USS Montgomery-- Part 2: Capturing Blockade Runners, the Tacony and Fort Fisher

Remaining in the Gulf of Mexico during 1861, the Montgomery captured or destroyed a half dozen blockade runners, mainly sailing vessels.  

Following her return to the Atlantic in 1863, she took part in the search for the Confederate raider Tacony in June.  Later assigned to the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, in June helped destroy the blockade runners Bendigo and Dare.

The next month, she captured the steamer Pet and in October took the Bat..  She also participated in the two attacks on Fort Fisher, North Carolina during December 1864 and January 1865  This finally eliminated the nearby city of Wilmington as a blockade running port.

For the remainder of the war, the Montgomery served along the Carolina coast and participated in the operations on the Cape Fear River which led to the capture of Wilmington in February 1865.

Decommissioned in June 1865 and sold in August, the Montgomery retained her name when she reentered commercial service in 1866.  She was active for nearly eleven more years, until she was sunk due to a collision with the schooner Seminole on January 7,  1877, off Cape May, New Jersey.

--Old B-Runner

Action in North Carolina January 1864

Most of these actions occurred along the coast of the state.

From the N.C. Civil War  Sesquicentennial site.

Jan. 3--  Destruction of blockade runner Bendigo.

Jan. 4--  Action at Lockwood's Folly between U.S. Navy and Confederate batteries.

Jan. 7--  Destruction of blockade runner Dare at Lockwood's Folly Inlet, Cape Fear.

Jan. 10--  Loss of USS Iron Age near Lockwood's Folly, Cape Fear.

Jan. 11--  Destruction of Ranger and Vesta.

Jan. 18-Feb. 10--  Operations around  New Bern.

Jan. 22-- Skirmish at Harrellsville.

Jan. 27--  Expedition to Lake Phelps.

Jan. 28-Feb. 4--  Confederate expedition from Wilmington to Newport Barracks.

Jan. 29--  Expedition up the Roanoke River.

Jan. 30--  Skirmish at Windsor.

Jan. 30--  3rd North Carolina Infantry, African descent (Union) organizd at Norfolk, Va..

--Old B-Runner

Some More on the USS Iron Age

One source I found said that the Iron Age and the USS James Adger captured the famous blockade runner CSS Robert E. Lee, but I can only find other sources saying that it was just the James Adger who captured the Lee.

The Iron Age ran aground while trying to get the blockade runner Bendigo off or to at least take off cargo by Lockwood's Folly Inlet, NC.  The other Union ships tried to get it off, but were driven off by Confederate guns including a battery of 30-pdr. guns.

--Old B-R'er

USS Iron Age-- Part 3: Blockade Runners Elizabeth and Bendigo Run Aground At Lockwood's Folly Inlet

In late 1863, the blockade runner Elizabeth ran aground off Lockwood's Folly Inlet.  In January 1864, the blockade runner Bendigo, coming in from Nassau saw the wreck of the Elizabeth and thought it to be a blockading Union ship.

Standard practice at this point was the blockade runner to attempt passing between the Union ship and the shore, which was what the Bendigo attempted to do.  Of course, the Eliazabeth was aground and there wasn't much chance of passing by it.

The Bendigo ran aground  Hard aground with no chance of getting off.

Locals helped salbage some of the cargo.  The ship was set afire and abandoned.

--Old B-Runner

Lockwood Folly Inlet Civil War Wrecks-- Part 3: Elizabeth, Bendigo and the USS Iron Age

The inlet is called by two names:  Lockwood Folly Inlet and Lockwood's Ferry Inlet.

The USS Iron Age is the main problem with boats in the inlet.

The Elizabeth is west of the current channel and visible at low tide.  Is this the one the man took pictures of with his drone?    The Iron Age is southeast of the Elizabeth and the Bendigo is northwest of the Elizabeth.

There are at least four Civil War wrecks at the inlet.  A map also shows one called the Lisa Marie  there in the inlet shallows.

--Old B-Runner

Lockwood Folly Inlet Civil War Wrecks-- Part 2

The captain of the Bendigo saw what he thought was a blockader as he skirted the shore, but it was actually the blockade runner Elizabeth.  In evasive action, which required passing to the shore side of the other ship, the Bendigo ran hard aground.

The blockading ships USS Fort Jackson, Iron Age, Montgomery and Daylight came to investigate.  Once they determined they could not refloat the Bendigo, they riddled the ship with gunfire.  The Montgomery and Iron Age themselves ran aground.  The Montgomery was able to get off, but not the USS Iron Age.

--Old B-R'er

Lockwood Folly Inlet and the Civil War Wrecks

From the January 31, 2004 Saltwater Central.com .

Several local boats have been damaged on the Civil war wrecks and there has been one indirect loss of life from them.  According to locals, the main culprit is the USS Iron Age.

The blockade runner Elizabeth was on its 8th run of the blockade at Wilmington.  It was 216 feet long, 623 ton sidewheel steamer which had left Nassau September 19, 1863.  Some twelve miles from Fort Caswell, guarding the Old Inlet approach to the Cape Fear River and Wilmington, N.C., when it ran aground at Lockwood Folly Inlet and was set on fire when it was determined they couldn't get it off.

The blockade runner Bendigo cleared Wilmington and ran the blockade on December 16, 1863.  It was its second trip through the blockade.  The Bendigo 178 tons, iron-hulled sidewheel steamer.  It was 162 feet long, 20.1 foot beam and drew 10.9 feet  of water.  It may have been called the Milly at one time.

--Old B-Runner