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USS Saugus (1863)
Encyclopedia
USS Saugus (1863) was a monitor
Monitor (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...
constructed for the Union Navy
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 third 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...
. She saw most of her military action in the rivers of 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...
, including being there for the fall of Richmond, Virginia
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...
. Post-war, she was recommissioned for further service with the U.S. Navy.
Commissioned at Philadelphia in 1863
The first Navy ship to be named Saugus after the town of Saugus, MassachusettsSaugus, Massachusetts
Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,628 at the 2010 census.-History:Saugus was first settled in 1629. Saugus is an Indian name believed to mean "great" or "extended"...
, she was a single-turreted monitor launched on 16 December 1863 by Harlan & Hollingsworth & Co., Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
; and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 7 April 1864, Comdr. Edmund R. Colhoun in command.
Assigned to the North Atlantic blockade
Assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, Saugus arrived at Fort MonroeFort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
just as General 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...
was making final preparations to lead the Army of the Potomac
Army of the Potomac
The Army of the Potomac was the major Union Army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War.-History:The Army of the Potomac was created in 1861, but was then only the size of a corps . Its nucleus was called the Army of Northeastern Virginia, under Brig. Gen...
across the Rapidan River
Rapidan River
The Rapidan River, flowing through north-central Virginia in the United States, is the largest tributary of the Rappahannock River. The two rivers converge just west of the city of Fredericksburg...
to begin his determined drive toward Richmond, Virginia
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...
, which, despite appalling casualties, would keep unrelenting pressure on the veteran Confederate Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
until its surrender at Appomattox Court House
Appomattox Court House
The Appomattox Courthouse is the current courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles northwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill - home of the original Old Appomattox Court House...
almost a year later.
Supporting General Butler in Virginia
Simultaneous with Grant's overland thrust, Major General B. F. 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....
ascended the James
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 Navy-protected transports and landed on its south bank at City Point, Virginia
City Point, Virginia
City Point was a town in Prince George County, Virginia that was annexed by the independent city of Hopewell in 1923. It served as headquarters of the Union Army during the Siege of Petersburg during the American Civil War.- History :...
. Butler's mission was to attack Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
, a railroad and communications center through which life flowed to Richmond, the Confederate capital. During these operations, the Union Navy was responsible for maintaining control of the James.
Submarine torpedoes
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...
(mines); hit-and-run attacks from riverside batteries; concealed snipers; a strong Confederate Flotilla built around ironclads Virginia II
CSS Virginia II
CSS Virginia II was a Confederate Navy steam-powered ironclad ram laid down in 1862 at the William Graves' shipyard in Richmond, Virginia. Acting Constructor William A. Graves, CSN, was the superintendent in charge of her building. In order to conserve scarce iron plating, he ordered the ship's...
, Fredericksburg
CSS Fredericksburg
CSS Fredericksburg was an ironclad of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War.Fredericksburg was built at Richmond, Virginia in 1862-63. The CSS Fredericksburg was the second ironclad to be completed in Richmond. On November 30, 1863 she was reported completed and awaiting armament...
, and Richmond
CSS Richmond
CSS Richmond, an ironclad ram, was built at Gosport Navy Yard to the design of John L. Porter with money and scrap iron collected by the citizens of Virginia, whose imagination had been captured by the ironclad CSS Virginia. Consequently she was sometimes referred to as Virginia II, Virginia No. 2...
; and the tricky channel of the serpentine James itself; all threatened Saugus and her sister ships as they guarded Butler's line of communications and supply.
About noon on 21 June, a Confederate battery on the shore at Hewlett's joined Southern ironclads at Dutch Gap
Dutch Gap
Dutch Gap is located on the James River in Chesterfield County, Virginia near the site of the lost 17th-century city of Henricus.In 1611, Sir Thomas Dale, according to a method he had learned while campaigning in Holland, cut a ditch across a portion of land behind town...
in firing on the Federal squadron which guarded the James just below a line of obstructions in Trent's Reach. Saugus was struck once, apparently by a 10-inch round shot. Her turret and some of her deck armor plates were damaged. After about three hours, the inconclusive, long-range, artillery duel ended with neither side suffering much damage.
Eight days later, Saugus and Hunchback
USS Hunchback (1852)
USS Hunchback was a side-wheel, steam-powered gunboat used by the United States Navy during the American Civil War.- Pre-Civil War :The original wooden boat that was later renamed as the USS Hunchback was built in New York City in 1852 for civilian use as a ferry. On December 16, 1861, with the...
engaged a battery at Deep Bottom Creek. During the summer, as she remained upriver ready to challenge the Southern ironclads should they come down, Saugus frequently supported Union troops by shelling Confederate positions ashore. Late in the summer, she dropped downriver to Gosport for repairs in the Norfolk Navy Yard.
Admiral 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...
's triumph in 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...
whetted Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles
Gideon Welles was the United States Secretary of the Navy from 1861 to 1869. His buildup of the Navy to successfully execute blockades of Southern ports was a key component of Northern victory of the Civil War...
' appetite for 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...
, the Confederacy's last major blockade running center. It had been long recognized that Wilmington must be captured and held if it were to be closed. For, despite strenuous efforts of a large blockading squadron, countless 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...
s had managed to slip through the naval cordon throughout the war. The Federal naval service was always eager to launch an amphibious assault 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....
, the port's principal defensive work, but Army commanders had invariably felt that the troops necessary for the operation were more urgently needed elsewhere.
Supporting General Grant
But, now that General Ulysses S. GrantUlysses 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...
had assumed overall command, Welles had a sympathetic military ear. Troops were promised for the autumn; and Welles offered Farragut command of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron that he might lead the task force against the defensive works which guarded Wilmington.
Saugus was still at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, under repairs and unable to move, early in September when she received orders to proceed with Canonicus
USS Canonicus (1863)
|-See also:* American Civil War* Union Navy* Confederate States Navy...
, Glaucus
USS Glaucus (1863)
USS Glaucus was a large steamship acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. The Union Navy planned to use her as a gunship in the blockade of ports of the Confederate States of America, but, also found it useful to use her to transport the president of Colombia to Cartagena,...
, and Juniata to Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...
, and there await Farragut. This approach was taken in hope that Confederate intelligence would think that the attack would be directed against 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...
.
Attack on Fort Fisher
However, when poor health caused Farragut to decline the appointment, Sauguss orders south were cancelled; and she returned to duty supporting the Union ArmyUnion 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...
up the James. In one of her engagements with Southern guns at Hewlett's on 5 December, a solid shot slightly damaged her turret. At mid-month, preparations for the expedition 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...
were well advanced; and Saugus dropped downriver, was speedily repaired at Norfolk, and then awaited a tow to New Inlet, North Carolina. Nereus
USS Nereus (1863)
The first USS Nereus, a screw steamer built at New York in 1863, was purchased by the Navy from William P. Williams on 5 October 1863; and commissioned at New York Navy Yard 19 April 1864, Commander John C. Howell in command.-Service history:...
took her in tow on the morning of the 22d, and the two ships arrived off 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....
about dusk on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
. The next day, Saugus joined in the shelling of the Confederate works. After the engagement, Comdr. Colhoun reported,
- “... [we] had the satisfaction of seeing one gun dismounted by our fire.”
Troops began landing at mid-afternoon, and a shore party of sailors and marines assisted soldiers in establishing a firm beachhead. Nevertheless, after receiving an unfavorable 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....
report on the Confederate fortifications, General Butler ordered his men to withdraw from the beaches, re-embark in their transports, and return to Hampton Roads, Virginia.
When word of Butler's indecisiveness reached Grant, he promised to send the same troops, reinforced and commanded by a new general, back to the mouth 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...
. By 8 January 1865, the soldiers, now led by Major General Alfred H. Terry, were gathering at Beaufort, but their task force was delayed from sailing by a storm. It finally got underway on the morning of the 12th and headed for Fort Fisher.
At 0400 the next morning, Saugus in the Ironclads Division, moved within range of the fortress and opened fire. At 0800, the landings began, and General Terry quickly established a line across the peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
from the sea to the river to secure his rear. During this work ashore, Saugus and the other warships continued to pound the Confederate works. At 1700 that evening, one of Saugus 15-inch guns burst, severely injuring one seaman. At night, the wooden ships withdrew slightly and anchored; but the ironclads maintained a harassing fire. The next morning, the fleet resumed the full bombardment while shore parties prepared for the assault.
The Fall of Fort Fisher
On the morning of the 15th, a beach party of sailors and marines went ashore to help Terry's soldiers storm Fort Fisher. The naval shock force launched the assault with a spirited thrust at the fortress's seaward wall. The Confederate defenders beat back this charge with heavy losses but so concentrated their strength on the Atlantic side that Terry's troops managed to enter the fortress through its riverside ramparts. After much bitter fighting, Fort Fisher fell and 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...
, was doomed. This closed the South's last major port.
Besides losing one of her guns during the bombardment, Saugus suffered some damage to her pilot house, turret, and armor from hits by Confederate 11-inch solid shot. On the 23d, as Saugus was proceeding to the Washington Navy Yard
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
for repairs, the Confederate James River Squadron
James River Squadron
The James River Squadron was formed shortly after the secession of the State of Virginia as part of the Virginia State Navy. The squadron is most notable for its role in patrolling the James River, which was the main water approach to the Confederate capital, Richmond...
took advantage of the depleted Union naval force on the James and dropped down stream and attempted to slip through the obstructions at Trent's Reach for an attack on the Union gunboats and Grant's transports. Rhode Island
USS Rhode Island (1861)
|-References:*Bauer, Karl Jack and Roberts, Stephen S. : Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants, Greenwood Publishing Group, ISBN 9780313262029.-External links:*...
carried orders to Saugus to turn around and head for the upper James. When the monitor reached City Point on the 27th, she learned that the Confederate fleet, plagued by the grounding of two of her three ironclads and the loss of two wooden gunboats, had already retired.
The Fall of Richmond
Saugus remained in the upper James until after the Confederate squadron was scuttled on the night of 2 and 3 April and Richmond had fallen. She then returned to the Washington Navy YardWashington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy...
. After the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, eight of the suspected conspirators were incarcerated in monitors Saugus and Montauk
USS Montauk (1862)
The first USS Montauk was a single-turreted monitor in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.It saw action throughout the war and was used as the floating prison for the conspirators in the Abraham Lincoln assassination and was the site of the autopsy and identification of assassin...
below decks under heavy guard. The prisoners were manacled with wrist and leg irons and blindfolded. On the 30th, they were transferred to the Arsenal Penitentiary
Arsenal Penitentiary
Arsenal Penitentiary was a military prison used during and after the American Civil War, located inside Fort Lesley J. McNair.-External links:*...
located on the ground now occupied by Fort McNair. Three were later to be hanged, three sentenced to prison terms, and two released without being brought to trial.
Post-war operations
Saugus was decommissioned and laid up at Washington, D. C., on 13 June 1865. Recommissioned on 30 April 1869, the monitor steamed to the West Indies to investigate reports of mistreatment of Americans in CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
during a revolt there. Thence she cruised along the Florida
Florida
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...
coast until she was decommissioned and laid up at 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...
, on the last day of 1870. During this service, she was renamed Centaur on 15 June 1869 but resumed the name Saugus on 10 August 1869.
After being towed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, 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,...
, for repairs, the monitor was recommissioned at the navy yard there on 9 November 1872, sailed south, and was based at Key West until transferred to Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal, South Carolina
Port Royal is a town in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. Largely because of annexation of surrounding areas , the population of Port Royal rose from 3,950 in 2000 to 10,678 in 2010, a 170% increase. As defined by the U.S...
, in 1876. During this tour of duty at Key West, the ship was out of commission from 9 March to 10 October 1874.