The first USS ''Monticello'' 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 ...

. She was named for the

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. She was briefly named ''Star'' in May 1861. ''Monticello'' was built at

Mystic, Connecticut Mystic is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in Groton, Connecticut, Groton and Stonington, Connecticut, United States. Historically, Mystic was a significant Connecticut seaport with more than 600 ships built over 135 years starting in ...

, in 1859; chartered by the Navy in May 1861; and purchased on 12 September 1861 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 * '' ...

from H. P. Cromwell & Company, for service in the

Atlantic Blockading Squadron The Atlantic Blockading Squadron was a unit of the United States Navy created in the early days of the American Civil War to enforce the Union blockade of the ports of the Confederate States. It was formed in 1861 and split up the same year for th ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Henry Eagle in command.

Service history

''Monticello'' was renamed ''Star'' on 3 May 1861, but resumed her original name on 23 May. Seeing immediate action, ''Monticello'' relieved in blockading the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...

and preventing communication with the Elizabeth River on 2 May, then relieved at

Cape Henry Cape Henry is a cape on the Atlantic shore of Virginia located in the northeast corner of Virginia Beach. It is the southern boundary of the entrance to the long estuary of the Chesapeake Bay. Across the mouth of the bay to the north is Cape Cha ...

on the 8th. She engaged the batteries at Sewell's Point on May 18 and 19, then continued blockade duty until steaming up the Rappahannock to Smith's Island on 24 June. Operating with the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

on the James River above

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on 5 July, she dispersed a body of

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 ...

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry ...

. Often engaging Confederate batteries through the remainder of 1861, she was in the squadron that captured the batteries at

Hatteras Inlet Hatteras Inlet is an estuary in North Carolina, located along the Outer Banks, separating Hatteras Island and Ocracoke Island. It connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pamlico Sound. Hatteras Inlet is located entirely within Hyde County. History ...

on 28–29 August in the first significant Union victory, one which greatly encouraged the North. She drove off Confederates attacking Union soldiers in that area on 5 October. Departing

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

on 25 March 1862 for the blockade of

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

, ''Monticello'' sent a boat party to the expedition up

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

on 26 June that destroyed two

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

s. She engaged the batteries at

New Inlet New Inlet was an inlet along the Outer Banks of North Carolina joining Pamlico Sound with the Atlantic Ocean. It had not existed since 1945 before Hurricane Irene temporarily re-opened the inlet in 2011. History New Inlet first opened around 1738 ...

on 12 July, and took

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schooner ''Revere'' off Wilmington on 11 October 1862. After relieving on blockade at

Shallow Inlet Shallow Inlet is a marine inlet, opening onto Waratah Bay on the western side of the Yanakie Isthmus in South Gippsland, Victoria, south-eastern Australia. It lies close to the small holiday communities of Sandy Point and Yanakie, as well as ...

on 15 November, ''Monticello'' destroyed British schooners ''Ariel'' and ''Ann'' there the 24th. ''Monticello'' operated around Little River through 1863, taking British schooner ''Sun'' on 30 March, and steamer ''Old Fellow'' on 15 April. She joined the expedition to Murrell's Inlet on 25 April, and shelled a schooner there on 12 May with . In November, she destroyed salt works near Little River Inlet. Returning to the Wilmington blockade in January 1864, she joined in the expedition to Smithville, North Carolina (now the town of Southport) on 29 February, capturing Captain Patrick Kelly of General Louis Hebert's staff. In July, she joined in the chase after , and on 24 August attacked Confederate batteries at

Masonboro Inlet Masonboro Inlet is an inlet in New Hanover County, North Carolina, separating the town of Wrightsville Beach from Masonboro Island. The inlet was used as a hideout by Confederate blockade runners during the Civil War A civil war or int ...

. ''Monticello'' participated in the attacks 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 River' ...

on 24–25 December and on 13–14 January 1865. She took the surrender of Fort Casswell on 18–19 January, then participated in the Little River expedition of 4–6 February. After the war, ''Monticello'' decommissioned on 24 July 1865 at

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

, and was sold at

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at Boston, Massachusetts to W. H. Lincoln on 1 November. Redocumented for merchant service on 25 July 1866, she served American commerce until foundering off

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

on 29 April 1872.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monticello Steamships of the United States Navy Ships built in Mystic, Connecticut Ships of the Union Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1859 ships Maritime incidents in April 1872 Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean

Service history

See also

References