The third USS ''Montgomery'' was a wooden screw steamer in the

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. ''Montgomery'' was built at

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in 1858; chartered by the Navy in May 1861; purchased at New York 28 August 1861; and commissioned 27 May 1861 at New York, Comdr. O. S. Glisson in command.

Service history

From June to November, ''Montgomery'' blockaded

Apalachicola, Florida Apalachicola ( ) is a city and the county seat of Franklin County, Florida, United States, on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico. The population was 2,231 at the 2010 census. History The Apalachicola people, after ...

, off which she captured ''Finland'', lacking proper papers, 29 August. In November, she began patrolling the coast from Washington to

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

, and on the 8th had a running fight with ''Tallahassee'', the

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

iron propeller. After temporary duty off

Ship Island Ship Island is a barrier island off the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, one of the Mississippi–Alabama barrier islands. Hurricane Camille split the island into two separate islands (West Ship Island and East Ship Island) in 1969. In early 2019, t ...

2 December, she was attacked off Horn Island Pass two days later by ''Florida'' and ''Pamlico'', but was not damaged. Joining the

East Gulf 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 ...

20 January 1862, ''Montgomery'' reported off Ship Island three days later. She took schooner ''Isabel'' (formerly ''W. R. King'') off

Atchafalaya Bay The Atchafalaya Basin, or Atchafalaya Swamp (; Louisiana French: ''L'Atchafalaya'', ), is the largest wetland and swamp in the United States. Located in south central Louisiana, it is a combination of wetlands and river delta area where the Atc ...

1 February, then carried dispatches to

Tampa, Florida Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...

before joining the

West Gulf Blockading Squadron 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 ...

to hunt for schooner ''Columbia'' off San Luis Pass, Texas, 5 April. Finding the schooner abandoned, ''Montgomery'' burned her, then captured a large sloop. Cruising the

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and

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

coasts, she helped free American citizens held in Mexico the latter part of April and took

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schooner ''Will o’ the Wisp'' of the

Rio Grande The Rio Grande ( and ), known in Mexico as the Río Bravo del Norte or simply the Río Bravo, is one of the principal rivers (along with the Colorado River) in the southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The length of the Rio G ...

3 June. Further prizes were ''Blanche'', chased ashore at

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

7 October; Confederate steamer CSS ''Caroline'', taken off

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 cens ...

28 October; and sloop ''William E. Chester'', taken 20 November. She continued to blockade Mobile into 1863, then joined 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 ...

, searching for Confederate

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

''Tacony'' off

Nantucket Shoals Nantucket Shoals is an area of dangerously shallow water in the Atlantic Ocean that extends from Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, eastward for and southeastward for ; in places water depth can be as shallow as . Depth soundings are unpredictable d ...

in June and Confederate armed cruiser ''Florida'' in the same area in July. In August she joined the blockade of Wilmington for the remainder of the year. Among her 1864 operations in this area were the capture of ''Pet'' 11 February; the destruction of blockade running steamer ''Dove'' 7 June; the capture of ''Bendigo'', aground on Wilmington Bar 13 June; and the seizure of ''Bat'' off Western Bar 11 October. Other ships of the blockade aided in these captures. In December and January she joined in the attack on and capture of

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 River' ...

. In February 1865, ''Montgomery'' patrolled off

, engaging Half Moon Battery the 11th, then beginning a coastal patrol from Wilmington to

Georgetown, South Carolina Georgetown is the third oldest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina and the county seat of Georgetown County, South Carolina, Georgetown County, in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census ...

, 24 February. Decommissioning at

Philadelphia Navy Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

20 June 1865, she was sold at

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10 August 1865, redocumented 1 April 1866, and was in merchant service into 1877.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at Naval Historical Center {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery Steamships of the United States Navy Ships built in New York City Ships of the Union Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1858 ships

Service history

See also

References

External links