USS ''Seneca'' 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 ...

. ''Seneca'' was outfitted with guns for horizontal fire as well as with two

howitzer The howitzer () is an artillery weapon that falls between a cannon (or field gun) and a mortar. It is capable of both low angle fire like a field gun and high angle fire like a mortar, given the distinction between low and high angle fire break ...

s for bombardment of shore targets. With her crew of 84, she was assigned to the

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

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 ...

Commissioned at New York City in 1861

One of the "Ninety-day gunboats", ''Seneca'' – the first United States Navy ship to be so named – was built at New York City by Jeremiah Simonson and launched on 27 August 1861. She was commissioned at the

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York, U.S. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a semicircular bend ...

on 14 October 1861, Lieutenant

Daniel Ammen Daniel Ammen (May 15, 1820 – July 11, 1898) was a United States Navy, U.S. naval officer during the American Civil War and the Reconstruction era, as well as a prolific author. His last assignment in the Navy was Chief of the Bureau of Navig ...

in command. Her executive officer was John G. Sproston of Maryland.

Civil War service

North and South Atlantic blockade operations

On 5 November 1861, ''Seneca'' and three other Federal Union gunboats engaged and dispersed a Confederate squadron near

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 ...

; two days later, she took part in the capture of Port Royal, which proved to be an invaluable Union naval base throughout the remainder of the Civil War. From the 9th–12th, she took part in the expedition which took possession of

Beaufort, South Carolina Beaufort ( , different from that of Beaufort, North Carolina) is a city in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Chartered in 1711, it is the second-oldest city in South Carolina, behind Charleston, South Carolina ...

. On 5 December, she participated in the operations about Tybee Sound to help seal off

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

. The next day, she was in sight during the capture of

schooner A schooner ( ) is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel defined by its Rig (sailing), rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more Mast (sailing), masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than t ...

''Cheshire'', entitling her crew to share in prize money. From January 1862 – January 1863, ''Seneca''s area of operations extended from

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

to Florida. On 27 January 1863, she took part in the attack on

Fort McAllister Fort McAllister was a Confederate States of America, Confederate earthen-work fort used to defend Savannah, Georgia during the American Civil War. It was the southernmost of the forts defending Savannah and was involved in the most battles. It ...

, and on 1 February she participated in a second attack. On 28 February, in the

Ogeechee River The Ogeechee River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 26, 2011 blackwater river in the U.S. state of Georgia. It heads at the confluence of its North and Sout ...

, she supported in the destruction of

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding 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 o ...

''Rattlesnake'', the former Confederate warship CSS ''Nashville''. In July 1863, she was one of the vessels in the attack on

Fort Wagner Fort Wagner or Battery Wagner was a beachhead fortification on Morris Island, South Carolina, that covered the southern approach to Charleston Harbor. Named for deceased Lt. Col. Thomas M. Wagner, it was the site of two American Civil War ba ...

. She later returned via Port Royal to the New York Navy Yard where she was decommissioned on 15 January 1864.

Reassigned to the North Atlantic blockade

She was recommissioned on 3 October, Commander

George Belknap George Eugene Belknap (22 January 1832 – 7 April 1903) was a rear admiral in the United States Navy. USS ''Belknap'' (DD-251) was named for him. Naval career Born in Newport, New Hampshire, Belknap was appointed a Midshipman in 1847. He command ...

in command, and was 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 ...

. On 24–25 December, ''Seneca'' took part in the abortive attack on

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear Riv ...

, and from 13 to 15 January 1865 she participated in the successful second attack which finally captured that Southern coastal stronghold and doomed Wilmington, North Carolina, closing the Confederacy's last major seaport. One of her crewmen, Chief Boatswain's Mate Othniel Tripp, was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his actions in that battle. On 17 February, she was in the force which attacked

Fort Anderson Fort Anderson can refer to: *Fort Anderson (Kentucky); A Union fort used in the American Civil War and site of the Battle of Paducah, Kentucky *Fort Anderson (North Carolina); A Confederate fort used in the American Civil War *Fort Anderson Located ...

and captured it two days later.

Post-war decommissioning

At the end of the war, ''Seneca'' returned to Norfolk, Virginia, where she was decommissioned on 24 June. The ship was sold on 10 September 1868 at Norfolk to Purvis and Company. *

List of United States Navy ships List of United States Navy ships is a comprehensive listing of all ships that have been in service to the United States Navy during the history of that service. The US Navy maintains its official list of ships past and present at the Naval Vessel ...

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Seneca Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in New York City Steamships of the United States Navy Unadilla-class gunboats American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States New York (state) in the American Civil War 1861 ships