USS John Griffith

History
United States
Acquired	16 September 1861
Commissioned	20 January 1862
Decommissioned	1 June 1864
In service	23 August 1864
Out of service	21 August 1865
Fate	Sold, 8 September 1865
General characteristics
Displacement	240 tons
Length	113 ft 8 in (34.65 m)
Beam	8 ft 4 in (2.54 m)
Propulsion	sail
Complement	39
Armament	1 × 13 in (330 mm) mortar ; 2 × 32-pounder guns; 2 × 12-pounder howitzers ;

Last updated April 20, 2023

USS John Griffith was a mortar schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used for various purposes, but, especially for bombardment because of her large 13-inch mortar and 12-pounder howitzers that could fire up and over tall defensive riverbanks.

Service history

John Griffith was purchased by the Navy at New York City from B. P. Woolsey 16 September 1861; and commissioned at New York Navy Yard 20 January 1862, Lt. K. Randolph Breese in command. The schooner was ordered to Key West, Florida, to join the Mortar Flotilla being organized by Comdr. David D. Porter for the decisive attack up the Mississippi River. The flotilla sailed from Key West on 6 March and on 11 March anchored at Ship Island, Mississippi, the staging area for Flag Officer David Farragut's New Orleans, Louisiana, campaign. A week later John Griffith was towed across the bar at Pass a l'Outre with Porter's other mortar schooners. For the next month, while Farragut labored to move his deep-draft, sea-going ships across the bar and into the Mississippi, Porter's vessels drilled and prepared for the fight awaiting them.

The mortar boats moved into terminal position 18 April and opened fire on Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. John Griffith, now under Acting Master Henry Brown, was in the 3rd Division commanded by her old skipper, Lt. Breese, who placed his schooners along the western bank of the river just below the lower limit of Fort Jackson's fire. John Griffith pressed the attack with great vigor, leading the ships of her division on 4 days of the weeklong bombardment which continued until Farragut had succeeded in fighting his mighty fleet past the forts to capture New Orleans in one of the war's most daring and strategically significant operations. This bold stroke deprived the South of her largest and wealthiest city, tightened the Union blockade, and gave promise of restoring the entire Mississippi Valley to the Union. When he was barely beyond the forts, Farragut paused to bury his dead, repair his ships, and dash off a note of thanks to Porter for the help of the mortars: "You supported us most nobly."

John Griffith's next major operation came on Farragut's second passage up the Mississippi River. The mortars rained their 8-inch shells on the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg, Mississippi, while the heavy ships steamed by the forts to meet Flag Officer Davis and his Mississippi Flotilla. The schooners then waited for Farragut below Vicksburg, occasionally enlivening their vigil by hurling a few shells at the forts. On 15 July they resumed the bombardment in earnest when the sound of heavy firing announced Farragut's approach.

John Griffith continued to serve the West Gulf Blockading Squadron until ordered north 18 May 1864. The schooner decommissioned for repairs 1 June and she re-commissioned 23 August 1864. The following day she received orders to sail to Port Royal, South Carolina, for service in the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron. She arrived Port Royal 8 September and served on blockade duty and at the mouth of the Altamaha River, Georgia, until ordered 12 December to the Savannah River, where General William Tecumseh Sherman had just emerged at the end of his famous march to the sea. Five days later John Griffith shelled Fort Beaulieu, the Confederate fortress defending the mouths of the Vernon and Burnside Rivers. With USS Sonoma (1862) she maintained her steady and deliberate fire until the defenders finally evacuated 21 December. Thereafter John Griffith remained on blockade duty until after the end of the war. She decommissioned 21 August 1865 and was sold at public auction at Boston Navy Yard to C. Foster 8 September 1865.

Related Research Articles

USS A. Houghton – a 326 ton bark – was purchased during the beginning of the American Civil War by the Union Navy.

USS Hartford, a sloop-of-war steamer, was the first ship of the United States Navy named for Hartford, the capital of Connecticut. Hartford served in several prominent campaigns in the American Civil War as the flagship of David G. Farragut, most notably the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. She survived until 1956, when she sank awaiting restoration at Norfolk, Virginia.

The first USS Miami was a side-wheel steamer, double-ender gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.

USS Henry Janes was a mortar schooner acquired by the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was used as a gunboat and assigned to the blockade of ports of the Confederate States of America.

USS Kennebec was a Unadilla-class gunboat built for the U.S. Navy following the outbreak of the American Civil War. She was named for the Kennebec River.

USS John P. Jackson (1860) was a steamship acquired by the United States Navy during the beginning of the American Civil War. She was assigned to the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America. as well as the bombardment of Mississippi River ports.

USS Owasco was a Unadilla-class gunboat built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for Owasco Lake.

The second Navy vessel to bear the name Sachem, this screw steamer was built in 1844 at New York City, where it was purchased by the Navy on 20 September 1861.

USS Horace Beals was a barkentine acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was placed into service as a cargo ship assigned to support the fleet blockading the ports of the Confederate States of America. However, at times, Horace Beals was assigned extra tasks, such as that of a hospital ship as well as an ammunition ship.

USS Sarah Bruen was a wooden schooner acquired by the United States Navy during the beginning of the American Civil War.

USS <i>Racer</i> (1861) Gunboat of the United States Navy

USS Racer was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used for various purposes, but, especially for bombardment because of her large 13-inch mortar that could fire up and over tall riverbanks.

USS Matthew Vassar was a schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy primarily as a mortar gunboat, but also as a gunboat stationed off Confederate ports to prevent their trading with foreign countries.

USS Sea Foam was a brig purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

USS Adolph Hugel was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.

USS George Mangham was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.

USS Arletta was a schooner acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat and, at times, an ammunition ship, in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate waterways.

USS Norfolk Packet was a large schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was assigned to gunboat duty in the inland waterways of the Confederate States of America.

USS Sidney C. Jones was a schooner that served in the Union Navy during the American Civil War. Built in East Haddam, Connecticut, and launched in April 1856, Sidney C. Jones was intended to be used on trade routes. In October 1861, she was purchased by the Union Navy for military service. Originally intended for service on the Union blockade, she was later converted into a mortar schooner and was armed with a mortar and four other cannons. In April 1862, she participated in the bombardment of Confederate positions at Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. During July, she ran aground while part of a force bombarding Vicksburg, Mississippi, and was blown up by her crew to prevent capture on July 15.

USS Sophronia was a 217-ton motorized schooner purchased by the Union Navy during the first year of the American Civil War.

USS T. A. Ward was a 284-ton schooner was purchased by the Union Navy during the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.