The USS Passaic-- Part 1: 'The Fightingest Ship in Mr. Lincoln's Navy'

From the Passaic County Historical Society "USS Passaic"  by Alfred P. Cappio.

The monitor USS Paissaic was commanded by Edward Simpson in the 1863 attack on Charleston and Fort Sumter.

The USS Passaic was named after the Passaic River in New Jersey.

"It is doubtful that any other ship in the Union Navy fought in more actions, fired more shells at enemy fortifications, or was hit more often by enemy fire than  the Passaic.  Truly this ship might well be called "The Fightingest Ship in Mr. Lincoln's Navy."

After the success of the USS Monitor, nine more monitors were ordered from John Ericsson at his Greenpoint (now Brooklyn) shipyard. The first to be completed was the USS Passaic, launched on August  30th and commissioned  at the New York Navy Yard on November 25, 1862.

Two days later, under the command of Captain Percival Drayton, she sailed to join the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron under  Admiral DuPont at Port Royal, South Carolina.

--Old B-Runner

RoadTrippin': Edward Simpson, USN-- Part 3: The Civil War and Afterwards

In 1862, he was promoted to Lieutenant Commander and in 1863, was in command of the monitor USS Pasaic in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.  He took part in the attacks on Fort Wagner in July and August 1863 and Fort Sumter in August and September 1863.

He was promoted to Commander in 1865 and Captain in 1870.  The next two years were spent in Europe on special duty.  During 1877 he was detaled at the Brooklyn Navy Yard as Captain, and in 1878, having been promoted to Commodore,  he was commanding officer of the New London Naval Station.

In 1881, Simpson took over as Commanding Officer of the League Island Navy Yard and in 1884 was appointed resident of the Gun Foundry Board.  He left the states again and traveled to Europe for several months for advisory purposes.

--Old B-Runner

USS Dawn-- Part 2: Potomac Flotilla and South Atlantic Blockading Squadron

The Dawn was assigned to duty with the Potomac Flotilla and sailed from New York May 11 and  took station at the mouth of the York River until September 24.  During that time, she captured three ships with contraband goods and passengers.  After repairs at the Washington Navy Yard,  she was sent to the Rappahannock River.

From  7 February to 27 April 1862 she had a new boiler installed at New York City, then stood out for Port Royal, South Carolina, for service in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.  

Arriving on station  14 May, she patrolled  the coastal and inland waters of South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, frequently exchanging fire with enemy shore batteries and joining in  the attacks on Fort McAllister of 27 January- 1 February 1863.

She also  assisted in the capture of several blockade runners, inclusing the Confederate privateer Nashville with a valuable cargo of cotton.

--Old B-Runner

Some More on John Collins: Blockading Cape Romain, S.C.

From Official Records Navy (ORN).

On August 1, 1862, the mortar ships were at Hampton Roads and John Collins was listed as in command of the USS George Mangham.  So, evidently, he was back.

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On April 2, 1864, the USS George Mangham, now part of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, was ordered to proceed to Cape Romain, S.C., and blockade the main channel which ran by the lighthouse.

In addition, the ship was to anchor as near to the lighthouse as possible and to reconnoiter the island if the opportunity offered.

The commander of the Mangham at the time was none other than John Collins Jr.

--Old B-Runner

John Collins, Acting Master, USN-- Part 2

From "The Capture of New Orleans" by Chester G. Hearn.

On April 18, the USS George Mangham, under Acting Master John Collins, Jr., received a shot in her port bow that passed through the galley and lodged in the mortar bed.  But, the ship continued to operate its mortar.

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From the ORN: South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.  Operation at Bull's Bay February 19, 1865.

The George Mangham took part at at one point the field artillery of the landed forces was under command of John Collins.

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From the U.S. Navy Officers 1798-1900.

JOHN COLLINS

Acting Master  21 December 1861.  Honorably discharged 19 September 1865.  Evidently he commanded the George Mangham for the duration of the war.

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Evidently, John Collins commanded the USS George Mangham his whole Civil War naval career.

--Old B-Runner

USS George Mangham-- Part 4: Looking for Raiders, Potomas Flotilla and SABS

The George Mangham was then assigned to the Potomac Flotilla 22 December; and until  10 July 1863, she suppressed blockade runners, capturing four prizes in the  lower Potomac River.  She was then taken to the Washington Navy Yard and fitted out for cruising in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

Authorities in Washington, D.C., were  greatly concerned about attacks of Confederate raiders and the George Mangham was assigned to protect American merchant ships and fishing craft.  Leaving Washington  5 August, she cruised off the Magdalen Islands and Prince Edward Island; without detecting any Confederate ships.

She departed  Georgetown, Prince Edward Island, 5 November for New York Navy Yard.  After repairs, she  sailed 5 December to join the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron for blockade duty off  Murrell's Inlet, South Carolina.

While engaged in this work, on 7 January 1864, she moved close to shore and destroyed the beached blockade runner Dare which had been driven ashore by larger Union blockaders.

She then sailed to Charleston, S.C.,  and continued blockade service  of the South Carolina coast in the area of  Cape Romain, St. Helena Sound, and Bull's Bay for the remainder of the year.

Returning to  Port Royal, South Carolina,  5 January 1865, the Mangham was assigned temporarily to Key West, Florida, in March.

She returned to New York Navy Yard  9 August; decommissioned  9 September; and was sold at public office to D. T. Trendy 27 September 1865.

--Old B-Runner

USS Fernandina-- Part 2: Action with NABS and SABS

Upon commissioning, the ship was orederd to join the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Hampton Roads, Virginia, which she did on 2 December 1861 and then south to Wilmington, North Carolina,  to blockade that port.

On 13 December 1861, she  scattered an encampment of Confederates at Little River Inlet, South Carolina.  Twelve days later, she captured the prize William N. Northrup, running the blockade with a cargo of  drugs and coffee.

Next, the Fernandina discovered the  schooner Kate out of Nassau, Bahama, aground on 2 April 1862.  After taking her papers, the Kate was burned as they were under fire of Confederates ashore

The Fernandina was transferred  to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron on 11 June and joined it off Charleston, South Carolina,   Aside from the summer of 1863, when she sailed north for repairs, she was  at St. Simons, Georgia and at St. Catherine's, Georgia, and in the Ossabow Sound.

She captured the sloop Annie Thompson 16 January 1864 after it had run aground.

Detached from the squadron 3 April 1865 and sent north, she was decommissioned  at Philadelphia 29 April 1865 and sold 2 June 1865.

--Old B-Runner

RoadTrippin' with Theo Timby-- Part 4: The Famed Rodgers Naval Family and Howard K. Smith

Continuing with notable and interesting burials in Washington, D.C.'s Oak Hill Cemetery.

**  George Peter  (1779-1861)--  Officer in War of 1812.    U.S. House of Representatives.

**  John Rodgers  (1812-1882)--  U.S. Navy.  Son of Navy hero John Rodgers.    Commanded South Atlantic Blockading Squadron during Civil War.

**  William Ledyard Rodgers (1860-1904)--  U.S. Navy.  Son of John Rodgers (above).  Officer in Spanish-American War and World War I.

**  George Washington Roosevelt (1843-1907)--  Third cousin of President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.

**  Howard K. Smith  (1914-2002)--  Famed pioneer television newscaster.

--Old B-Runner

USS Emma-- Part 4: Looking for Jefferson Davis and Decommissioning

On 26 April 1865, the Emma sailed from Fort Caswell, North Carolina,  with an urgent message from General  William Tecumseh Sherman to Rear Admiral  John A. Dahlgren, commanding the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which warned  the admiral that Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet, not yet located, might try to make an escape by way of Florida to Cuba.

The Emma went as far as Key West on this cruise then returned to patrol the Carolina coast until 24 August, when she arrived  at Boston, Massachusetts.

  The Emma was decommissioned in Boston 30 August 1865 and sold 1 November 1865.

She was placed back in service as a  merchant steamer and operated as the SS Gaspe from 1866 until her sinking  near Miquelon Island  on 14 June 1872.  The island is near the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

--Old B-Runner

Talking About the Union Blockade-- Part 2: Has Written Three Books on Civil War Navy History

Robert M. Browning has published  "From Cape Charles to the Cape Fear" which chronicles the establishment of the crucial blockade from the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay to the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina.   This stretch included the important sites of   the inland waters of the Chesapeake Bay, the James river (going to Richmond) and the North Carolina Sounds.

He has also published  "Success Was All That Was Expected,"  a history of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron that blockaded the coast of the Confederacy  from the Cape Fear River to Florida.  This story covers  the harrowing engagements between ships and forts, daring amphibious assaults and the evolution of submarine warfare in the form of the H.L. Hunley.

Yet another Browning book is "Lincoln's Trident" about the blockade in the Gulf of Mexico.

Obviously, Mr. Browning knows his naval history.

The meeting will be at 7 pm, Thursday, October 14 in Room 226 at the Harbor United Methodist Church at 4853 Masonboro Loop Road, Wilmington.

Another one I'd love to be at, but I'm over 1100 miles away and don't do Zoom.

Oh, Well.  --Old B-Runner

USS Nantucket (1862) Ironclad Monitor-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

The first ship to bear the name Nantucket in the U.S. Navy was a Passaic-class coastal monitor launched 6 December 1862 by Atlantic Iron Works, Boston, Massachusetts.  It was commissioned  26 February 1863, Commander Donald McNeil Fairfax in command.

Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron,  the Nantucket participated  in the attack on the Confederate forts in Charleston Harbor 7 April 1863.  Struck 51 times during the valiant but unsuccessful assault, the ship was repaired at Port Royal and returned to  Charleston to support the Union Army on Morris Island.

She engaged Fort Wagner on 16, 17, 18 and 24 July.  The famed attack of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry regiment took place on July 18.  That would be the black regiment made famous in the movie "Glory."

--Old B-Runner

USS Marblehead-- Part 3: Action in the Stono River and Bombardment of Charleston Defenses

The Marblehead survived its battle with the horse cavalry artillery and was then transferred to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.  Primarily she patrolled the coast looking for blockade runners, but in early February 1863, she reconnoitered the Wilmington River  with the monitor USS Passaic trying to locate the ironclad CSS Atlanta (ex-blockade-runner Fingal).

Later in the month, on the 23rd, she took possession of  the prize Glide and her cargo of cotton which had been captured by  the Coast Guard schooners Caswell and Arago at the entrance to Tybee Creek in Georgia.  The Glide had been in route to Nassau.

During her coastal patrols, the Marblehead on occasion engaged in operations on the Stono River, South Carolina,  in support of Union forces on James Island by Charleston.  On 16 July 1863, during an assault by Confederate forces on that position, she came under fire by Confederate artillery at Grimball's Landing.

Forced further downriver, she still provided fire support and prevented Confederate reinforcements from reaching  the main body of their attack force.

Afterwards, the Marblehead joined with the rest of the Union fleet outside of Charleston Harbor in bombarding the forts there before  heading north for repairs.

--Old B-Runner

June 9, 1865: Two New Squadrons Formed of the Four Blockading Ones As War Winds Down

JUNE 9TH, 1865:  Secretary Welles ordered the East Gulf and West Gulf Squadrons to be combined and redesignated the Gulf Squadron.  He directed Rear Admiral H.K. Thatcher to relieve Rear Admiral C.K. Stribling and assume command of the newly formed  Squadron with headquarters  at Pensacola.

Welles also directed that the North and South Atlantic squadrons be combined and redesignated the Atlantic Squadron.  At the same time, he ordered Rear Admiral Dahlgren to return to Washington, D.C., and Rear Admiral William Radford to assume command of the new squadron.

Dahlgren recorded in his diary on June 17:  "And so ends a command of two years of one of the largest fleets ever assembled under American colors -- as many as 96 at one time."

--Old B-Runner

Edward Simpson's Career in the Civil War and Afterwards

Now at the USNA, Simpson was an instructor of naval gunnery and infantry tactics.  Prior to the Civil War, he was promoted to master, then to lieutenant.  In 1862, he was promoted to lieutenant-commander and in 1863, commanded the ironclad monitor USS Passaic in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.

As commander, he took part in the attacks on Fort Wagner in July and August 1863 and Fort Sumter in August and September 1863.

At some point, he was removed as the Passaic's commander and became the USS Isonomia's first commander.  Now, that ship was in no way the equal of the Passaic, so at some point I'd have to believe that something bad happened to Simpson's career.

Even so, he was promoted to commander in 1865 and captain in 1870.  The next two years were spent in Europe on special duty.  In 1877, he was detailed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard as captain, and in 1878, having been promoted to commodore he was commanding officer at the New London Naval Station.

--Old B-Runner

April 27, 1865: Now, Navy Turns Attention to Preventing Jefferson Davis' Escape

APRIL 27TH, 1865:  Secretary Welles informed Commander F.A. Parker (he had also been at Fort Fisher) of the Potomac Flotilla that the "special restrictions relative to retaining vessels are removed."

He advised Parker that "Booth was killed and captured with Herold yesterday, three miles southwest of Port Royal, Va.."  With the search for President Lincoln's assassin ended, further south the Navy focused its attention to another end.

This date, Rear Admiral Dahlgren ordered nine ships of his South Atlantic Blockading Squadron to patrol along the Southern coast to prevent the escape of Jefferson Davis and his cabinet.

--Old B-Runner

USS Weehawken-- Part 6: Took A Pounding 7-8 September 1863

South Atlantic Blockading Squadron commander, Admiral Dahlgren demanded Fort Sumter's surrender on 7 September and ordered the Weehawken to deploy in a narrow channel between the fort and Cummings Point on Morris Island.

There, the Weehawken grounded and took concentrated fire from Sumter, Fort Moultrie, Sullivan's Island and Morris Island.  It was refloated with the help of tugs on 8 September and received a "Well Done" from Dahlgren for defensive gunnery while grounded.

The Weehawken went to Port Royal for repairs until 4 October then returned to Charleston for  routine harbor patrol.

--Old B-Runner

USS Emma-- Part 3: At Both Battles of Fort Fisher

She remained with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron until the end of the war.  It participated in the destruction of the blockade runner Ella off Wilmington, N.C. on 6 December 1864.

It was also at the two battles of Fort Fisher, December 24 and 25, 1864, and January 13-15, 1865.

On 26  April 1865, the Emma sailed from Fort Caswell, N.C., with an urgent message for  from General William T. Sherman to Rear Admiral Dahlgren of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, which warned the admiral that Confederate President Jefferson Davis and his cabinet had not been located and might be heading for Cuba.

The Emma then put into Key West before returning to the Carolina coast until 24 August when she went to Boston where she was decommissioned August 30 and sold in November.

She operated as the merchant steamer Gaspe from 1866 until her sinking near Miquelon Island (near Newfoundland) 14 June 1872.

--Old B-Runer

USS Norfolk Packet-- Part 2: Service in SABS

Next, the Norfolk Packet bombarded Vicksburg, Mississippi, 27 June to July 8, 1862.  It supported Farragut's run past the batteries to meet Flag Officer Davis' Western Flotilla.

Following this action, it sailed to Baltimore, Maryland for repairs.

After this it was assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and arrived at Port Royal, S.C., 7 November 1862.  For the rest of the war it served on that station blockading the coastal waters of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.

She participated in the bombardment of Fort McAllister by Savannah, Georgia, on 3 March 1863; captured the  schooner Ocean Bird  off St. Augustine Inlet, Florida on October 23, 1863 (which I wrote about this past Tuesday and why I am researching this vessel further).

--Old B-Runner

October 9, 1863: Nice Jobs, Get Charleston, But...

OCTOBER 9TH, 1863:  Secretary Welles commended Rear Admiral Dahlgren on the work of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron off Charleston the preceding month and cited Brigadier General Gillmore's "brilliant operations" on Morris Island.

Noting that, though the first step in the capture of Charleston was taken, the remainder would be full of risk, he added:  "While there is intense feeling pervading the country in regard to the fate of Charleston ... the public impatience must not be permitted to hasten your own movements into immature and inconsiderate action against your own deliberate convictions nor impell you to hazards that may jeopardize the best interest of the country without adequate results...."

--Old B-R'er

USS Gem of the Sea Correspondence Book-- Part 2: Captured a Lot of Blockade Runners

Like I noticed in the Wikipedia article, this ship, though only a sailing vessel instead of steam, still managed to capture a lot of blockade runners.  I imagine most of these were also powered by sails and probably were smaller.

The gem of the Sea captured four prizes while part of the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron.  Then ,as a member of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron it captured at last a dozen more runners and smaller boats.

An example of what is in the book:

DECEMBER 6, 1861:  To Captain Ringgold of the U.S. Frigate Sabine describing the chase of a small sidewheel steamer which hoisted the Confederate flag once past them so the Gem of the Sea "gave her a shell as a compliment  to the hoisting of her flag."

Take That You Sneaky Sneak.  --Old B-R'er