USS Delaware (1861)
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USS ''Delaware'' was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy 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 ...
. She had a very active naval career 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-steam ...
for over three years, and after the war served as a revenue cutter for over 37 years. The steamer was sold to the private sector in 1903, and disappeared from shipping registers in 1919.


Origins

The ''Delaware''—a sidewheel steamer—was the fourth ship to be named ''Delaware'' by the Navy. She was built in 1861 at the Harlan & Hollingsworth Iron Shipbuilding Company of
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
. The steamboat, initially called the ''Edenton'', was ordered in 1860 by the Albemarle Steam Packet Company. This company was made up of 24 businessmen from northeastern
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
who wanted to operate a steamboat in the
Albemarle Sound Albemarle Sound () is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan River, Chowan and Roanoke River, Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean b ...
area of North Carolina. According to the agreement, the steamboat would be built using "timbers of bar iron, attached to the hull plating via keepers." The Packet Company's president, Edward Wood of
Edenton, North Carolina The town of Edenton is located on the Albemarle Sound in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. It is the county seat of Chowan County. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton served as the second official capital of North Carol ...
, grew concerned over the deteriorating situation between the North and the South. Wood ultimately stopped payments over fear that the steamboat, now called the ''Virginia Dare'' would be detained. (Hayes Collection, SHC) Later the ''Virginia Dare'' was purchased by the Union Navy on 14 October 1861, and renamed ''USS Delaware''.Lytle–Holdcamper, p 53
Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...
S. P. Quackenbush was placed in command.


Assigned to the North Atlantic blockade

''Delaware''s task—during the course of her patrols—was to sink or capture
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ships, and to bombard forts and other military installations. Assigned to the
North Atlantic Blockading Squadron 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 ...
, ''Delaware'' sailed from
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on 12 December 1861 and stood up 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 ...
on 26 December 1861 on patrol. On 12 January 1862, she sailed for
Hatteras Inlet Hatteras Inlet is an estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County, North Car ...
,
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
as part of General Burnside's expedition against Confederate forces in the North Carolina sounds. ''Delaware'' took part in the capture of
Roanoke Island Roanoke Island () is an island in Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was named after the historical Roanoke, a Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the area in the 16th century at the time of English colonizat ...
from 7 to 8 February 1862, securing the landing of Union infantry on the island by shelling an awaiting enemy detachment at Ashby's Harbor; and on 10 February 1862 she took part in the attack on
Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank county, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and most populous city of Pasqu ...
, where she shared in the capture or destruction of five Confederate gunboats and two
schooners A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail ...
. On 19 February 1862, ''Delaware'' and seven other gunboats made a reconnaissance up the
Chowan River The Chowan River (cho-WAHHN)
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the . It was during this foray that she was nearly ambushed at the town wharf by a force of Confederate soldiers and artillery hiding among the brush near the dock. Union commander
Rush Hawkins Rush Christopher Hawkins (September 14, 1831 – October 25, 1920) was a lawyer, Union colonel in the American Civil War, politician, book collector, and art patron. He was mustered out of the Union Army in 1863 but served in the New York Militi ...
, who was in the yardarm of the foremast, spotted the Confederates and warned the helmsman in time to sheer off. ''Delaware''s superstructure was severely shot up by rifle fire, but fortunately the artillery overshot its mark. After pulling away from the dock ''Delaware'' returned fire and dispersed the Confederate militia. The next day ''Delaware'' and the other gunboats returned to Winton. Finding it deserted, the town was burned, partly in retaliation for the ambush. (Barrett 1963) From 13 to 14 March 1862, ''Delaware'' participated in the capture of
New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 31,291 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is located at the confluence of the Neuse River, Neuse a ...
, and captured four vessels.''Delaware'', DANFS, Naval History and Heritage Command


Virginia river operations

''Delaware'' arrived in
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 ...
on 2 June 1862 for service in
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 ...
waters until 30 October 1862. She had several encounters with enemy batteries and captured a number of small craft which she sent in as prizes. She returned to operations in the rivers and sounds of
North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...
from October 1862 through February 1863, when she sailed with in tow, arriving at Hampton Roads on 11 February 1863. Until 5 April 1863, ''Delaware'' cruised in the James and York Rivers and
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 ...
, then on the North Carolina coast until 27 November 1863, when she sailed to
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, Maryland, for repairs. On 27 March 1864, she returned to the waters of Virginia, to patrol and perform picket duty, transport men and ordnance stores, and clear the rivers of
torpedoes A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
(mines) until the end of the war.


U.S. Revenue Cutter Service history

''Delaware'' arrived at
Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is a ceremonial and administrative center for the United States Navy, located in the federal national capital city of Washington, D.C. (federal District of Columbia). It is the oldest shore establishment / base of ...
on 27 July 1865 and was decommissioned from U.S. Navy service on 5 August 1865, after serving over three years. On 31 August 1865, she was sold to The Department of the Treasury for $40,000 (less 10-percent) and commissioned USRC ''Delaware'' on 12 September 1865. After being fitted out as a revenue cutter 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 ...
, Maryland, she was first assigned to
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in 1865. She was repaired in Baltimore, Maryland in 1867 at a cost of $14,100 and was then reassigned to
Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. After a successful vote to annex areas west of the city limits in July 2023, Mobil ...
in 1868.''Delaware'' (1865), Cutter history, U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office In 1872 she was ordered to relieve the USRC ''Wilderness'' in
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, Louisiana with orders to cruise to Mobile, Alabama "occasionally". She was extensively modified in 1873 for a cost of $11,500 and was renamed ''Louis McLane'' in June 1873 honoring the tenth
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Louis McLane Louis McLane (May 28, 1786 – October 7, 1857) was an American lawyer and politician from Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware, and Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. He was a veteran of the War of 1812, a member of t ...
.Record of Movements, pp 293–299 She was then ordered to
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for duty where her cruising area was from
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to
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. ''Louis McLane'' was assigned to a patrol that enforced neutrality laws in 1897. While operating near Indian Key, Florida on 20 June 1897, she seized the tug ''Dauntless'' bound for Cuba that was carrying 175 rifles, 300,000 rounds of ammunition, medical supplies and 27 men on board in violation of U.S. neutrality laws. Secretary of the Treasury
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singled out ''Louis McLane'' in his 1897 report to congress for her enforcement action. During the
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, ''Louis McLane'' was stationed at
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and commanded by
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William E. Reynolds, assigned to the
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commanded by Rear Admiral William T. Sampson, USN.King, pp 109–110 ''Louis McLane'' patrolled the submarine cable from Key West, Florida to
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from 1898 to 1899.Evans, p 172 She operated in the
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for the rest of her career, mostly out of Key West, Florida from 1877 until she was decommissioned on 27 December 1902. After over 37 years of revenue service, she was sold to J. A. Carney for $4,195 on 23 October 1903.Canney, pp 34–35 She was re-documented as ''Louis Dolive'' on 31 March 1904.


Notes


Citations


References

* * * * * * No ISBN * * * Wood Family Papers in the Hayes Collection, Southern Historical Collection, UNC Chapel Hill, North Carolina.


External links


Inventory of the Hayes Collection
in the Southern Historical Collection,
UNC-Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolling students in 1795 ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Delaware (1861) Ships built by Harlan and Hollingsworth Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1861 ships