 John P. Jackson as portrayed in 1860 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
.svg)  United States | |
| Name | John P. Jackson |
| Builder | Devine Burtis,Brooklyn, New York |
| Launched | 2 August 1860 |
| Acquired | 6 November 1861 |
| Commissioned | 14 February 1862 |
| Decommissioned | 5 September 1865 |
| Fate | Sold, 27 September 1865 |
| Notes | Civilian merchant use postwar; disappeared from shipping records in 1871 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tons burthen | 750 |
| Length | 192 ft (59 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 6 in (11.13 m) |
| Depth of hold | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Propulsion | steam engine, side wheel-propelled |
| Complement | 99 |
| Armament |
|
| Notes | Sawyer rifle replaced with 100-pounderParrott rifle in July 1864 |
USSJohn P. Jackson was asidewheel steamer acquired by theUnion Navy during the beginning of theAmerican Civil War. Built in 1860,John P. Jackson was used as a ferry by theNew Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company. In February 1861, she ferried President-electAbraham Lincoln on his way to his inauguration. She was purchased for use in the American Civil War on 6 November.Commissioned for military service on 14 February 1862, she was sent toShip Island. On 4 April, she was part of a battle withConfederate vessels nearPass Christian, Mississippi. That same day, she captured theblockade runnerP. C. Wallis. In April, she bombarded Confederate-heldFort Jackson andFort St. Philip. Next month,John P. Jackson participated in a scout ofLake Pontchartrain.
After moving up theMississippi River towardsVicksburg, Mississippi,John P. Jackson was damaged by Confederate fire on June 28. She was transferred to theMississippi Sound on 30 September, where she served on theUnion blockade through the following year and captured several prizes. In February 1864, she was part of a bombardment of Confederate-heldFort Powell atMobile Bay, and during theBattle of Mobile Bay on 5 August, again bombarded Fort Powell. She spent the rest of the war on blockade duty. After the war ended, she was sold atNew Orleans, Louisiana, to Marcy, Maury & Co. for $13,500. After the war, she was used as a merchant vessel underJ. P. Jackson, disappearing from shipping records in 1871.
John P. Jackson was built inBrooklyn, New York, in 1860,[1] for use by theNew Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company as a ferry.[2] Construction occurred at the Devine Burtis yard, with the machinery built by Fulton Iron Works.launched on 2 August 1860,[3] and completed in October, she measured 777 gross tons[2] and 750tons burthen.[3] Asidewheel steamer, the vessel was 192 feet (59 m) long, with abeam of 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m) and adepth of hold of 12 feet (3.7 m).[4] Power was provided by a 44 inches (110 cm) by 132 inches (340 cm) verticalbeam engine.[2] The vessel had a top speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).[3]John P. Jackson ferried president-electAbraham Lincoln across theHudson River in February 1861, while he was journeying toWashington, D.C. to be inaugurated.[5]
On 6 November,John P. Jackson was purchased for service in theUnion Navy during theAmerican Civil War,[3] at a cost of $60,000.[6] The United States government had directly requested the New Jersey Rail Road and Transportation Company to sell the ship, and while the company's leadership regretted the sale of the vessel, wanted to comply with the government's request.[2]John P. Jackson wascommissioned into military service on 14 February 1862, under the command ofLieutenantSelim Woodworth.[4] She was armed with four 32-pounder guns, a 9-inch (23 cm)Dahlgren gun, and a 6-inch (15 cm)Sawyer rifle. In July 1864, the Sawyer rifle was replaced by a 100-pounderParrott rifle.[6] She carried a nominal crew of 99 in military service.[3]
On 10 February,John P. Jackson was ordered toKey West, to join a fleet commanded byCommanderDavid Dixon Porter.[4] The vessel actually left New York Harbor on 22 February.[7] While on the way, she arrived atHampton Roads on 25 February and was found to be in poor condition, requiring a trip toBaltimore, Maryland, for repairs.[8] Later sent toShip Island, she arrived at that place on 30 March, as part of a gathering of ships done byFlag OfficerDavid G. Farragut for an offensive againstNew Orleans, Louisiana.[4] Beginning on 2 April,John P. Jackson was part of an offensive against theConfederates atPass Christian, Mississippi. The Union strike force consisted of part of the9th Connecticut Infantry Regiment and some artillery loaded aboard the transportHenry Lewis, accompanied byJohn P. Jackson and the steamerUSSNew London. The army elements were commanded byMajorGeorge Crockett Strong, while the naval elements were under the leadership of Lieutenant A. Read. After a stopover atBiloxi, Mississippi, the force continued on to Pass Christian late on 3 April. On the morning of 4 April, before the troops on the transport could disembark, the Confederate gunboatsCSSCarondelet,CSSOregon, andCSSPamlico engaged the Union vessels. After over an hour of fighting, the Confederate vessels withdrew with damage.John P. Jackson was struck by two shots, one of which damaged astanchion and the other of which destroyed asponson brace.[9]
Also on 4 April, the Union captured the Confederateblockade runnerP. C. Wallis.[10]John P. Jackson fired on the vessel, and then when it halted, boarded it. The blockade runner's flammable cargo was on fire, but this was extinguished.[11]John P. Jackson then later towed a transport,Great Republic, to the passes at the mouth of theMississippi River, while escortingUnion Army troop movements as well. Beginning on 18 April,John P. Jackson took part in the bombardment ofFort Jackson andFort St. Philip, which culminated in a group of ships led by Farragut passing the forts on 24 April.[4]John P. Jackson had towed thesloop-of-warUSSPortsmouth into its intended firing position, but the sloop broke free from its moorings andJohn P. Jackson had to retrieve the vessel from further downriver.[12]
On 7 May,John P. Jackson, along with the steamerUSSSachem, the formerrevenue cutterUSSHarriet Lane, the steamerUSSWestfield, theUnadilla-class gunboatUSSOwasco, and the steamerUSSClifton, began an expedition toMobile Bay. The vessels arrived that afternoon, and on the next day,Cliftonran aground.John P. Jackson attempt to freeClifton, but had too deep of adraft and was unable to get close enough toClifton. The rescue was instead performed bySachem. On 9 May,Sachem,John P. Jackson,Clifton, andWestfield were ordered to scout thePearl River andLake Pontchartrain. The vessels entered Lake Pontchartrain on 13 May and entered theTchefuncte River that evening. The next day,John P. Jackson ran aground while steaming towards theRigolets and was unable to accompany the other vessels on their scout to the Pearl River.[13]
By June,John P. Jackson had been transferred to theVicksburg, Mississippi, area, in support of Farragut's command.[4] On 28 June, Farragut's vessels ran upriver past the Vicksburg batteries.John P. Jackson was among a group of vessels commanded by Porter that provided covering fire. During the engagement, Porter had the vessels move closer to the batteries. A Confederate artillery round struckJohn P. Jackson'swheelhouse and knocked out her steering capabailities.Clifton tried to come toJohn P. Jackson's aid but took a round through the boiler.[14]John P. Jackson then rescued sailors driven overboard fromClifton by the clouds of steam released from the boiler.[4] A second projectile strike damagedJohn P. Jackson's starboard sidewheel. The vessel reported firing 117 shots during the battle.[15]
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John P. Jackson was later sent to New Orleans for repairs. She was transferred to theMississippi Sound on 30 September; she spent the rest of the war in that area.[4] A fire onboard damaged her on 8 October,[3] and she had to travel to Ship Island for repairs.[16] Farragut was displeased that Woodworth did not order the chase of suspicious steamers earlier sighted byJohn P. Jackson in Mississippi Sound and on 15 October stated that he was going to subject Woodworth to acourt of inquiry.[17] On 21 October,John P. Jackson captured the sloopYoung Gustave.[4] The court of inquiry was resolved the next day and Woodworth was allowed to remain in command.[18] Woodworth had received permission in late September to be transferred fromJohn P. Jackson,[19] and command passed ofLieutenant Commander Henry A. Adams Jr.[20] Continuing onblockade duty,[4] she captured theCuba andBelle of Mobile the next day. On 12 January 1863, she took the prizesLe Caddie andUnion.[3] Farragut reassigned Adams to command the sloop-of-warUSSVincennes in February, and ActingMaster N. D'Oyley was assigned to commandJohn P. Jackson.[21] In July, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Lewis W. Pennington was ordered to replace D'Oyley in command of the vessel.[22] On 12 September, the steamerUSSCalhoun,John P. Jackson, and the doubler-ender gunboatUSSGenesee forced the steamerFanny to run aground; the Confederate vessel's crew then burned her to prevent capture. The next day, the Union vessels fired on a steamer namedJeff Davis and silenced a Confederate position at Grant's Pass. On 21 October,John P. Jackson then captured theschoonerSyrena,[4] nearDeer Island.[23]
In January 1864, Acting Master Miner B. Crowell was ordered to take command ofJohn P. Jackson temporarily.[24] On 16 February,John P. Jackson participated in operations against the Confederate defenders of Mobile Bay by towing three schooners to a point where they could bombardFort Powell and also firing on the fort herself.[4] The Sawyer rifle suffered vent damage during the bombardment and was rendered useless. A replacement Sawyer rifle was received from the sloop-of-warUSSHartford on 27 February.[25] Until theUnion naval victory at Mobile Bay on 5 August,John P. Jackson supported the campaign against Mobile, spending time at New Orleans.[4]John P. Jackson's role in the fighting on 5 August was to bombard Fort Powell, along with the double-ender gunboatUSSConemaugh, the steamerUSSNarcissus, thetincladUSSStockdale, and the steamerUSSEstrella.[26] Back on blockade duty in the Mississippi Sound,John P. Jackson captured the schoonerMedora on 8 December. She continued on blockade duty with theWest Gulf Blockading Squadron for the rest of the war.[4] Lieutenant A. R. Yates was listed as her commander on 1 February 1865.[27] By 1 July, she had been earmarked for sale and was atPensacola, Florida.[28] She was decommissioned at New Orleans on 5 September 1865.[4] During her time in military service,John P. Jackson required $32,012.66 in repairs. She was sold at auction to Marcy, Maury & Co. for $13,500 on 27 September.[6] After the war, she was used as a merchant vessel under the nameJ. P. Jackson and ceased to appear in shipping records in 1871.[29]