USS ''Maria J. Carlton'' was a

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 ...

acquired by the United States Navy on October 15, 1861, during the American Civil War. Built before the war, the vessel was converted into a mortar schooner by the Navy. She was then transferred to the mouth of the Mississippi River in early 1862, as part of a force tasked with neutralizing

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 ...

forts guarding New Orleans, Louisiana. ''Maria J. Carlton'' participated in the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip on April 18, but, the battle continuing, was sunk the next day by a shot from Fort Jackson. She was the only Union warship sunk solely by artillery fire from Confederate forts on the Mississippi River during the war.

Construction and characteristics

According to naval historian Paul Silverstone, the

''Maria J. Carlton'' had been built in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, before the American Civil War and launched at an unknown date. However, naval historian Craig W. Gaines states she was built in 1859 at Saybrook, Connecticut, while an 1862 account in the ''

Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' states she was built in 1856 in East Haddam, Connecticut, from white oak and

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

wood. She was long, had a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of , and a draft of , with a tonnage of 178 tons. ''Maria J. Carlton'' was used as part of the

packet trade Generally, packet trade is any regularly scheduled cargo, passenger and mail trade conducted by ship. The ships are called "packet boats" as their original function was to carry mail. A "packet ship" was originally a vessel employed to carry post ...

between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts. On October 15, 1861, the United States Navy purchased ''Maria J. Carlton'' from a Mr. Warner at

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

; the previous name remained in use after the Navy took over. After the purchase, ''Maria J. Carlton'' was sent to the

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 ...

in Brooklyn to be converted for military use. During her Navy service, she had a crew of 28 and was armed with a mortar and two 12-pounder

howitzer A howitzer () is a long- ranged weapon, falling between a cannon (also known as an artillery gun in the United States), which fires shells at flat trajectories, and a mortar, which fires at high angles of ascent and descent. Howitzers, like ot ...

s. She was then commissioned on January 29, 1862; her commander was

Acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

Master Charles E. Jack.

Service history

After her commissioning, ''Maria J. Carlton'' was assigned to the

Mortar Flotilla 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 ...

, which was tasked with helping neutralize

forts guarding New Orleans, Louisiana, which was the largest and wealthiest city in the Confederacy. In mid-February, she began moving towards the mouth of the Mississippi River, and lost her mainmast,

rigging Rigging comprises the system of ropes, cables and chains, which support a sailing ship or sail boat's masts—''standing rigging'', including shrouds and stays—and which adjust the position of the vessel's sails and spars to which they are ...

, and

sail A sail is a tensile structure—which is made from fabric or other membrane materials—that uses wind power to propel sailing craft, including sailing ships, sailboats, windsurfers, ice boats, and even sail-powered land vehicles. Sails may ...

s in a gale off of Cape Hatteras. Using a

jury mast In maritime transport terms, and most commonly in sailing, jury-rigged is an adjective, a noun, and a verb. It can describe the actions of temporary makeshift running repairs made with only the tools and materials on board; and the subsequent r ...

, the vessel was able to make it to

Key West 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 Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

, where she joined the Mortar Flotilla under

David Dixon 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 o ...

by March 2. Traveling via Ship Island, ''Maria J. Carlton'' moved through Pass a Loutre on March 18, and entered the

Mississippi River Delta The Mississippi River Delta is the confluence of the Mississippi River with the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana, southeastern United States. The river delta is a area of land that stretches from Vermilion Bay on the west, to the Chandeleur Isla ...

, working with only one mast. On April 18, the vessel and the rest of the Mortar Flotilla were present at the start of the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip. Porter's fleet was subdivided into smaller commands, with ''Maria J. Carlton'' assigned to the 2nd Division of the flotilla, which was commanded by Lieutenant Walter W. Queen, along with five other vessels. With the battle opening, the 2nd Division moved to the east side of the Mississippi, and opened fire on Fort Jackson at a range of a minimum of . As Confederate fire began to fall among Queen's ships, several were damaged. The mortar schooners USS ''T. A. Ward'' and USS ''George Mangham'' were both damaged, with the former having to temporarily withdraw from the fight. Firing continued until nightfall, although Fort Jackson ceased replying by 17:00. Both sides resumed the action on April 19, with Queen's vessels opening fire at 08:30 after shifting to the other side of the river in an attempt to avoid damage. ''Maria J. Carlton'' was struck at 10:00. The shot went through the

quarterdeck The quarterdeck is a raised deck behind the main mast of a sailing ship. Traditionally it was where the captain commanded his vessel and where the ship's colours were kept. This led to its use as the main ceremonial and reception area on bo ...

, knocked away some lines, passed through the

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

, and exited through the side of the ship, tearing a hole through it. Two or three men on the ship were wounded, but the entire crew of the ship was saved by being brought off by boats from the rest of the fleet and many of the ship's supplies were reported to have been saved. Union ships commanded by David Glasgow Farragut passed Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip on April 24. ''Maria J. Carltons wreck was destroyed on April 25 by Union forces. The two forts surrendered on April 28. ''Maria J. Carlton'' was the only Union warship sunk solely by artillery fire from Confederate forts on the Mississippi River during the war.

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Maria Carlton Ships of the Union Navy Schooners of the United States Navy Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Shipwrecks of the Mississippi River Maritime incidents in April 1862