off Galveston, TexasGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
after that port had been recaptured by the Confederacy on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
. While serving in the Gulf off 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, Katahdin and Owasco
USS Owasco (1861)
USS Owasco was a built for the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for Owasco Lake.Owasco, built by Charles Mallory, was launched at Mystic, Connecticut, 5 October 1861; delivered to the Navy at New York Navy Yard 6 December 1861; and commissioned there 23 January 1862,...
' chased, captured, and burned blockade running schooner Hanover 10 May 1863. She captured schooner Excelsior 13 July off San Luis Pass, Texas.
Thereafter Katahdin continued to serve in the blockade of the Texas coast, cutting off supplies sorely needed by the Confederates. On 30 April 1864 she chased the former revenue cutter Harriet Lane and steamer Alice as they escaped from Galveston; but, after a brisk and lengthy race, Katahdin was finally outdistanced. She was more successful 31 October when the gunboat overtook Albert Edward as the British schooner tried to slip out of the same port with a cargo of cotton.
Post-war decommissioning
After the Confederate collapse in April 1865, the veteran gunboat returned north and decommissioned 14 July 1865. Katahdin was sold at New York CityNew 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...
30 November and documented as Juno 20 October 1866.
External links
- USS Katahdin images, Naval History and Heritage Command website.