| History | |
|---|---|
 Confederate States | |
| Name | Pamlico |
| Owner | Confederate States Navy |
| Completed | 1856 |
| Acquired | July 10, 1861 |
| Commissioned | September 2, 1861 |
| Fate | Burned by crew, April 25, 1862 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Sidewheel steamer |
| Displacement | 218long tons (221 t) |
| Armament |
|
CSSPamlico was asidewheel steamer that served in theConfederate States Navy during the early stages of theAmerican Civil War. Originally a passenger vessel onLake Pontchartrain, she was purchased by Confederate authorities on July 10, 1861, and converted into agunboat. She participated in two minor naval actions in the vicinities ofHorn Island andShip Island in December, before taking part in two more small battles defending thePass Christian area in March and April 1862. In late April,Union Navy ships passed the defenses ofNew Orleans, Louisiana. After ferrying Confederate troops out of the city,Pamlico wasburned by her crew on Lake Pontchartrain on April 25 to prevent capture.
Asidewheel steamer,Pamlico was built in 1856 inNew York City, and was based out of theNew Orleans, Louisiana area.[1] In early July 1861, she was advertised as making passenger trips between the Louisiana towns ofMandeville,Lewisburg,Madisonville, andCovington and theLake Pontchartrain railhead of thePontchartrain Railroad.[2] At the outset of theAmerican Civil War in 1861, the breakawayConfederate States of America was at a significant naval disadvantage to theUnited States of America. While the United States had a functioning navy, the Confederates had to essentially build one from scratch with limited infrastructure and manufacturing abilities.[3] The Confederates began inspecting vessels to determine if they were suitable for acquisition and conversion intogunboats,[4] andPamlico was purchased on July 10, 1861 for that purpose.[5][6] Along withPamlico, the Lake Pontchartrain passenger vesselsArrow andA. G. Brown were seized as well, leading residents of areas on the lakeshore to complain that the Confederate government had taken their means of transportation and communication.[7] A small vessel,Pamlico displaced 218long tons (221 t).[8] Her other dimensions are unknown.[9] She wascommissioned on September 2,[5] and placed under the command ofFirst Lieutenant William G. Dozier.[10] On November 21, 1861, and February 27, 1862, she was reported to be armed with two cannons,[11] but she was also reported to have been armed with three 8-inch (20 cm)smoothbore cannons and a 6.4-inch (16 cm)Brooke rifle;[10] according to naval historian W. Craig Gaines this could represent the addition of two extra cannons rather than an inconsistency between sources.[1]
Pamlico entered active service immediately after her commissioning, patrollingMississippi Sound as far east asHorn Island.[12] Together with the gunboatCSSFlorida,Pamlico was involved in an attempt toboard the steamerUSSMontgomery, which was part of theUnion blockade, on December 4. The plan was to disableMontgomery with long-range fire from the singlerifled cannon each ship carried and then board her;[13]Pamlico carried around 400 soldiers[14] for the boarding. The commander of the Union vessel correctly guessed the Confederate intentions, andMontgomery escaped into the open ocean.[13] Three days later, on a trip westwards from Horn Island,Pamlico spotted the blockading gunboatsUSSNew London andUSSDe Soto nearMississippi City, Mississippi. The gunboatCSSOregon, which was transportingpowder mill equipment, was at Mississippi City, and together the two ships, under the overall command of Dozier, confronted the Union vessels. The Confederates fired at longer range with their two rifled guns while remaining in shallow waters that the blockading ships could not enter;New London andDe Soto later withdrew after the Confederates ignored a challenge for closer combat.[15] TheDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships describesPamlico's involvement in the two December clashes as ineffectual.[5] After the December 7 engagement,Pamlico escortedOregon toLake Borgne; on December 20, both gunboats were part of an attempt to escort ablockade runner past the Union blockade that failed when they encountered Union blockaders nearShip Island.[16]
On March 25, 1862,Pamlico provided an escort forOregon to thePass Christian area. After dropping off supplies,Oregon continued east to scout in the Ship Island area, and encounteredNew London.Oregon returned toPamlico, and the two ships advanced towardsNew London. The two sides fired at each other from a range of 2,000 yards (1,800 m). A round fired from one ofPamlico's 8-inch guns exploded prematurely, leading Dozier to no longer trust the ammunition he had for those guns. After a jammed shot disabled the Brooke rifle onPamlico, the Confederate ships withdrew, withPamlico heading toFort Macomb for repairs to hergun deck andpilothouse.[17] The fighting had lasted about two hours.[18] On April 3, three Union vessels – New London, the steamerUSSJohn P. Jackson, and thetroop transportUSSHenry Lewis – made an offensive against Pass Christian.[19]Pamlico,Oregon, and the gunboatCSSCarondelet responded.Henry Lewis was temporarily forced to withdraw when she was hit by a Confederate shell, but after an hour of fighting, the Confederates withdrew;Oregon andCarondelet had suffered minor damage.[20] After the Confederate withdrawal, the Union troops onHenry Lewis were able to land and take control of Pass Christian,[21] including destroying a Confederate camp in the area.[22] The three Confederate vessels took up positions on Lake Pontchartrain, where they guardedChef Menteur Pass and theRigolets.[21] Some ofPamlico's sailors were taken on April 21 to help crew theironcladCSSLouisiana.[23]
On April 24, Union ships passed the Confederate defenses atFort Jackson andFort St. Philip. They then passed further defenses atChalmette the next day, rendering New Orleans essentially indefensible.[24]Oregon was sunk as ablockship, but the wreck later preventedPamlico,Arrow,Carondelet, and the gunboatCSSBienville from escaping. The four Confederate vessels ferried Confederate troops from New Orleans across Lake Pontchartrain to Covington. Their cannons were removed and were sent to the defenses atVicksburg, Mississippi.[25]Pamlico wasburned by her crew on Lake Pontchartrain to prevent capture,[1] on April 25.[25]
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