USS ''Sagamore'' was a built on behalf of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

for service 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 was outfitted as a gunboat and assigned to the Union blockade of the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

. ''Sagamore'' was very active during the war, and served the Union both as a patrol ship and a bombardment vessel.

Under United States Navy service

Commissioned in 1861 at the Boston Navy Yard

The first U.S. Navy ship to be so named, USS Sagamore — a wooden-hulled, screw-driven gunboat built by the A. & G. T. Sampson and Atlantic Works

Boston, Massachusetts 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 ...

— was launched on 1 September 1861 and commissioned on 7 December 1861 at the Boston Navy Yard.

Civil War

Assigned to the East Gulf blockade

On 26 November 1861, ''Sagamore'' received orders to report to Flag Officer William McKean for duty as part of the East Gulf Blockading Squadron which patrolled the waters off the coasts of

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 ...

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, and

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

. ''Sagamore''s first encounter with the enemy came at Apalachicola, Florida. On 3 April 1862, armed boat crews from ''Sagamore'' and captured the city without resistance. On 30 June 1862, ''Sagamore'' attacked Tampa, Florida, but withdrew after exchanging fire with a Confederate shore battery. On 11 September, a landing party from ''Sagamore'' destroyed the salt works, which could produce 200 bushels a day, at St. Andrews Bay, Florida. ''Sagamore'' next captured the blockade-running English schooner ''By George'' off Indian River, Florida on 1 December, with a cargo of coffee and

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

. In January 1863, ''Sagamore'' captured ''Avenger'', ''Julia'', and destroyed the sloop ''Elizabeth''. Next she captured the sloop ''Enterprise'' on 8 March 1863, and the sloop ''New York'' on 26 April.

Shelling New Smyrna, Florida

On 28 July, boats from ''Sagamore'' and attacked New Smyrna, Florida. After shelling the town, Union forces captured two schooners; caused the Confederate forces to destroy several other vessels, some of which were loaded with cotton and ready to sail; and burned large quantities of cotton on shore. Following the attack at New Smyrna, ''Sagamore'' returned to her coastal duties. On 8 August, ''Sagamore'' captured the sloops ''Clara Louise'', ''Southern Rights'', ''Shot'', and ''Ann''.

Suwannee River operations

On 21 April 1864, boat expeditions from ''Sagamore'' took 100 bales of cotton and destroyed 300 additional bales near Clay Landing on the Suwannee River, Florida. ''Sagamore''s final action in 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 ...

took place on 7 June. Suspecting that Confederate forces were using cotton to erect breastworks on the banks of the Suwannee River, a boat expedition composed of men from ''Sagamore'' and proceeded up the river and captured over 100 bales of cotton in the vicinity of Clay Landing.

Decommissioning

''Sagamore'' was decommissioned on 1 December 1864 at

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, and was sold at

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. on 13 June 1865.

Under Japanese service

''Sagamore'' was acquired by Kubota Domain, one of the feudal domains of the

Tokugawa shogunate The Tokugawa shogunate, also known as the was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868. The Tokugawa shogunate was established by Tokugawa Ieyasu after victory at the Battle of Sekigahara, ending the civil wars ...

of Japan in 1865 as the ''Saga-no-kami'', and was renamed Yōshun-maru in 1868. She was donated to the nascent Imperial Japanese Navy during the Boshin War of the

Meiji restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

. ''Yoshun'' is recorded to have departed Uraga on 24 April 1869 for Miyako Bay, where she came under attack from the Republic of Ezo Navy gunboat ''Kaiten'' at the Battle of Miyako Bay on 27 April. She departed Miyako Bay on 6 May with a continent of soldiers and equipment, which she delivered to Aomori on 8 May. She then transported troops and equipment from Aomori to Hakodate on 19 May and was a participant at the Naval Battle of Hakodate Bay, remaining in those waters until the surrender of the last forces of the Republic of Ezo. In 1870, she was demilitarized and sold to a civilian shipping firm operating scheduled services between Osaka and Tokyo. However, later the same year, she was purchased by an American shipping firm for routes throughout the far east, and was renamed ''Daimyo''. Her subsequent fate is not known.

References

External links

Images
Naval History and Heritage Command website. {{DEFAULTSORT:Sagamore Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Boston Steamships of the United States Navy Unadilla-class gunboats American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1861 ships Ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy Naval ships of Japan