USS Sovereign (1855)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Sovereign (1855) was a 336-ton steamer captured on the Mississippi River
by the Union Navy
during the beginning of the American Civil War
.
The Navy placed Sovereign in service as a commissary
ship, which is a ship's tender
responsible for providing ships with provisions. Later in the war, she was used by the Navy as a barracks ship
for ship workers.
and its tributaries during the years preceding the Civil War.
She was acquired by the Confederacy
in 1861 and served as a transport on the same river system.
and, as Union tugboat
Spitfire
closed for action, was abandoned by her crew. However, a 16-year old lad who was loyal to the Union remained on board, removed weights from the steamer's safety valves, wetted down her fires, and signaled Spitfire with a white sheet. A prize crew
from the Union tug then took possession of the ship.
Sovereign was condemned by the Illinois
prize court
and formally purchased by the Union Navy on 9 January 1863.
tending combatant ships during operations against Vicksburg, Mississippi
.
After the Confederate river fortress fell, she ascended the river to Cairo, Illinois
, where she was laid up and used as quarters for workmen in the navy yard.
at Cairo, Illinois
, on 29 November 1865 to S. Homer.
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...
by 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 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...
.
The Navy placed Sovereign in service as a commissary
Commissary
A commissary is someone delegated by a superior to execute a duty or an office; in a formal, legal context, one who has received power from a legitimate superior authority to pass judgment in a certain cause or to take information concerning it.-Word history:...
ship, which is a ship's tender
Ship's tender
A ship's tender, usually referred to as a tender, is a boat, or a larger ship used to service a ship, generally by transporting people and/or supplies to and from shore or another ship...
responsible for providing ships with provisions. Later in the war, she was used by the Navy as a barracks ship
Barracks ship
Barracks ship or barracks barge are terms used to indicate a ship or a non-self-propelled barge containing a superstructure of a type suitable for use as a temporary barracks for sailors. A barracks ship may also be used as a "Receiving Unit" for sailors who need temporary residence prior to being...
for ship workers.
Built in Pennsylvania in 1855
Sovereign -- a side wheel steamer built in 1855 at Shpusetown, Pennsylvania -- operated on the Mississippi RiverMississippi 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...
and its tributaries during the years preceding the Civil War.
She was acquired by the Confederacy
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...
in 1861 and served as a transport on the same river system.
Captured by Union Navy forces
On 5 June 1862, on the Mississippi River near Island No. 37, she was fired upon by BentonUSS Benton (1861)
USS Benton was an ironclad river gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for American senator Thomas Hart Benton. Benton was a former center-wheel catamaran snagboat and was converted by James B. Eads, St...
and, as Union tugboat
Tugboat
A tugboat is a boat that maneuvers vessels by pushing or towing them. Tugs move vessels that either should not move themselves, such as ships in a crowded harbor or a narrow canal,or those that cannot move by themselves, such as barges, disabled ships, or oil platforms. Tugboats are powerful for...
Spitfire
USS Spitfire (1846)
The fourth USS Spitfire was a sidewheel gunboat in the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War.On 19 May 1846, only six days after President James Polk signed the Declaration of War with Mexico, Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft authorized the purchase of Spitfire and , two light...
closed for action, was abandoned by her crew. However, a 16-year old lad who was loyal to the Union remained on board, removed weights from the steamer's safety valves, wetted down her fires, and signaled Spitfire with a white sheet. A prize crew
Prize crew
Prize crew is a term used to indicate a number of crew members of a ship chosen to take over the operations of a captured ship.In the early days of sailing and up into the American Civil War, capturing enemy ships was quite common...
from the Union tug then took possession of the ship.
Sovereign was condemned by the Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
prize court
Prize court
A prize court is a court authorized to consider whether or not a ship has been lawfully captured or seized in time of war or under the terms of the seizing ship's letters of marque and reprisal...
and formally purchased by the Union Navy on 9 January 1863.
Service with the Union Navy
Meanwhile, in the summer of 1862, she had been placed in service as a commissary boat for the Western Flotilla under the command of First Master Thomas Baldwin. She served for the most part off the mouth of the Yazoo RiverYazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.The Yazoo River was named by French explorer La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth. The exact meaning of the term is unclear...
tending combatant ships during operations against Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, 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,...
.
After the Confederate river fortress fell, she ascended the river to Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, where she was laid up and used as quarters for workmen in the navy yard.
Post-war decommissioning
Following the collapse of the Confederacy, Sovereign 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....
at Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, on 29 November 1865 to S. Homer.