A little Wikipedia information on the USS Sagamore. Its armament was listed as 1X20 pdr., 2X24 pdr. guns, and 1X12 pdr. It was commissioned December 7, 1861 (80 years before you-know-what) and served in the East Gulf Blockading squadron in the waters off Florida, Alabama and Mississippi.
Ordnance always contuses me a bit, so I'm not sure if one of its guns might have fired the 8-inch shell mentioned at the cemetery.
After the action at Tampa, which wasn't mentioned in the Wikepedia article, the Sagamore destroyed a Confederate salt works at St. Andrews Bay by today's Panama City on September 11, 1862. Three months later, it captured the British blockade-runner By George (great name) December 1, 1862 by Indian River, Florida.
Later, the ship captured or destroyed five other blockade-runners.
On July 28, 1863, it shelled New Smyrna, Florida, on the east coast. One of its targets was Stone Wharf, which still stands. It also operated on the Suwanee River.
Never Heard of the Ship Before. --Old B-R
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
Showing posts with label USS Sagamore. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USS Sagamore. Show all posts
Friday, March 5, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
USS Sagamore Shells a Florida Cemetery
The HMdb, Historical Marker Data Base, recently had an account of a cemetery in Tampa in which a shell from the USS Sagamore landed during a bombardment of the city June 30-July 1, 1862.
An 8-inch shell landed in Oaklawn Cemetery, founded 1850, and a marker is in it today to commemorate the event. Tampa was just a very small town during the Civil War and several small skirmishes, usually of a naval nature, took place.
On July 2, 1862, the Confederate commander of Fort Brooke, John W. Pearson, wrote of the USS Sagamore's attempt to reoccupy Tampa. One of the shells landed in the cemetery, which he noted a being quite a bit north of the fort.
There was mention in the article that Pearson might have moved some of his supplies to a nearby area.
There was no mention as to whether the shell was recovered, but I imagine it was.
Just a Little Bit of Minor History. --Old B-Runner
An 8-inch shell landed in Oaklawn Cemetery, founded 1850, and a marker is in it today to commemorate the event. Tampa was just a very small town during the Civil War and several small skirmishes, usually of a naval nature, took place.
On July 2, 1862, the Confederate commander of Fort Brooke, John W. Pearson, wrote of the USS Sagamore's attempt to reoccupy Tampa. One of the shells landed in the cemetery, which he noted a being quite a bit north of the fort.
There was mention in the article that Pearson might have moved some of his supplies to a nearby area.
There was no mention as to whether the shell was recovered, but I imagine it was.
Just a Little Bit of Minor History. --Old B-Runner
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