USS Wild Cat (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS Wild Cat (1862) was a captured Confederate schooner
acquired by the Union Navy
from the prize court
during the American Civil War
. She was put into service by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
, to Port Royal, South Carolina
.
attacked by Confederate marauders. On 13 June, Wild Cat sailed up to Hutchinson's Island, off St. Helena Sound
, in company with the gig
from the sloop-of-war
Dale, Lt. W. T. Truxtun, commanding, to investigate a large fire ashore. Upon arrival in the vicinity, the Union sailors found the burning Marsh Plantation, set afire by a marauding Confederate band. The Southern troops had plundered the belongings of the poor negroes there, wounding some, generally striking terror into the hearts of the inhabitants. As Wild Cat sailed up the river, she came in contact with many canoes paddled by panic-stricken former inhabitants of the plantation. Lt. Truxtun soon placed all of the refugees on board Wild Cat and had them transported out of the area. A few days later, while reconnoitering the vicinity, Wild Cat shelled some Confederate raiders spotted near the Ashepoo River
.
's coastal waters through March 1865. After a brief spell as pilot boat at Charleston, South Carolina
, in April, the schooner was transferred to the Union Army
on 15 April 1865.
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....
acquired 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...
from the 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...
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...
. She was put into service by the Union Navy to patrol navigable waterways of 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...
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Captured by the Union Navy and assigned to the South Atlantic Blockade
Wild Cat -- a wooden-hulled schooner captured by the Federal Navy in 1862—served as a tender to warships of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. The vessel was never labeled, and records of her construction and capture have not been found. Her activities and actual duties during that tour are not described in any detail in the available records, but it is known that she operated from St. Helena, North CarolinaSt. Helena, North Carolina
St. Helena is a village in Pender County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 512 at the 2008 census. It is part of the Wilmington Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:St...
, 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...
.
Going ashore and rescuing inhabitants under attack
During that service, she assisted refugees from a plantationPlantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
attacked by Confederate marauders. On 13 June, Wild Cat sailed up to Hutchinson's Island, off St. Helena Sound
Sound (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 ....
, in company with the gig
Captain's Gig
The captain's gig is a boat used on naval ships as the captain's private taxi. It is a catchall phrase for this type of craft and over the years it has gradually increased in size, changed with the advent of new technologies for locomotion, and been crafted from increasingly more durable...
from the sloop-of-war
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
Dale, Lt. W. T. Truxtun, commanding, to investigate a large fire ashore. Upon arrival in the vicinity, the Union sailors found the burning Marsh Plantation, set afire by a marauding Confederate band. The Southern troops had plundered the belongings of the poor negroes there, wounding some, generally striking terror into the hearts of the inhabitants. As Wild Cat sailed up the river, she came in contact with many canoes paddled by panic-stricken former inhabitants of the plantation. Lt. Truxtun soon placed all of the refugees on board Wild Cat and had them transported out of the area. A few days later, while reconnoitering the vicinity, Wild Cat shelled some Confederate raiders spotted near the Ashepoo River
Ashepoo River
Ashepoo River is a short blackwater river in South Carolina. It rises in a confluence of swamps south of Walterboro, flows in southeast direction and then empties into Saint Helena Sound at . The entire course of the river lies within the boundaries of Colleton County...
.
Wild Cat loaned temporarily to the Union Army
Wild Cat continued to operate in South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
's coastal waters through March 1865. After a brief spell as pilot boat at 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...
, in April, the schooner was transferred to 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...
on 15 April 1865.