USS Osceola (1863)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Osceola was a wood
en, sidewheel, double-ended United States Navy
gunboat
in commission
from 1864 to 1865 which saw combat in the American Civil War
.
. She was delivered to the U.S. Navy at the Boston Navy Yard
on 9 January 1864 and commissioned there on 10 February 1864 with Commander
J. M. B. Cletz in command.
USS Canonicus
and reached Hampton Roads
, Virginia
, on 3 May 1864. The next night, she got underway up Virginias James River
in a joint United States Army
-United States Navy expedition and helped clear a safe path through a Confederate
minefield
for sister ships and Army transports. The troops landed at Bermuda Hundred
, Virginia, in an operation helping General
Ulysses S. Grant
to tighten his squeeze on the Confederate capital, Richmond
, Virginia.
In ensuing months Osceola continued operations on the James River supporting Grant’s offensive. She and gunboat USS Miami
drove off Confederate batteries
which were firing on Union
transports near Harrison's Landing, Virginia. This and similar U.S. Navy efforts to protect Grant’s lines of supply and communications contributed greatly to the success of the campaign against the Confederate capital.
Late in December 1864, Osceola steamed down the United States East Coast for a joint attack on Fort Fisher
, which protected Wilmington
, North Carolina
. The Union troops withdrew from their beachheads on 25 December 1864, but the naval commander, Rear Admiral
David Porter
was not to be denied. He returned to the Cape Fear River
on 13 January 1865 and, after three days of fighting, Fort Fisher fell to Union forces.
at the Boston Navy Yard on 13 May 1865 and was sold at auction
on 1 October 1867.
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
en, sidewheel, double-ended 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...
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 commission
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
from 1864 to 1865 which saw combat in 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...
.
Construction and commissioning
Osceola was launched on 29 May 1863 by Curtis and Tilden at Boston, MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. She was delivered to the U.S. Navy 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...
on 9 January 1864 and commissioned there on 10 February 1864 with Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
J. M. B. Cletz in command.
Service
Osceola departed Boston on 22 April 1864 towing the monitorMonitor (warship)
A monitor was a class of relatively small warship which was neither fast nor strongly armoured but carried disproportionately large guns. They were used by some navies from the 1860s until the end of World War II, and saw their final use by the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.The monitors...
USS Canonicus
USS Canonicus (1863)
|-See also:* American Civil War* Union Navy* Confederate States Navy...
and reached Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, on 3 May 1864. The next night, she got underway up Virginias James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
in a joint United States 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...
-United States Navy expedition and helped clear a safe path through a 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...
minefield
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
for sister ships and Army transports. The troops landed at Bermuda Hundred
Bermuda Hundred, Virginia
Bermuda Hundred was the first incorporated town in the English colony of Virginia. It was founded by Sir Thomas Dale in 1613, six years after Jamestown. At the southwestern edge of the confluence of the Appomattox and James Rivers opposite City Point, annexed to Hopewell, Virginia in 1923, ...
, Virginia, in an operation helping General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
to tighten his squeeze on the Confederate capital, Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
, Virginia.
In ensuing months Osceola continued operations on the James River supporting Grant’s offensive. She and gunboat USS Miami
USS Miami (1861)
The first USS Miami was a side-wheel, double-ender gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.Miami was launched by Philadelphia Navy Yard on November 16, 1861, and commissioned there on January 29, 1862, Lieutenant Abram Davis Harrell in command.-Battle of New Orleans:The...
drove off Confederate batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
which were firing on Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
transports near Harrison's Landing, Virginia. This and similar U.S. Navy efforts to protect Grant’s lines of supply and communications contributed greatly to the success of the campaign against the Confederate capital.
Late in December 1864, Osceola steamed down the United States East Coast for a joint attack on 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....
, which protected Wilmington
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...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The Union troops withdrew from their beachheads on 25 December 1864, but the naval commander, Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
David Porter
David Porter (naval officer)
David Porter was an officer in the United States Navy in a rank of commodore and later the commander-in-chief of the Mexican Navy.-Life:...
was not to be denied. He returned to 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...
on 13 January 1865 and, after three days of fighting, Fort Fisher fell to Union forces.
Post war
Osceola decommissionedShip decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
at the Boston Navy Yard on 13 May 1865 and was sold at auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
on 1 October 1867.