USS ''Owasco'' was a built for 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

Owasco Lake Owasco Lake is the sixth largest and third easternmost of the Finger Lakes of New York in the United States. It is part of the traditional territory of the Cayuga nation. History Owasco Lake's name may have been derived from the Iroquois word ' ...

. ''Owasco'', built by Charles Mallory, was launched 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 ...

, 5 October 1861; delivered to the Navy at

New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...

6 December 1861; and commissioned there 23 January 1862, Lt. John Guest in command. The new "ninety-day gunboat" departed New York 5 February and reached

Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...

, 10 days later where Comdr.

David D. Porter David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank of ...

's mortar flotilla was assembling. She then headed via

Ship Island, Mississippi 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 ...

for Pass a L’Outre. En route, on 16 March, she captured

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 ''Eugenia'' and ''President'' laden with cotton and bound for

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.

. The mortar flotilla had been established by the Navy to neutralize forts St. Philip and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

which protected

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

against attack from the sea. ''Owasco'' was one of seven steamers assigned to the flotilla to tow the schooners and help them navigate safely in the tricky currents of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. In mid-April she and her sister steamers moved the schooners into position below the forts. On the 18th, when the mortars opened fire on the Southern positions, the steamers supported the attack with flat trajectory fire until, six days later,

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. Fa ...

led his deep draft vessels in a historic dash past 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 ...

heavy works. The following day New Orleans fell, depriving the South of its largest city and greatest industrial and commercial center. One of ''Owasco's'' sailors, Quartermaster Edward Farrell, was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

for his part in the battle. When Farragut ascended the Mississippi for the second time, ''Owasco'' helped to tow the schooners up river to a position just below

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

from which they bombarded the Confederate cliffside batteries 28 June as Farragut raced under the Southern guns to join the

Western Gunboat Flotilla The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was ...

above Vicksburg. ''Owasco'' participated in the bombardment and capture of

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

3 October; but, on New Year’s day, was driven out of that port by Confederates in cotton clad steamers. After continuing blockade duty, she participated in the joint

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 ...

-Navy capture of

Brazos, Texas Brazos is an unincorporated community in Palo Pinto County, Texas, United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. I ...

3 November 1863. She captured the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

schooner ''Fanny'' 19 April 1864, carrying cargo for Confederate General Magruder from Havana. She continued to serve along the coast of

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 ...

through the end of the war. She decommissioned at

12 July 1865 and was sold at auction at New York 25 October 1865.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Owasco Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Mystic, Connecticut Steamships of the United States Navy Unadilla-class gunboats American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1861 ships

See also

References