CSS ''Fanny'' was a small propeller-driven steam tug used by the

Confederate States Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

to defend the sounds of northeastern

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

in 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 ...

. Originally armed as a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-steam ...

and operated by the Union, she was captured in October 1861 by the Confederate Navy, and later lost at the

Battle of Elizabeth City The Battle of Elizabeth City of the American Civil War was fought in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Roanoke Island. It took place on 10 February 1862, on the Pasquotank River near Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The participants were v ...

in February 1862. Due to being used as an observation balloon platform, ''Fanny'' is sometimes credited with being the first self-propelled

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

.US Centennial of Flight

Union service

The ''Fanny'' was originally operated by the

United States Army Quartermaster Corps The United States Army Quartermaster Corps, formerly the Quartermaster Department, is a sustainment, formerly combat service support (CSS), branch of the United States Army. It is also one of three U.S. Army logistics branches, the others being t ...

. On August 3, 1861, while on 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 ...

balloonist In aeronautics, a balloon is an unpowered aerostat, which remains aloft or floats due to its buoyancy. A balloon may be free, moving with the wind, or tethered to a fixed point. It is distinct from an airship, which is a powered aerostat that ...

John La Mountain John LaMountain (1830 Wayne County, New York – February 14, 1870 South Bend, Indiana) was a ballooning pioneer. He was privately contracted as an aerial observer by General Butler at Fort Monroe during the American Civil War and is accredit ...

made an ascent from the deck of the ''Fanny'' to observe Confederate positions, making the ''Fanny'' a

balloon carrier A balloon carrier or balloon tender was a ship equipped with a balloon, usually tied to the ship by a rope or cable, and usually used for observation. During the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century, these ships were built t ...

. Previous water-launched balloon flights had taken place on barges. ''Fanny'' was armed with a 4.62-inch

Sawyer rifle *A sawyer (occupation) is someone who saws wood. *Sawyer, a fallen tree stuck on the bottom of a river, where it constitutes a danger to boating. Places in the United States Communities *Sawyer, Kansas *Sawyer, Kentucky * Sawyer, Michigan *Sawy ...

forward (Described as a "32-pounder", based on projectile weight, by Confederates after her capture) and with an 8-pounder rifled cannon (possibly another Sawyer design) aft, and was active against Confederate shore positions.Sawyer, Sylvanus in ''Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography'' (1900)
/ref> It was also part of the

Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries The Battle of Hatteras Inlet Batteries (August 28–29, 1861) was the first combined operation of the Union Army and Navy in the American Civil War, resulting in Union domination of the strategically important North Carolina Sounds. Two forts on ...

, the initial invasion of the North Carolina

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

by the Union on August 28–29, 1861. At some later time ''Fanny'' was commanded by a Lieutenant Crosby and reported the capture of the

blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...

''Mary Emma'' at the headwaters of the

Manokin River Manokin River is a river in Somerset County, Maryland, that flows into Tangier Sound, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. The Manokin () rises east of Princess Anne, Maryland, flows through the town, then widens into a tidal estuary. Tributaries along ...

in Maryland.CSS ''Fanny'' ex-''Fanny'' (1861) at NavSource.org
/ref>

Capture and Confederate service

After the Federals captured

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 ...

the ''Fanny'' was used to supply a Union army outpost at Chicamacomico, an

settlement north of the

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse Cape Hatteras Light is a lighthouse located on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks in the town of Buxton, North Carolina and is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The lighthouse’s semi-unique pattern makes it easy to recognize and famou ...

. While at anchor there it was surprised by a Confederate gunboat squadron on 1 October 1861. This squadron consisted of the CSS ''Curlew'', CSS ''Raleigh'', and CSS ''Junaluska''. The ''Curlew'' closed first while the other two gunboats circled around to cut off any escape attempt. After a brisk half-hour engagement the ''Fanny'' was run aground in Loggerhead Inlet and surrendered. A large quantity of commissary and quartermaster's stores was captured with the steamer. Also captured were members of Twentieth Indiana and the New York Zouaves. However, the ''Fanny's'' captain, J. H. Morrison, and his crew escaped, having essentially abandoned ship once the Confederate steamers approached. Refloated and taken into the

, it was placed in command of Midshipman John Langhorne Tayloe, CSN, son of

George Plater Tayloe George Plater Tayloe ( October 15, 1804 – Apr 18, 1897) was a Virginia businessman, soldier and legislator who also served as one of the original trustees of Hollins University. Early life George Tayloe was born October 15, 1804, at Mount Airy ...

of the

Buena Vista Buena Vista, meaning "good view" in Spanish, may refer to: Places Canada *Bonavista, Newfoundland and Labrador, with the name being originally derived from “Buena Vista” *Buena Vista, Saskatchewan *Buena Vista, Saskatoon, a neighborhood in ...

estate in

Roanoke, VA Roanoke ( ) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 100,011, making it the 8th most populous city in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the largest city in Virginia west of Richmond. It is lo ...

, and brother to George Edward, John William and Lomax, Tayloe, all officers in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. Capt John L. Tayloe was later killed at the

Battle of Hampton Roads The Battle of Hampton Roads, also referred to as the Battle of the ''Monitor'' and ''Virginia'' (rebuilt and renamed from the USS ''Merrimack'') or the Battle of Ironclads, was a naval battle during the American Civil War. It was fought over t ...

Chicamacomico incident

Retreat of the Confederates from Hatteras

Four days later the ''Fanny'' participated in a relatively large Confederate naval and army effort to 1) encircle and attack the Union encampment at Chicamacomico, 2) take and destroy the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, and 3) attempt to recapture the forts at Hatteras Inlet. The initial landing effort was successful, and the Union encampment at Chicamacomico was abandoned. However, the encirclement effort failed, and the Union troops were able to retreat back to the Hatteras Lighthouse. The next day Union reinforcements came up from Hatteras Inlet and chased the Confederate troops back to their transports. Both sides then retreated back to their base camps, the Union troops to Hatteras Inlet and the Confederate troops to

Roanoke Island Roanoke Island () is an island in Dare County, North Carolina, Dare County, bordered by the Outer Banks of North Carolina, United States. It was named after the historical Roanoke (tribe), Roanoke, a Carolina Algonquian people who inhabited the ar ...

Battles at Roanoke Island and Elizabeth City

The ''Fanny'' spent the next four months patrolling Pamlico Sound, reconnoitering Hatteras Inlet, and towing supply schooners to Roanoke Island. On 7–8 February 1862 the ''Fanny'' engaged the Union invasion force in the

battle of Roanoke Island The opening phase of what came to be called the Burnside Expedition, the Battle of Roanoke Island was an amphibious operation of the American Civil War, fought on February 7–8, 1862, in the North Carolina Sounds a short distance south of the ...

. The ''Fanny'' eventually retreated to

Elizabeth City Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It is the cultural, economic and educ ...

with the other surviving members of its gunboat squadron when ammunition supplies ran low. On 10 February the ''Fanny'' and the other gunboats were attacked by Federal gunboats advancing from Roanoke Island. In the ensuing battle it was run aground and blown up by her captain who escaped with his crew to shore.CSS ''Fanny'' at Naval History & Heritage Command
/ref> Despite the damage, the Union was able to salvage the ship's main gun.

Surviving gun

The 4.62-inch rifled gun from ''Fanny'', called a "30-pounder

", was preserved in the

Washington Navy Yard The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy. The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...

, D.C. as of 2012.Naval Historical Foundation page on the 30-pounder Sawyer rifle
/ref> A Naval Historical Foundation web page notes that the weapon has an erroneous inscription stating that it was captured from the CSS ''Louisiana''. The USS ''Louisiana'' was in the Elizabeth City battle, may have been involved in the pursuit and sinking of ''Fanny'', and the recovery of the weapon.

Citations

References

*Christopher Olson, ''An Historical and Archaeological Investigation of the CSS Curlew''; Masters Thesis, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina,1997. *John G. Barrett,'' The Civil War in North Carolina,'' UNC Press, North Carolina,1963. *William Parker, ''Recollections of a Naval Officer'', Naval Institute Press, 1985. * The entry may be foun
hereThe Free Dictionary
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fanny Captured ships Gunboats of the United States Navy Ships of the Confederate States Navy Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in February 1862 Balloon tenders Ship fires Steam tugs