CSS ''Forrest'' was a wooden-hulled Confederate gunboat that saw action in the North Carolina sounds in 1861 to 1862. Despite being considered "worn out", she saw continuous service until destroyed after 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.

Ship history

The ''Forrest'' was originally named the ''J. A. Smith'' when launched in 1855. Designed as a canal boat, she was converted to steam in 1856. The ''Smith'' was bought at Norfolk in 1861 and renamed ''Weldon N. Edwards'' in honor of the President of the North Carolina Secession Convention. She was ordered to

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 ...

Flag Officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countries ...

Samuel Barron on July 27, 1861:

from which place you will make every exertion to defend the coasts of that State and harass and annoy the commerce of the enemy. Should you make prizes you will send them either to Norfolk, Va., or some port in North Carolina, as your judgment may determine to be most proper, proceeding in accordance with the law of the Confederate States on the subject of prizes. You will ship any seamen that may offer.

The ''Edwards'' patrolled Hatteras Inlet in North Carolina under the command of Lt. J. Cooke. In August 1861, Cooke would report to Flag Officer Barron that his ship was "entirely worthless, the boilers worn out and the timbers of his vessel rotten." By early October, the tug was back in Norfolk, where on the 3rd she received orders from Flag Officer

French Forrest French Forrest (1796 – December 22, 1866) was an American naval officer who served first in the United States Navy and later the Confederate States Navy. His combat experience prior to the American Civil War included service in the War of 181 ...

to return quickly to Roanoke Island and place the gunboat at the service of local CSN commander William Lynch. At some point in late 1861, the ''Edwards'' name was changed to ''Forrest''. She was part of a five gunboat fleet that attempted to provoke the Union forces at anchor at Hatteras Inlet on November 3, 1861. The Union gunboats did not reply to the Confederate challenge, so the Confederate gunboats retreated with the towing the ''Forrest'' back home. On December 30, 1861, the ''Forrest'' had to be towed by the ''Curlew'' to Edenton for repairs. By January 3, 1862, she was back with the rest of the

Mosquito Fleet The term Mosquito Fleet has had a variety of naval and commercial uses around the world. United States In U.S. naval and maritime history, the term has had ten main meanings: #The United States Navy's fleet of small gunboats, leading up to and ...

at Roanoke Island. For the rest of the month, the ''Forrest'' was involved in towing schooners and performing patrolling duties. The ''Forrest'' participated 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 th ...

on February 7, 1862, during which her commanding officer, Lt. J. L. Hoole, CSN, was seriously wounded. Furthermore, ''Forrest'' was disabled late in the action "by the displacement of her propeller" and towed to Elizabeth City, N.C., for repairs.ORN 6: 595ff There, three days later, while out of water on the marine railway, she was burned to prevent capture by Union forces.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * US Navy Department, ''Official records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion''. Series I: Volume 6. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894-1922. * William Lytle & Forrest Holdcamper, ''Merchant Steam Vessels of the United States, 1790-1868'', Steamship Historical Society, New York, 1975. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forrest, CSS Tugs of the United States Navy Gunboats of the Confederate States Navy Ship fires Shipwrecks of the Carolina coast Shipwrecks of the American Civil War 1855 ships Ships built in New York (state) Maritime incidents in February 1862