CSS ''Oregon'' was a wooden

sidewheel steamer A paddle steamer is a steamship or steamboat powered by a steam engine that drives paddle wheels to propel the craft through the water. In antiquity, paddle wheelers followed the development of poles, oars and sails, where the first uses were w ...

that served as a

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-ste ...

in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. Built in 1846 for the Mobile Mail Line, she transported mail between

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Mobile, Alabama, before the war. In 1861, she was seized by the Governor of Louisiana,

Thomas Overton Moore Thomas Overton Moore (April 10, 1804 – June 25, 1876) was an attorney and politician who was the 16th Governor of Louisiana from 1860 until 1864 during the American Civil War. Anticipating that Louisiana's Ordinance of Secession would be pas ...

, and served as a

blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usual ...

before being selected for use by the Confederate Army. After transferring men and supplies to

Ship Island Ship Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. Hurricane Camille split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, t ...

, she was formally converted into a gunboat and armed with four cannon. Remaining behind on

Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from wes ...

when many Confederate warships were transferred up the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

, ''Oregon'' served in the

Mississippi Sound The Mississippi Sound is a sound along the Gulf Coast of the United States. It runs east-west along the southern coasts of Mississippi and Alabama, from Waveland, Mississippi, to the Dauphin Island Bridge, a distance of about . The sound is s ...

and

Pass Christian Pass Christian (), nicknamed The Pass, is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,307 at the 2019 census. History Pre-European history ...

areas. She took part in several minor actions involving USS ''New London'', two of which resulted in the Confederates moving into shallow water to avoid close-range action, and the third ending when the Confederate ships abandoned the Pass Christian area. In April 1862,

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

pressure confined her and other Confederate ships to Lake Pontchartrain. Later that month, with Union forces closing in on New Orleans, ''Oregon'' was sunk as a

blockship A blockship is a ship deliberately sunk to prevent a river, channel, or canal from being used. It may either be sunk by a navy defending the waterway to prevent the ingress of attacking enemy forces, as in the case of at Portland Harbour in 1914 ...

. Her wreck was removed and destroyed in the early 1870s.

Construction and pre-war career

''Oregon'' was built at

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

in 1846. A

, she also had a single

mast Mast, MAST or MASt may refer to: Engineering * Mast (sailing), a vertical spar on a sailing ship * Flagmast, a pole for flying a flag * Guyed mast, a structure supported by guy-wires * Mooring mast, a structure for docking an airship * Radio mast ...

. With a

hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

that was made from wood, she had one deck and a billethead. She was long, had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy * Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy ** Laser beam * Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized g ...

of , weighed 532 tons, and had a

draft Draft, The Draft, or Draught may refer to: Watercraft dimensions * Draft (hull), the distance from waterline to keel of a vessel * Draft (sail), degree of curvature in a sail * Air draft, distance from waterline to the highest point on a ves ...

of . ''Oregon'' is reported by the ''

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships The ''Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships'' (''DANFS'') is the official reference work for the basic facts about ships used by the United States Navy. When the writing project was developed the parameters for this series were designed to ...

'' to have resembled the steamer ''California''. Built for the Mobile Mail Line, ''Oregon'' was used to transport mail between Mobile, Alabama, and

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

had a 60 percent ownership stake in the vessel, with the remainder being in the hands of two Mobile residents: R. A. Heirn and Samuel Wolff. Heirn had been listed as the ship's

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

in 1854.

American Civil War

After the outbreak of the

in April 1861, Governor of Louisiana

had the ship seized. While the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

had a number of vessels at the beginning of the war, the Confederates had to build a navy from nothing with limited infrastructure and manufacturing. At a decided disadvantage in the naval sphere, the Confederates relied heavily on

blockade running A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usual ...

and to a lesser degree

privateering A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

. ''Oregon'' repeatedly ran the

Union blockade The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required the monitoring of of Atlantic ...

, and under the command of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

A. P. Boardman made 92 "entrance and clearances" to ports through the blockade. Both the

and the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the 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 American ...

were selecting vessels for military service, and ''Oregon'' and the steamer ''J. D. Swain'' were chosen by the Confederate Army that summer. ''Oregon'' was armed with an 8-inch (20cm)

columbiad The columbiad was a large-caliber, smoothbore, muzzle-loading cannon able to fire heavy projectiles at both high and low trajectories. This feature enabled the columbiad to fire solid shot or shell to long ranges, making it an excellent seacoast ...

and a 12-pounder (5 kg)

howitzer A howitzer () is a long-ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an Artillery, artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a Mortar (weapon), mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and de ...

, while ''J. D. Swain'' was armed with a 32-pounder (15 kg)

rifled cannon Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

and another howitzer. In July, the two ships participated in a joint Army-Navy expedition. Launches from the

blockading force were harassing the Confederate coastline, and the Confederates formed an expedition to counter the threat. About 135 sailors and

marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (ref ...

were loaded onto ''Oregon'' and ''J. D. Swain'', and the two ships left

on July 5 and headed to

Bay St. Louis, Mississippi Bay St. Louis is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Mississippi, in the United States. Located on the Gulf Coast on the west side of the Bay of St. Louis, it is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of ...

. After spending the next day unsuccessfully looking for Union vessels, the vessels landed at

, which was located in a strategic place off of the Confederate coastline. The sailors and marines began constructing a small fortification, while ''Oregon'' inspected two fishing boats in the area before releasing them. The four cannons on the Confederate ships were taken ashore to defend the island. ''Oregon'' and ''J. D. Swain'' returned to New Orleans on July 7, and the former returned with the steamer CSS ''Gray Cloud'' the next day to bring further men and supplies for the fort. On July 13, ''Oregon'' and the steamer CSS ''Arrow'' attempted to lure the gunboat USS ''Massachusetts'' into the range of the Confederate cannon on Ship Island, but the Union vessel remained at a distance. Mississippi-Alabama barrier islands

''Oregon'' was one of two ships that was used to run supplies to the position on Ship Island. The Confederate Army eventually fitted her as a

and placed her under the command of Captain Abraham L. Myers. She was armed with one 8-inch (203 mm) cannon, one 32-pounder (15 kg) gun, and two small howitzers. Worried that the garrison at Ship Island could be easily cut off by the Union Navy and starved into submission, Confederate

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

David Twiggs ordered the island abandoned on September 13. ''Oregon'' helped evacuate supplies from the island, and the withdrawal was completed on September 16. In late 1861 and early 1862, much of the Confederate fleet in New Orleans was transferred up the

to support the Confederate defenses of

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 170 at the 2010 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi ...

, but ''Oregon'' remained behind, serving on Lake Pontchartrain and intended to help other ships defend the coasts of Louisiana and Mississippi. On December 7, 1861, the gunboat CSS ''Pamlico'' sighted Union vessels entering

. ''Oregon'' was present at

Mississippi City, Mississippi Mississippi City is an unincorporated community in Harrison County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community was annexed by Gulfport, Mississippi in 1965. Hist ...

, to transport equipment for a

powder mill A powder mill was a mill where gunpowder is made from sulfur, saltpeter and charcoal. Milling steps Crude grinding and mixing operations such as the Frankford Powder-Mill of Philadelphia were a cottage industry until the industrial revolutio ...

from there to New Orleans, and joined ''Pamlico'' in confronting the Union ships, which turned out to be the steamers USS ''New London'' and USS ''De Soto''. Remaining in shallow water that the Union vessels could not enter, the Confederates fired on them with two rifled cannon. ''Oregon'' and ''Pamlico'' ignored a challenge from ''New London'' for a closer quarters fight, and the Union ships withdrew. ''Pamlico'' then escorted ''Oregon'' back to New Orleans, where the latter unloaded the power mill equipment, which increased the city's capacity for gunpowder production. After meeting a blockade runner in

Lake Borgne Lake Borgne (french: Lac Borgne, es, Lago Borgne) is a lagoon of the Gulf of Mexico in southeastern Louisiana. Although early maps show it as a lake surrounded by land, coastal erosion has made it an arm of the Gulf of Mexico. Its name comes fro ...

, ''Pamlico'' and ''Oregon'' attempted to escort her into the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United S ...

on December 20, but were detected by Union forces near Ship Island and forced to withdraw back to Lake Borgne. On March 25, 1862, ''Oregon'' was escorted by ''Pamlico'' to the

area to deliver supplies and then on her own moved towards Ship Island to scout Union positions. Withdrawing to Pass Christian after being sighted, she was pursued by ''New London''. ''Oregon'' and ''Pamlico'' moved to engage the Union ship, and began firing from a range of . Two of ''Pamlico''s cannons were unable to be fired safely due to defective ammunition, and after ''Pamlico''s third cannon was rendered unusable after a projectile became stuck in the barrel, the two ships withdrew into shallow water, where ''New London'' could not pursue. The Union ship fell back several hours later. On April 3, ''New London'', the steamer USS ''John P. Jackson'', and the

troop transport A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

USS ''Henry Lewis'' left

Biloxi, Mississippi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated pop ...

, to move against Pass Christian. ''Pamlico'', ''Oregon'', and the gunboat CSS ''Carondelet'' were mobilized to counter the threat. In an action offshore of Pass Christian, Confederate fire forced ''Henry Lewis'' to withdraw, and the other Union vessels suffered light damage. ''Oregon'' suffered a hit to her

ship's wheel A ship's wheel or boat's wheel is a device used aboard a water vessel to steer that vessel and control its course. Together with the rest of the steering mechanism, it forms part of the helm. It is connected to a mechanical, electric servo, or ...

, and her

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

was wounded when a projectile entered the

pilothouse The interior of the bridge of the Sikuliaq'', docked in Ketchikan, Alaska file:Wheelhouse of Leao Dos Mares.jpg, Wheelhouse on a tugboat, topped with a flying bridge The bridge, also known as the pilothouse or wheelhouse, is a room or platfo ...

. With ''Carondelet''s wheel also damaged in the battle and the steamer USS ''Hatteras'' approaching, the Confederate vessels withdrew to Lake Pontchartrain and the Union forces moved on to Pass Christian. The 1,200 troops aboard ''Henry Lewis'' landed, and the area was captured. With Union forces preparing to attack New Orleans, ''Oregon'', ''Pamlico'', ''Carondelet'', ''Arrow'', and the gunboat CSS ''Bienville'' remained at Lake Pontchartrian, guarding

Chef Menteur Pass The Chef Menteur Pass is a narrow natural waterway which, along with the Rigolets, connects Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne in New Orleans, Louisiana. It begins at and follows a generally southeastward course. In the days of sailing ships, muc ...

and the

Rigolets Rigolets is a 12.9 kilometer (8 mi) long deepwater strait in Louisiana. "Rigolets" comes from the word ''rigole'', French for 'trench' or 'gutter'. The name is now locally pronounced "RIG-uh-leez". The strait begins at and follows a genera ...

. On April 24, Union Navy forces under

Flag Officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countr ...

David Glasgow Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. F ...

pushed passed the Confederate defenses at Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip, and then moved past the defenses at

Chalmette, Louisiana Chalmette ( ) is a census-designated place (CDP) in, and the parish seat of, St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, St. Bernard Parish in southeastern Louisiana, United States. The 2010 United States Census, 2010 census reported that Chalmette had 16,751 ...

, the next day. New Orleans was largely indefensible after the fall of those positions, and ''Oregon'' was sunk as a

. Naval historian Neil P. Chatelain states that she was sunk in the Rigolets between Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne, while historian W. Craig Gaines places the sinking in either the

Tchefuncte River The Tchefuncte River ( ) drains into Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana in the United States. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed June 20, 2011 Etymology The ...

or the

Bogue Falaya River The Bogue Falaya, also known as the Bogue Falaya River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 river in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. The Bog ...

. The wreck later interfered with the escape of other Confederate vessels from Lake Pontchartrain, and remained there until a contractor for the

United States Army Corps of Engineers , colors = , anniversaries = 16 June (Organization Day) , battles = , battles_label = Wars , website = , commander1 = ...

removed it between 1872 and 1873. Any iron debris was removed by the contractor, while the rest of the wreck was burned on shore.

References

Sources

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon Gunboats of the Confederate States Navy Ships built in New York City Shipwrecks of the American Civil War 1846 ships Maritime incidents in April 1862 Scuttled vessels