| The James River and Naval Warfare below Richmond- 1862 |
| The Fight for the James |
| After being baulked in the attempt to ascend the James to Richmond, the Union navy spent the remainder of the Penisular Campaign and Seven Days Battles providing logistic support and flank coverage for the Army of the Potomac. The most notable action occured when the Galena and Mahaska shelled the attacking Confederate lines during the Battle of Malvern Hill. It was one of the first instances of indirect fire on shore targets from ships that could not actually see their enemies. The Union signal corps provided range and target information to the vessels' gunners by way of flag communications. The effect of the fire was not so much the damage it caused to the Southern troops but the size and sound of the immense rounds fired by the naval guns. |
| A drawing of the USS Galena and USS Mahaska shelling the Confederates charging Federal positions on Malvern Hill (the caption incorrectly states that this is Harrison's Landing). The two warships were anchored in Turkey Bend, about two miles out from the left flank of Lee's lines. Visible in the center background is the Union Reserve Artillery which was placed on the reverse slope of Malvern Hill during the battle fought to cover McClellan's retreat from in front of Richmond. |
| One other interesting event that took place on the James during the 1862 Peninsular Campaign was the Confederate's use of one of the first "aircraft carriers". In order to scout Northern positions around Richmond, the Rebels constructed a hot-air ballon, made of dress silk which had come through the blockage in Wilmington, and fitted her to be launched from the deck of the converted tugboat, Teaser. E. Porter Alexander, the would-be aviator, ascended in his vari-colored airship, but it would be a one time trip aloft. After returning the balloon to the deck, the Teaser lost control and had to be abandoned when she ran aground. Later in the day, she was captured by the USS Maratanza. |
| The bow gun of the Teaser in a photo taken after her capture by the USS Maratanza. |
| The Maratanza closing in on the Teaser below Richmond. This would end her illustrious service to the Confederates. In her short career, she had taken part in numerous engagments, including Virginia's battle with the Blockading Fleet in Hampton Roads. She would be put into service with the Federal navy, though never in an important role. |
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| At the outbreak of The War, the port of Richmond was located about 100 yards below the fall line of the James River at a place known as Rocketts Landing. Goods of all sorts found were shipped upstream from all over the world to supply the people and factories that made the city one of the largest and most important in the South; however, with the fall of Norfolk in 1862, this ten block stretch of land was forced to take on a new role, that of ship building. With only a skeleton naval force to supplement the shore batteries along the winding path west to Richmond, the Confederates needed vessels to contest the waterborne drive on their capital, and fast! Old tug boats and packets were converted to gunboats. The steamer Patrick Henry was converted to a training ship for new midshipmen. And, by 1863, three new ironclads were on the ways at the newly christened Rocketts Naval Yard. The CSS Richmond, Virginia II, and Fredericksburg were unwieldy, slow, and hard to control in the current, but they also packed a powerful punch. All were constructed in the Rocketts, using armor plating rolled at Tredegar Iron Works, and placed under Commander John K. Mitchell of the James River Squadron. Their history was star-crossed. Only once was the force deployed in a concerted fashion against the Federal navy, and the show was as pathetic as it was sad. But, through it all, Rocketts Naval Yard kept on working. With no stores, short on skilled labor, and a lack of funds with which to pay for either, the hammers still rang at the ways on both banks of the James, right on up to the end. With the fall of Petersburg, Richmond became completely isolated, outflanked on all sides. The Rebels scampered out of the city as fast as their decrepit rail system would allow. To give the Southern soldiers time and distance to regroup, it was decided to scuttle the Squadron in the James to slow the Yankee ships steaming upstream. The proud vessels of the tiny Confederate navy slid to the muddy bottom of the James, spelling the end of Rocketts' duty as a naval ship building facility forever. |
| All that's left of Rocketts Landing today. There is nothing left of the sprawling facility that covered both banks of the James. On the north side of the river, a vacant lot and two plaques are all that one can find to denote the amazing history that occured here. The south bank location of what was known simply as the "Yard across from Rocketts", is the location of a small park and boat launch. It's a sad end for a stunning story. The above photo was taken from the lower end of the Old City Lock (probably just to the left of the two buildings in the old picture to right). The spot where the original photograph was taken is now covered with apartments and empty warehouses. |
| The sad end of the James River Squadron. Here we see the remains of the Patrick Henry and Richmond, sunk in the river to slow the onslaught of the Federal Navy. Both were scuttled in the channel to give the Confederates more time to escape the closing hand of the Union forces overrunning the land defenses of Lee's lines around Petersburg. |
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| Ten Blocks Where a Navy was Built |