- USS Stockdale (1863)
USS "Stockdale" (1863) was a steamer commissioned by the
Union Navy during theAmerican Civil War .She served the Union Navy during her struggle against the
Confederate States of America both as atugboat as well as agunboat when the occasion demanded.Built in West Brownsville, Pennsylvania, in 1863
"Stockdale" -- a wooden, side-wheel steamer built in
1863 at WestBrownsville, Pennsylvania -- was purchased by the Navy on13 November 1863 atCincinnati, Ohio , from B. T. Laughlin, et al, under the name "J. T. Stockdale", and commissioned atCairo, Illinois , on26 December 1863 , Acting Ensign John Lowrie in command.Civil War operations
Assigned to the West Gulf Blockade
Renamed "Stockdale" sometime before
19 January 1864 and designated "Tinclad No. 42", the gunboat steamed down theMississippi River and joined theWest Gulf Blockading Squadron atNew Orleans, Louisiana , on3 January 1864 . On8 January 1864 , Acting Master Thomas Edwards assumed command of the ship.Defending New Orleans from recapture
Since rumors were then circulating that Confederate ironclads were about to attempt to recapture New Orleans, "Stockdale" steamed down the
Mississippi River to reinforce AdmiralDavid Farragut 's ships in defending that strategic city, and she served in theWest Gulf Blockading Squadron through the end of the Civil War. Most of her service was performed inBerwick Bay ,Lake Pontchartrain , and other inland waters along the gulf coast.Under attack by Confederate cavalry
On
16 May 1864 , a landing party from the tinclad gunboat was fired upon by Confederate cavalry at the mouth of the Tohefuncta River. Two officers were captured and one killed before Edwards succeeded in forcing the attackers to withdraw.The Battle of Mobile Bay
The ship was ordered to
Mississippi Sound on23 July to prepare for the impending attack onMobile Bay . On the morning of2 August , she anchored offPetit Bois Island . The next day, she steamed toDauphin Island where all of her boats were used to land troops fromUnion Army transports.On the morning of the 5th, while
David Farragut was leading his squadron into Mobile Bay, "Stockdale" steamed towardFort Powell and bombarded that Southern fortress. In the months that followed, "Stockdale" continued to serve in theWest Gulf Blockading Squadron for the most part, and supported mop-up operations in and around Mobile Bay.Destroying a valuable Confederate salt works
On
8 September , she joined "Tritonia", "Rodolph", and an Army transport for an expedition to Salt House Point,Mississippi , to destroy extensive Southern salt works. Only "Stockdale" and "Rodolph" crossed the bar and entered the Bon Secours River.The salt works were so extensive that boat crews from the two ships worked all day and into the following afternoon before finishing the destruction.
Destroying a sawmill and 60,000 board feet of lumber
On the 11th, "Stockdale" again joined "Randolph" in an expedition -- this time up the Fish River to seize a sawmill engine, some livestock, and 60,000 board feet of lumber. Confederate riflemen fired upon the retiring ships and felled trees ahead of them, but the Union ships broke through the obstructions to safety.
The capture of blockade runner Medora
On
8 December , "Stockdale" and "John P. Jackson" captured schooner "Medora" inMississippi Sound as theblockade runner was attempting to slip to sea laden with cotton. "Stockdale" continued to perform various duties into1865 . On8 March , she began support of active operations againstMobile, Alabama , and she continued the duty until the city surrendered on12 April .Post-war decommissioning and disposal
After the Civil War ended, "Stockdale" continued to operate in the
Gulf of Mexico until she was decommissioned on24 August 1865 at New Orleans. She was sold at public auction there on the same day.Note
Lytle classifies this ship as a stern wheel steamer in his "Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States 1807-1868", p. 94.
References
See also
*
American Civil War
*Union Navy
*Confederate States Navy External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s18/stockdale-i.htm USS Stockdale]
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