47:
707:
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Suffolk where the fighting was fiercest. The afternoon of the next day, her rudder was severely damaged, requiring her to return briefly to
Norfolk to have it replaced. The repair work was completed on the afternoon of the 16th, and the tug returned to the Nansemond and fought there through the end of the month.
672:. Her work on the James reached its climax early in April when she participated in the naval expedition to Richmond, which took President Lincoln to the former Confederate capital. Soon thereafter, she left that river and raced to the Potomac River, presumably to try to cut off the escape of the assassin,
530:
During most of the remainder of her service, the tug acted as a dispatch and picket boat on the James River. She also made occasional runs to the sounds of North
Carolina with messages. During these operations, Confederate forces in the waters she frequented were constantly endeavoring to seize Union
631:
ascended the
Nansemond with Lt. William B.Cushing on 12 April, and for the next three weeks participated in almost daily duels with Confederate shore batteries. Because of her light draft, she moved above the bar of the river into the narrower, shallower, and more dangerous part of the stream near
635:
Her vigorous fight and that of her sister ships prevented the
Southern forces from dislodging Major General Peck's troops from their defensive works and finally prompted Longstreet to withdraw – a movement hastened by a message from General Lee, who was about to engage the Union Army at
613:'s corps from the Army of Northern Virginia to forage for supplies. Longstreet, apparently hoping to improve the South's strategic position while finding food for General Lee's soldiers, headed for Suffolk. When the Union Army called on the Navy for help, Admiral Lee ordered
652:
and sank. She was soon raised, and by
October had returned to duty. In January 1864, work to fit her with a torpedo apparatus began, but the experiment proved to be unsuccessful. As a result, the tug returned to duty in the James in May.
774:
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607:
411:
749:
769:
717:
759:
381:
Since this small tug's logs prior to 27 January 1865 have been lost, there are several significant gaps in our knowledge of her career. All we know of
590:
area. Since a major
Confederate movement in that vicinity could jeopardize the entire Union hold on the south bank of the James, Admiral Lee ordered
551:. . . the enemy is preparing ... an expedition of armed launches sent down close inshore in the darkness of the night until they get abreast of you.
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401:
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was one of several ships of the Union Navy sent to the James to assure Union control of that indispensable waterway.
637:
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The admonition for ". . . the officers and men to be constantly on the watch ..." was especially important since
486:
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Almost three months passed before that particular threat materialized. Early in April, General Lee detached
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408:
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notified
Admiral Lee that there were "... indications of activity on the part of the enemy . . ." in the
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418:
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433:
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610:
482:
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to strengthen the forces which were to meet Lee, but the steamer was undergoing repairs at
618:
532:
466:
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in the
Potomac disappeared, and she remained in the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron.
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393:
733:
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536:
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on 26 May. She was sold at auction there to Robert Lear on 5 July. Redocumented as
622:
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Union warships on the James also cooperated with Army forces. In mid
January 1863,
238:
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on 13 March 1862. We next hear of her on 30 June, when she was detached from the
254:
510:, and was unable to get underway until after Union soldiers had stopped Lee at
614:
429:
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26:
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s service until early in the summer of 1862 is that she was operating in the
474:
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22:
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to ready themselves to help turn back the
Southern thrust should it come.
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warships or to destroy them by guile. For instance, on 12 November 1862,
515:
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331:
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on 2 August, she served as a merchant tug until abandoned in 1886.
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On 31 August 1863, the tug caught fire while moored in the
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to protect the Union capital which was threatened by Lee's
458:
While the tug was operating on that river, she was renamed
775:
American Civil War auxiliary ships of the United States
625:'s troops as they tried to stop Longstreet's advance.
621:– a tributary of the James – to assist Major General
617:
William B.Cushing to lead a group of gunboats up the
535:
Thomas Turner, the senior Union naval officer in the
436:, and forced it to seek safety on the banks of the
680:Post-war decommissioning and subsequent career
334:despite the fact that she had on board only a
8:
718:Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships
684:Following the collapse of the Confederacy,
440:under the protection of Federal gunboats.
765:Dispatch boats of the United States Navy
712:This article incorporates text from the
21:For other ships with the same name, see
322:, but at times she performed duty as a
31:
644:Attempt at conversion to torpedo boat
514:. With Lee's decision to retire into
43:
7:
750:Steamships of the United States Navy
770:Gunboats of the United States Navy
572:who commanded the Union squadron.
402:North Atlantic Blockading Squadron
14:
760:Tenders of the United States Navy
481:and return it to the vicinity of
407:The reassignment was prompted by
220:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
16:Gunboat of the United States Navy
705:
45:
745:Ships built in New York (state)
365:by the Navy on 3 October 1861.
288:was a 90 long tons (91 t)
785:Maritime incidents in May 1863
755:Tugs of the United States Navy
676:, who had shot the President.
338:instead of a cannon or rifle.
1:
721:. The entry can be found
565:, the flag steamer of Acting
300:during the first year of the
257:(8.1 mph; 13 km/h)
801:
688:was decommissioned at the
602:Nansemond River expedition
559:often served as tender to
526:Service on the James River
493:U.S. Secretary of the Navy
314:, and still later renamed
20:
487:Army of Northern Virginia
400:Flotilla for duty in the
342:Built in New York in 1861
165:
38:
34:
477:formed by the James and
469:decided to withdraw the
318:– served primarily as a
196:90 long tons (91 t)
740:Ships of the Union Navy
212:17 ft (5.2 m)
166:General characteristics
553:
508:Newport News, Virginia
377:early blockade support
273:1 × 24-pounder rifled
228:7 ft (2.1 m)
204:62 ft (19 m)
549:
690:Washington Navy Yard
664:On 2 February 1865,
135:Washington Navy Yard
120:circa 3 October 1861
570:Samuel Phillips Lee
471:Army of the Potomac
419:Seven Days campaign
361:– was purchased at
608:Lieutenant General
434:Richmond, Virginia
421:which turned back
417:'s success in the
357:., under the name
355:Syracuse, New York
302:American Civil War
109:New York Navy Yard
93:Syracuse, New York
674:John Wilkes Booth
650:Norfolk Navy Yard
369:Civil War service
353:built in 1861 at
296:purchased by the
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159:abandoned in 1886
156:Sold, 5 July 1865
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709:
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638:Chancellorsville
611:James Longstreet
483:Washington, D.C.
462:. Late in 1862,
426:George McClellan
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330:, and even as a
310:– later renamed
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619:Nansemond River
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594:and her sister
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518:, the need for
467:Abraham Lincoln
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543:area, warned
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537:Hampton Roads
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504:Potomac River
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363:New York City
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52:United States
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693:
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669:
668:was renamed
665:
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658:
657:Renamed USS
647:
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628:
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623:John J. Peck
605:
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584:Dismal Swamp
574:
567:Rear Admiral
562:Philadelphia
561:
556:
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550:
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519:
502:back to the
499:
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459:
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451:renamed USS
449:A. C. Powell
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442:A. C. Powell
441:
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383:A. C. Powell
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375:A. C. Powell
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359:A. C. Powell
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308:A. C. Powell
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294:A. C. Powell
293:
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239:Steam engine
193:Displacement
117:Commissioned
74:A. C. Powell
73:
62:
18:
479:York Rivers
438:James River
409:Confederate
146:1865 (est.)
130:26 May 1865
91:in 1861 at
780:1861 ships
734:Categories
700:References
615:Lieutenant
430:Union Army
349:– a screw
298:Union Navy
262:Complement
233:Propulsion
27:USS Powell
475:peninsula
473:from the
464:President
290:steamship
80:Laid down
23:USS Alert
596:warships
516:Virginia
336:howitzer
275:howitzer
270:Armament
143:Stricken
99:Acquired
88:Launched
588:Suffolk
541:Norfolk
533:Captain
498:called
432:before
423:General
412:General
351:tugboat
332:gunboat
320:tugboat
253:7
187:Gunboat
175:Tugboat
133:at the
107:at the
83:Unknown
69:Ordered
39:History
710:
390:sounds
292:named
201:Length
694:Watch
686:Watch
670:Watch
666:Alert
659:Watch
629:Alert
592:Alert
557:Alert
547:that
545:Alert
520:Alert
500:Alert
460:Alert
453:Alert
386:'
347:Alert
316:Watch
312:Alert
285:Alert
250:Speed
217:Draft
63:Alert
723:here
283:USS
209:Beam
171:Type
151:Fate
61:USS
58:Name
25:and
428:'s
392:of
72:as
736::
640:.
489:.
404:.
326:,
304:.
265:15
255:kn
185:/
181:/
177:/
725:.
586:-
539:-
29:.
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