USRC ''Reliance'' was a steamer acquired by the

United States Revenue-Marine The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by an Act of Congress () on 4 August 1790 as the Revenue-Marine at the recommendation of the nation's first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. The federal government body ...

for use during 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 ...

. Her duties included river patrols and bombarding with her howitzers.

Construction and acquisition

''Reliance'', a wooden screw steamer built in 1860 at

Keyport, New Jersey Keyport is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in northern Monmouth County, New Jersey, Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A waterfront community located on the Raritan Bay in the Raritan River, Raritan Valley region, the borough is a ...

, was purchased by the U.S. Revenue-Marine 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 ...

on 7 May 1861; and commissioned there on 13 May 1861, Acting Lt. Jared P. K. Mygatt in command.

Assigned to the Potomac Flotilla

Assigned to the

Potomac Flotilla The Potomac Flotilla, also called the Potomac Squadron, was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to secure Union communications in the Chesapeake Bay, the Potomac River and their tributaries, and to ...

, she began her active service by blockading the

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 ...

side of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

. From 29 May to 1 June 1861, she joined in attacks against

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

positions at

Aquia Creek Aquia Creek () is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the tidal segment of the Potomac River and is located in Northern Virginia. The creek's ...

, Virginia. On 20 June she engaged Rebel batteries at Marlborough Point, Virginia; and a week later she fought Confederate forces at Mathias Point, Virginia. ''Reliance'' patrolled the river, searching for smuggled supplies, runaway slaves, and deserting Confederate soldiers. On 12 August 1862, she captured the sloop, ''Blossom'', and sent a boat expedition into

Sturgeon Creek Sturgeon Creek is a former provincial electoral division in the Canadian province of Manitoba. It was created by redistribution in 1969, and was abolished in 1999. Sturgeon Creek was located in the northwestern area section of Winnipeg. It was ...

. She seized the sloop ''Painter'' off

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, 30 October and took the longboat, ''New Moon'', on 24 November carrying

contraband Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") is any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It comprises goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes of the leg ...

cargo.

''Reliance'' is captured by Confederate raiders

Along with other boats of the Flotilla, she cooperated in operations with troops of the

Army of the Potomac The Army of the Potomac was the primary field army of the Union army in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War. It was created in July 1861 shortly after the First Battle of Bull Run and was disbanded in June 1865 following the Battle of ...

along the

Rappahannock River The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 It traverses the enti ...

. During these operations, ''Reliance'' service was ended by a daring Confederate raid. On 12 August 1863, Lt.

John Taylor Wood John Taylor Wood (August 13, 1830 – July 19, 1904) was an officer in the United States Navy and the Confederate Navy. He resigned from the U.S. Navy at the beginning of the American Civil War, and became a "leading Confederate naval hero" ...

, CSN, led 80 Rebel troops with six boats loaded on wagons secretly overland to the Rappahannock; concealing themselves by day, the raiders searched the river by night and found ''Reliance'' and anchored off Windmill Point at the mouth of the river. On 23 August, Wood's men surprised, boarded, and captured the two Federal gunboats.

''Reliance'' is destroyed to prevent its recapture by the Union Navy

The Southerners took their two prizes to

Port Royal, Virginia Port Royal is an incorporated town in Caroline County, Virginia, United States. The population was 126 at the 2010 census. Port Royal was established in the mid-17th century in the Colony of Virginia primarily as a port at the head of the navig ...

. There they were destroyed on 28 August to prevent their recapture by approaching Union

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from ''cheval'' meaning "horse") are groups of soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Until the 20th century, cavalry were the most mob ...

under Gen.

Hugh Judson Kilpatrick Hugh Judson Kilpatrick (January 14, 1836 – December 4, 1881) was an officer in the Union Army during the American Civil War, achieving the rank of Major general (United States), major general. He was later the United States Ambassador, Minister ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reliance Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Keyport, New Jersey Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1860 ships Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in August 1863

Construction and acquisition

Assigned to the Potomac Flotilla

''Reliance'' is captured by Confederate raiders

''Reliance'' is destroyed to prevent its recapture by the Union Navy

See also

References