The first USS ''Kingfisher'' was purchased by the Navy at

Boston 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 ...

, Massachusetts, 2 August 1861; and commissioned at

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

3 October 1861, Acting Lt. Joseph P. Couthouy in command. That day she was ordered to

Key West Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it con ...

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 ...

, for duty in the Gulf Blockading Squadron. On 21 January 1862, she joined in capturing the ''Olive Branch'' bound from Cedar Keys to

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

, with a cargo of

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

. She again cooperated with ''Ethan Allen'' on 26 January 1862 in manning and equipping a boat expedition to the mouth of the

Manatee River The Manatee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 18, 2011 river in Manatee County, Florida, Manatee County, Florida. The river forms in the northeastern co ...

which captured the sloop ''Mary Nevis'' and burned

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 ...

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 ...

barracks Barracks are buildings used to accommodate military personnel and quasi-military personnel such as police. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word 'soldier's tent', but today barracks ar ...

. Three days later, she took

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

brig A brig is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: two masts which are both square rig, square-rigged. Brigs originated in the second half of the 18th century and were a common type of smaller merchant vessel or warship from then until the l ...

''Terisita'' of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Matamoros, Tamaulipas Matamoros, officially known as Heroica Matamoros, is a city in the northeastern Mexican state of Tamaulipas, and the municipal seat of the homonymous municipality. It is on the southern bank of the Rio Grande, directly across the border from Bro ...

with a contraband cargo. On 25 February 1862, ''Kingfisher'' overtook

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 usua ...

''Lion'' in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...

after a three-day chase. The great risks involved in blockade duty during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

have not been generally recognized. The need for water, food, or timber often forced parties from the Union Navy ships to venture ashore in hostile territory. On 2 June 1862, two boats from ''Kingfisher'' rowed up

Aucilla River The Aucilla River rises in Brooks County, Georgia, Brooks County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, USA, close to Thomasville, Georgia, Thomasville, and passes through the Big Bend (Florida), Big Bend region of Florida, emptying into the Gulf of M ...

, to obtain fresh water. A Southern raiding party surprised the expedition killing two men and capturing the remaining nine. Other landing parties from the

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

fared better. An expedition destroyed

salt works A salt evaporation pond is a shallow artificial salt pan designed to extract salts from sea water or other brines. The salt pans are shallow and expansive, allowing sunlight to penetrate and reach the seawater. Natural salt pans are formed throu ...

at St. Joseph Bay,

, which had produced some 200

bushel A bushel (abbreviation: bsh. or bu.) is an Imperial unit, imperial and United States customary units, US customary unit of volume, based upon an earlier measure of dry capacity. The old bushel was used mostly for agriculture, agricultural pr ...

s a day.Salt-Works in Florida. Retrieved from https://www.floridamemory.com/learn/classroom/learning-units/civil-war/documents/saltworks/?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=pmd_MwIQ8rltTDEIg6u35iNsplQksGrFRPgKIDKejsUQCd0-1629823097-0-gqNtZGzNAlCjcnBszQkl But the hardships of blockade duty in the

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

were unabated. Early

scurvy Scurvy is a deficiency disease (state of malnutrition) resulting from a lack of vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Early symptoms of deficiency include weakness, fatigue, and sore arms and legs. Without treatment, anemia, decreased red blood cells, gum d ...

became a serious problem for the crew prompting Rear Admiral Lardner to order ''Kingfisher'' to Boston, Massachusetts. When the ship had been repaired and her crew reinvigorated, ''Kingfisher'' was assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron and ordered to

Port Royal, South Carolina Port Royal is a town on Port Royal Island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 14,220 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Hilton Head Island–Bluffton metropolitan area. Port Royal is home to Marine Corps R ...

, where she arrived on 21 December 1862. The bark was stationed in St. Helena Sound,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

, where she distinguished herself for efficiency in reconnaissance work and operations against small parties of Confederates ashore. On 9 April 1863, a party from ''Kingfisher'' landed at Middleton's estate, Edisto Island, South Carolina, and captured a group of Southern

men stationed there to observe and report activity of Union ships in the area. From time to time during the ensuing year, she shelled Confederate troops ashore and sent small landing parties inland to gather information and capture food for her crew and for refugees who had flocked to her for protection. ''Kingfisher'' grounded on Combahee Bank in St. Helena Sound on 28 March 1864 and filled with water. After efforts to save the stranded ship proved fruitless, she was abandoned on 5 April 1864.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kingfisher Ships built in Boston Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Ships of the Union Navy Barques of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Gunboats of the United States Navy Maritime incidents in March 1864 1860s ships