CSS Beaufort

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in Confederate Navy

Editor’s Note: Do you have information on this ship’s role at the Siege of Petersburg?  Please contact us using the Contact button in the menu at the top of the screen.  We are happy to exchange information with other researchers.

Ship Information (from DANFS)1,2:

Name: CSS Beaufort Type: Screw Tug Tonnage: 85 (80)
Length: 85’ Beam: 17’5” Draught: Not Listed.
Speed: Not Listed. Complement: Not Listed. Class: Not Listed.
Armament: April 30, 1864: 2 guns

November 5, 1864: 2 guns

November ??, 1864: 1 32-pound rifle in pivot forward
Namesake: Not Listed.

Images:

Image Needed

 

Captain(s):
Lieutenant Joseph M. Gardner
Captain Image

Lieutenant William P. Mason
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Lieutenant Joseph W. Alexander
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Lieutenant George H. Arledge
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Captain 5
Captain Image

 

First Offensive Order of Battle (June 13-18, 1864): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy3

  • Captain: Not Listed.4
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat.”5

Second Offensive Order of Battle (June 19-30, 1864): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy6,7

  • Captain: Lieutenant Joseph M. Gardner (June 21, 1864)8
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat.”9

Third Offensive Order of Battle (July 1-31, 1864): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy10

  • Captain:
    • Lieutenant Joseph M. Gardner (July 2, 1864)(detailed to Wilmington, NC on July 2, 1864)11
    • ??? (July 2 on after Gardner was detailed to Wilmington, NC)
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat.”12

Fourth Offensive Order of Battle (August 1-31, 1864): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy13

  • Captain: Not Listed.14
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat.”15

Fifth Offensive Order of Battle (September 1-October 13, 1864): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy16

  • Captain: Lieutenant William P. Mason17
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat.”18

Sixth Offensive Order of Battle (October 14-31, 1864): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy19

  • Captain:
    • Lieutenant William P. Mason (October 14-15, 17-31, 1864) (commanded land Naval Batteries briefly on October 16, 1864)20
    • ??? (while Mason commanded land batteries on October 16, 1864)21
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat.”22

Seventh Offensive Order of Battle (November 1-December 31, 1864): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy23,24

  • Captain:
    • Lieutenant William P. Mason (November 1864)25
    • Not Listed. (Early November 1864)26
    • Lieutenant Joseph W. Alexander (December 19, 1864 on)27
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
    • 2 x guns (November 5, 1864)28
    • 1 x 32-pound rifle in pivot forward (November ??, 1864)29
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat.”30,31

Eighth Offensive Order of Battle (January 1-February 28, 1865): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy32,33

  • Captain:
    • Lieutenant Joseph W. Alexander (January & February 1865)(ill February 12, 1865)34,35
    • Lieutenant George H. Arledge (at least February 12, 1865)36
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat”.37

Ninth Offensive Order of Battle (March 1-April 2, 1865): James River Naval Squadron | Confederate Navy38

  • Captain: Not Listed. (March & April 1865)39
  • Crew Strength:
  • Armament:
  • Note: This ship is noted as a “gunboat”.40

 

Siege of Petersburg Battles:

 

Siege of Petersburg Involvement:42

CSS Beaufort, built at Wilmington, Del., in 1854, as Caledonia, was put in commission at Norfolk, Va., on 9 July 1861, by Lt. R. C. Duvall, North Carolina Navy, and sailed immediately “for New Bern, N.C. While en route she engaged the large steamer Albatross, in an inconclusive battle off Oregon Inlet.

After North Carolina seceded, Beaufort was turned over to the Confederate States Navy and on 9 September Lt. W. H. Parker, CSN, was placed in command. Thereafter she participated in the battles of Roanoke Island on 7-8 February 1862, and Elizabeth City, N.C., 2 days later. Escaping via the Dismal Swamp Canal to Norfolk, she was tender to CSS Virginia (ex-Merrimack) off Hampton Roads, Va., on 8-9 March 1862. The Confederate Congress tendered thanks to the officers and crew for their gallantry during the action.

From May 1862, Beaufort operated on the James River, her commander in November 1863 being Lt. W. Sharp, CSN. She served until the evacuation of Richmond 3 April 1865 when she was taken into the United States Navy. She was sold 15 September 1865.

 

Bibliography:

    Siege of Petersburg Documents Which Mention This Unit:

    Sources:

    1. “DANFS.” Naval History and Heritage Command, www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs.html. ↩
    2. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 249 ↩
    3. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 118 ↩
    4. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 118 ↩
    5. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 118 ↩
    6. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 118 ↩
    7. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 10, p. 186, pp. 186–188, p. 191 ↩
    8. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 10, p. 186 ↩
    9. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 118 ↩
    10. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 127 ↩
    11. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 127 ↩
    12. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 127 ↩
    13. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 136 ↩
    14. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 136 ↩
    15. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 136 ↩
    16. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 145 ↩
    17. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 145 ↩
    18. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 145 ↩
    19. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 153 ↩
    20. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 153 ↩
    21. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 153 ↩
    22. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 153 ↩
    23. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 161 ↩
    24. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 170 ↩
    25. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 161 ↩
    26. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 170 ↩
    27. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 170 ↩
    28. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 249 ↩
    29. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 2, Volume 1, p. 249 ↩
    30. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 161 ↩
    31. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 170 ↩
    32. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 179 ↩
    33. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 189 ↩
    34. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 179 ↩
    35. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 189 ↩
    36. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 189 ↩
    37. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 179 ↩
    38. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 198 ↩
    39. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 198 ↩
    40. The Confederate Order of Battle, Volume 1: The Army of Northern Virginia by F. Ray Sibley, Jr., p. 198 ↩
    41. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, Series 1, Volume 10, p. 186, pp. 186–188, p. 191 ↩
    42. “Beaufort.” Naval History and Heritage Command, https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/confederate_ships/beaufort.html. ↩

    Tagged as: css beaufort, george h. arledge cs navy, joseph m. gardner cs navy, joseph w. alexander cs navy, william p. mason cs navy

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