George Nichols Hollins (September 20, 1799 – January 18, 1878) was an American navy captain and base commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

and later a ship captain and commodore in the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

. He famously won the

Battle of the Head of Passes The Battle of the Head of Passes was a bloodless naval battle of the American Civil War. It was a naval raid made by the Confederate river defense fleet, also known as the “mosquito fleet” in the local media, on ships of the Union blockade s ...

, a naval battle of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, returning to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

a hero.

Personal life

Commodore George Nichols Hollins was born in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. On March 20, 1833, he married Maria Ridgely, daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Sterett. His son, George Nicholas Hollins, Jr., was born in 1840 in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

and died during the

in 1862.

Naval career

Hollins entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1814 and served on the USS ''Erie'' in her attempt to break the British blockade of

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

in the War of 1812. He was subsequently transferred to the USS ''President'' where he served under

Stephen Decatur Commodore (United States), Commodore Stephen Decatur Jr. (; January 5, 1779 – March 22, 1820) was a United States Navy officer. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County. His father, Ste ...

until captured at

Bermuda Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. Bermuda is an ...

. He was held as a prisoner of war until peace was established. In the

Barbary Wars The Barbary Wars were a series of two wars fought by the United States, Sweden, and the Kingdom of Sicily against the Barbary states (including Tunis, Algiers, and Tripoli) and Morocco of North Africa in the early 19th century. Sweden had bee ...

, he served under Decatur with such merit as to be presented a sword in recognition of his gallantry. Subsequently, he was on duty upon the ships Guerriere, Columbus, Franklin, and Washington, and commanded an East India merchantman for a time. He was promoted lieutenant in 1828, commander in 1841, and captain U.S. Navy in 1855. In 1853, he led the

Bombardment of Greytown Greytown, Nicaragua, Greytown was an independent city-state on the Mosquito Coast, Atlantic (“Mosquito”) Coast of Central America. It was formerly a Nicaraguan port and then part of the United Kingdom’s Mosquito Indian Protectorate, with wh ...

(

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

), a naval action initiated by the United States sloop-of-war USS ''Cyane'', which he commanded. The town was completely destroyed.

Civil War

At the outbreak of the

, he had served for almost 47 years in the U.S. Navy (almost 17 years total at sea), was a citizen of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, and was commanding the USS ''Susquehanna'', cruising at the Mediterranean Sea. Hollins and his ship left the coast of Italy on May 5, 1861, and arrived at

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, on June 4, 1861. Having considered himself a Southerner, he promptly resigned his commission, but it was not accepted and an order was made for his arrest. Hollins escaped, and in March 1861, was in

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama. Named for Continental Army major general Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River on the Gulf Coastal Plain. The population was 2 ...

, then the Confederate capital, where he met

Raphael Semmes Raphael Semmes ( ; September 27, 1809 – August 30, 1877) was an officer in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. He had served as an officer in the United States Navy from 1826 to 1860. During the American Civil War, Semmes was c ...

, Josiah Tattnall, Thomas Brent, and many other naval officers to consult with a committee of the Confederate Congress on the means of providing a navy for the new government. He was commissioned a Captain, Confederate States Navy, on June 22, 1861. He later received a commission for the same rank, but to rank retroactively to March 26, 1861. On June 29 of the first year of the Confederacy, he quickly attracted attention by his clever capture of the steamer St. Nicholas in the Potomac River, as well as the capture of the Monticello, Mary Pierce and the Margaret. On July 10, the naval defenses of the

James River The James River is a river in Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows from the confluence of the Cowpasture and Jackson Rivers in Botetourt County U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowli ...

were placed under his command, and on July 31, he was put in charge of the naval station at

, where he defeated the Federal blockading squadron the following October. Also that year, he served at the naval defenses, James River, Virginia. From 1861 to 1862, he was the Commandant at the Naval Station, New Orleans, Louisiana. Hollins then commanded the defenses afloat the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

, with his flagship the CSS ''Manassas'' on the coast of

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. Appointed flag officer in December 1861, he took a fleet up the

to assist in the defense of the works at

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 140 at the 2020 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi ...

. From 1862 to 1863, he commanded the Richmond, Virginia Station, and in 1863, he commanded at Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1864, he again commanded the Richmond, Virginia Station, and then at the Wilmington, North Carolina Station. After the war, he returned to

, Maryland where he was appointed Crier at the City Court, and was in that position until his death on January 18, 1878.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hollins, George N. 1799 births 1878 deaths Military personnel from Baltimore United States Navy captains Confederate States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of the War of 1812

Personal life

Naval career

Civil War

See also

References

Further reading

External links