CSS ''Jamestown'', originally a side-wheel, passenger steamer, was built at

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1853, and seized at

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in 1861 for the Virginia Navy during the early days 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 ...

. She was commissioned by the Confederate States Navy (CSN) the following July (after the Virginia Navy was transferred to the CSN), and renamed CSS ''Thomas Jefferson'' but was generally referred to as ''Jamestown'', after

Jamestown, Virginia The Jamestown settlement in the Colony of Virginia was the first permanent British colonization of the Americas, English settlement in the Americas. It was located on the northeast bank of the James River, about southwest of present-day Willia ...

Brigantine A brigantine is a two-masted sailing vessel with a fully square-rigged foremast and at least two sails on the main mast: a square topsail and a gaff sail mainsail (behind the mast). The main mast is the second and taller of the two masts. Ol ...

-rigged ''Jamestown'' was designed and constructed by the well-known shipbuilder William H. Webb for the New York and Old Dominion Line as a sister to ''Yorktown'', which became CSS ''Patrick Henry''.

Career

With Lt.

Joseph Nicholson Barney Joseph Nicholson Barney (c. 1818 – June 16, 1899) was a career United States Navy officer (1835–1861) who served in the Confederate States Navy in the American Civil War (1861–1865). Personal life and family Barney was born in Baltimore in ...

, CSN, in command, she was actively employed until the end of her career in May 1862. Her service was highlighted by the

Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Merrimack'' or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. The battle was fought over two days, March 8 and 9, 1862, in Hampton ...

on March 8–9 1862, during which she assisted CSS ''Virginia'' in attacking USS ''Congress'' and USS ''Cumberland'' and stood by during the battle between USS ''Monitor'' and ''Virginia''. The

Confederate Congress The Confederate States Congress was both the provisional and permanent legislative assembly/legislature of the Confederate States of America that existed from February 1861 to April/June 1865, during the American Civil War. Its actions were, ...

tendered special thanks to the officers and crew of ''Jamestown'' for their "gallant conduct and bearing" in combat. Heidler, 2004 p.1250 Some 4 weeks later, on April 11, 1862, ''Jamestown'', ''Virginia'' and five other Confederate ships sailed from

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

, into

Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...

in full view of the Union squadron there. When it became clear that the Federal ships were not going to attack, ''Jamestown'', covered by ''Virginia'' and the others, moved in, captured three merchant ships, and helped by CSS ''Raleigh'', towed them to Norfolk. The merchant ships were the brigs ''Marcus of Stockton, NJ'' and ''Sabout of Providence, RI'' and the schooner ''Catherine T. Dix'' of Accomac County, VA. Their flags were hoisted "Union-side down" to taunt the Federals into fighting. Later that month ''Jamestown'' was despatched from Norfolk to cooperate with Major General John B. Magruder, CSA, in 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 ...

, and early in May she was used to transport army sick and wounded to

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

. On the night of May 5, ''Jamestown'' and ''Patrick Henry'' proceeded to Norfolk and returned the following night with CSS ''Richmond'', CSS ''Hampton'' and ordnance store boats, passing the Federal battery at

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an Independent city (United States), independent city in southeastern Virginia, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the List of c ...

unobserved on both occasions. A second attempt to return to Norfolk met with failure. On May 8, ''Jamestown'' was ordered to notify

Stephen Mallory Stephen Russell Mallory (1812 – November 9, 1873) was an American politician who was a United States Senator from Florida from 1851 to the secession of his home state and the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. For much of that perio ...

, Secretary of the Confederate States Navy, of the continuing engagement of two Federal

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

s and

ironclad An ironclad was a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by iron armour, steel or iron armor constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or ince ...

USS ''Galena'' with the Confederate batteries at Day's Point. Unable to carry out her assignment, ''Jamestown'' retired up the James River as far as

Drewry's Bluff Drewry's Bluff is located in northeastern Chesterfield County, Virginia, in the United States. It was the site of Confederate Fort Darling during the American Civil War. It was named for a local landowner, Confederate Captain Augustus H. Drewry ...

, where on May 15, 1862, she was sunk to obstruct the channel.

Commanders

The commanders of the CSS ''Jamestown'' were: Coski, 1996 * Lt.

(1861–1862) * Lt. George W. Harrison (May 1862, temporarily)

Bibliography

* * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamestown Ships of the Confederate States Navy Virginia in the American Civil War Shipwrecks of the James River Scuttled vessels Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Ships built in New York City 1853 ships Maritime incidents in May 1862

Career

Commanders

See also

Bibliography

References