CSS Fredericksburg

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Battle of Trent's Reach.jpg
CSS Fredericksburg (far right) during the battle of Trent's Reach in 1865.
History
Confederate States
NameFredericksburg
OperatorConfederate States Navy
Laid down1862
LaunchedJune 11, 1863
CommissionedMarch 1864
FateDestroyed to prevent capture, 4 April 1865
General characteristics
Length
  • 188 ft (57.3 m) long overall
  • 170 feet (51.8 m) long between perpendiculars
Beam40 ft (12.2 m) or 40 ft 3 in (12.27 m)
Draft9–10 ft (2.7–3.0 m) or 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
PropulsionSteam engine
Speed5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph)
Complement
  • 150 officers and men
  • 20 to 25 marines
Armament4 cannons
Service record
Part of: James River Squadron

CSS Fredericksburg was a casemate ironclad that served as part of the James River Squadron of the Confederate States Navy during the American Civil War. She was laid down in 1862 at Rocketts in the Richmond, Virginia, area. Launched in June of the next year, she did not see action until 1864. After passing through the obstructions at Drewry's Bluff in May 1864, she participated in several minor actions on the James River and fought in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm from September 29 to October 1. On January 23 and 24, 1865, she was part of the Confederate fleet at the Battle of Trent's Reach, and was one of only two Confederate ships to make it past the obstructions at . After the Confederate attack failed, Fredericksburg withdrew with the rest of the James River Squadron. On April 3, as the Confederates were abandoning Richmond, Fredericksburg and the other vessels of the James River Squadron were burned. Her wreck was located in the 1980s, buried under sediment.

Construction and characteristics[]

In the spring of 1862, Fredericksburg was laid down by the Confederate States Navy in the Rocketts area of Richmond, Virginia. From a design standpoint, she resembled the ironclads CSS Albemarle and CSS Neuse, but with expanded dimensions.[1] Funding for her construction came partially from monies raised by women's organizations for ship construction; Fredericksburg was one of several ironclads sometimes known as the "Ladies Gunboats".[2] She was 188 feet (57.3 m) long overall and had a length between perpendiculars of 170 feet (51.8 m).[3] Her beam was either 34 feet (10.4 m)[4] 40 feet 3 inches (12.27 m)[5] or 40 feet (12.2 m) with a depth of hold of 10 feet 10 inches (3.30 m) and a draft of either 9 to 10 feet (2.7 to 3.0 m)[1] or 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m).[5] She had a tonnage of 2,500 long tons (2,500 t).[3]

A casemate ironclad, her casemate was shaped like a rectangle and she had two pilothouses. Details about the ship's propulsion system are not fully known. The Tredegar Iron Works contracted to produce her engines,[1] although according to naval historian Saxon Bisbee it is possible that the Shockoe Foundry may have produced them.[6] The two engines were direct-acting steam engines with a 24-inch (61.0 cm) diameter.[7] Blueprints made by naval constructor John L. Porter show Fredericksburg as having three boilers measuring 7 feet (2.1 m) tall, 5 feet (1.5 m) around, and 15 feet (4.6 m) long, but the final construction may have varied from the blueprints. Porter's plans also show the ship as having two screw propellers, but it is not known how the propeller shafts connected to the ship's engines. The blueprints also do not indicate the exact positioning of the engines.[1] Fredericksburg could move at a speed of about 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) and had a crew of 150.[5] She also carried about 20 to 25 Confederate States Marines in case of a battle that required naval boarding.[8]

An attempt to launch her on June 6, 1863, failed, but another on June 11 was successful.[1] Construction was prolonged by a lack of iron.[9] The lack of iron led to work on the ironclad CSS Virginia II being delayed until after Fredericksburg was armored, as there was not enough metal available to work on both ships at the same time.[10] By November 30, she was complete but not yet armed.[5] Once armed in March 1864, she carried four cannons. Naval historian Paul H. Silverstone states that he was armed with one 11-inch (27.9 cm) smoothbore cannon, an 8-inch (20.3 cm) rifled cannon, and two 6.4-inch (16.3 cm) rifled cannons,[3] while historian John M. Coski states that she carried a 10-inch (25.4 cm) Columbiad and three Brooke rifles[11] and naval historian W. Craig Gaines states that she was armed with four 6-inch (15.2 cm) rifled cannons.[4] According to naval historian Paul H. Silverstone, details about her armor are unknown,[3] while Gaines states that she had 4 inches (10.2 cm) of iron armor.[4] Her hurricane deck was made of wood and was vulnerable to plunging fire.[12] In March 1864, Fredericksburg was commissioned[13] and taken to Drewry's Bluff on the James River, where she was fitted out, placed under the command of Commander Thomas R. Rootes,[5] and assigned to the James River Squadron.[14] By May 15, she was fully ready for combat.[15]

Service history[]

Curving river with thick trees on both sides
View of the James River from Drewry's Bluff, 2009

The vessels of the James River Squadron could not move downriver beyond Drewry's Bluff, though, as the river had been obstructed there in 1862 to prevent Union incursions up the river. However, in May 1864, the obstructions were partially dismantled to allow for a Confederate offensive. On May 23, Fredericksburg passed through the remainder of the obstructions, and Virginia II and the ironclad CSS Richmond passed through the next day. Commodore commanded the squadron. General P. G. T. Beauregard placed artillery batteries along the south side of the river to support the naval advance, but Fredericksburg suffered boiler damage on May 29 that required a day to repair.[16] Union Lieutenant General Ulysses S. Grant move across the James as part of an advance against Richmond[5] in June, and established a supply depot at City Point on the James. The primary goal of the Union naval forces on the James became to protect City Point, and to further that goal, five blockships were sunk at .[17]

On June 21, the James River Squadron and a Confederate shore battery known as Battery Dantzler bombarded Union ships stationed at Trent's Reach. The naval fire was at a range of almost 2 miles (3.2 km) and was not effective.[18] Union forces under the command of Major General Benjamin Butler began building the Dutch Gap Canal to try to bypass Confederate land defenses in the area.[19] On August 13, Confederate naval forces fired on the Union troops building the canal.[5] Fredericksburg participated in the action, along with Virginia II, Richmond, and the gunboats CSS Drewry, , and CSS Hampton. The Confederate vessels fired approximately 147 shots during the engagement, but did little damage.[20] The shooting lasted from 06:00 to sunset, and about 30 Union soldiers were killed or wounded.[21] Union return fire damaged Fredericksburg's smokestack. Four days later, the three ironclads helped repulse a Union attack against a Confederate position at Signal Hill.[20][21]

On September 29, Butler's Union Army of the James attacked the Confederate land positions in the Battle of Chaffin's Farm.[5] The three Confederate ironclads were in the area, and were called upon to come and fire upon the Union lines.[22] Union troops took Fort Harrison, but were unable to capture Chaffin's Bluff. The ironclads participated in the fighting from September 29 to October 1. Their fire was effective and they suffered little damage, although a rifled cannon on Fredericksburg burst on September 30. The Union gains on land allowed them construct a battery known as Fort Brady upriver from Battery Dantzler. While Battery Danztler still controlled part of the river for the Confederates and prevented Union ships from travelling upriver to Fort Brady, the Confederate vessels were unable to move downriver to Battery Danztler.[23] On October 22, while patrolling the river, the James River Squadron was surprised by the presence of a Union shore battery which had been recently constructed upstream from Fort Brady.[24] The three ironclads moved against the battery to allow the wooden ships of the fleet to escape, before falling back to Chaffin's Bluff.[5] Fredericksburg suffered minor damage during the engagement,[25] with her smokestack and the roof to her casemate damaged.[26]

Trent's Reach[]

Main article: Battle of Trent's Reach

On October 24, Fredericksburg was sent upriver to the Rocketts area, where she was given a replacement cannon for the gun that had burst and had the roof of her casemate protected with iron bars.[27] Fredericksburg, Virginia II, and Richmond went down to Fort Brady on December 7 and exchanged fire with the Union position.[5] Rootes did not command Fredericksburg due to illness from December 1864 until February 1865. Lieutenant Francis E. Shepperd commanded her for a time during December 1864, and from January 14 through 25, 1865.[28] By the beginning of 1865, the situation was becoming bleaker for the Confederates, and it was decided to risk an attack against the Union fleet on the James in hopes of breaking the blockade on the river and destroying the depot at City Point.[5] The Union obstructions at Trent's Reach had been damaged by high water, and part of the Union fleet had been transferred to North Carolina for the operations against Fort Fisher.[29] On the night of January 23/24, the Confederate fleet, composed of Fredericksburg, Richmond, Virginia II, Hampton, Drewry, Nansemond, the gunboats and CSS Beaufort, and the torpedo boats , , and CSS Scorpion moved downriver towards Trent's Reach. Fredericksburg was in the lead as she had the lightest draft. The ships successfully passed Fort Brady in the darkness, but Torpedo ran aground not long after and had to be abandoned.[30]

Fredericksburg was able to cross the Union obstructions at Trent's Reach at about 01:30 on January 24,[31] but suffered hull damage during the process.[32] The damage caused the ship to spring a leak. While Hampton also passed the obstructions,[33] none of the other Confederate ironclads could.[32] However, Virginia II ran aground, and the Confederates decided not to push further that night and recalled Fredericksburg and Hampton back across the obstructions. Drewry also became grounded and was abandoned; Union fire sank her later in the morning and the resulting explosion pushed Scorpion towards Union lines, where she was captured. Fredericksburg withdrew back to Battery Dantzler.[34] Union vessels arrived during the morning and reached the obstructions, dueling with Battery Danztler, the now-freed Virginia II, and Richmond. Union forces also brought up a Drummond light so that the river could be illuminated during nighttime. While the Confederates considered another attempt through the obstructions that night, it was decided not to risk a movement, and the Confederate vessels withdrew to Chaffin's Bluff.[35] In addition to the hull damage from crossing the obstructions, Fredericksburg also lost an anchor during the affair.[36]

Shortly after the battle at Trent's Reach, Mitchell was replaced as commander of the James River Squadron by Admiral Raphael Semmes.[5] Lieutenant Alphonse Barbot took command of Fredericksburg during February.[28] Fredericksburg was repaired, but did not see further action.[32] On April 3, Semmes was informed that the Confederates were abandoning Richmond.[5] The vessels of the James River Squadron were taken upriver from Chaffin's Bluff to the obstructions at Drewry's Bluff, and the ships, including the ironclads, were burned early that morning.[37] The wreck of Fredericksburg survived later dredging operations,[38] despite being incompletely removed in 1871 and 1872,[4] and the site was rediscovered in the 1980s.[38] Fredericksburg lies parallel to the river, buried under 6 feet (1.8 m) to 15 feet (4.6 m) of sediment.[5] According to Bisbee, the site has been heavily disturbed.[39]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e Bisbee 2018, p. 160.
  2. ^ Still 1985, pp. 86–87.
  3. ^ a b c d Silverstone 1989, p. 209.
  4. ^ a b c d Gaines 2008, p. 180.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Marcello, Paul J. (March 2, 2016). "Fredericksburg (Screw Steamer)". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  6. ^ Bisbee 2018, pp. 89–90.
  7. ^ Bisbee 2018, pp. 193–194.
  8. ^ Coski 2005, p. 113.
  9. ^ Luraghi 1996, p. 274.
  10. ^ Coski 2005, p. 86.
  11. ^ Coski 2005, p. 155.
  12. ^ Still 1985, p. 98.
  13. ^ Luraghi 1996, p. 288.
  14. ^ Bisbee 2018, pp. 160–161.
  15. ^ Coski 2005, p. 156.
  16. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 157–160.
  17. ^ Coski 2005, p. 163.
  18. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 164–166.
  19. ^ Coski 2005, p. 166.
  20. ^ a b Coski 2005, pp. 166–167.
  21. ^ a b Still 1985, p. 178.
  22. ^ Still 1985, p. 179.
  23. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 167–169.
  24. ^ Coski 2005, p. 170.
  25. ^ Still 1985, p. 180.
  26. ^ Coski 2005, p. 171.
  27. ^ Coski 2005, p. 172.
  28. ^ a b Coski 2005, p. 252.
  29. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 195–196.
  30. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 198–200.
  31. ^ Coski 2005, p. 200.
  32. ^ a b c Bisbee 2018, p. 161.
  33. ^ Coski 2005, p. 202.
  34. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 203–204.
  35. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 204–208.
  36. ^ Coski 2005, p. 211.
  37. ^ Coski 2005, pp. 218–220.
  38. ^ a b Coski 2005, pp. 238–239.
  39. ^ Bisbee 2018, p. 162.

Sources[]

  • Bisbee, Saxon T. (2018). Engines of Rebellion: Confederate Ironclads and Steam Engineering in the American Civil War. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-81731-986-1.
  • Coski, John M. (2005) [2006]. Capital Navy: The Men, Ships, and Operations of the James River Squadron. New York: Savas Beatie. ISBN 1-932714-15-4.
  • Gaines, W. Craig (2008). Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 978-0-8071-3274-6.
  • Luraghi, Raimondo (1996). A History of the Confederate Navy. Translated by Coletta, Paolo E. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-527-6.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (1989). Warships of the Civil War Navies. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-783-6.
  • Still, William N. Jr. (1985) [1971]. Iron Afloat: The Story of the Confederate Armorclads. Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press. ISBN 0-87249-454-3.

Further reading[]

  • Canney, Donald L. (2015). The Confederate Steam Navy 1861-1865. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-4824-2.
  • Silverstone, Paul H. (2006). Civil War Navies 1855–1883. The U.S. Navy Warship Series. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-97870-X.

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