USS ''Phlox'' was a steamer commissioned by the

Union Navy The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were un ...

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 ...

. She served the Union Navy's struggle against the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

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-ste ...

; and, after the war's end, she served the midshipmen at the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in Annapolis, Maryland, as a

training ship A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

Steamer constructed in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1864

''Phlox'', a wooden side wheel steamer built at Boston, Massachusetts, in 1864 as ''F. W. Lincoln'', was purchased by the Union Navy from McKay & Aldus 2 August 1864; renamed ''Phlox'' the same day; and commissioned at

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

14 September 1864, Act. Ens. Douglas F. O’Brien in command.

Assigned to the North Atlantic blockade

Assigned to the

North Atlantic Blockading Squadron 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 ...

, ''Phlox'' steamed south late in September and operated in the James River helping maintain communications among the Union ships, supporting General

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

’s operations against Richmond, Virginia.

Supporting the attack on Fort Fisher

In January 1865 she steamed to

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 t ...

, to support the joint Army–Navy attack on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, which doomed Wilmington. After Fort Fisher fell, ''Phlox'' returned to the James River where she served through the end of the war.

Post-war service with the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis

''Phlox'' decommissioning at the

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

28 July 1865. Later that year ''Phlox'' was moved to Annapolis, Maryland, and subsequently served in a non-commissioned status as practice ship for midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy until 1873.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phlox Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Boston Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States United States Naval Academy Training ships of the United States Navy 1864 ships