The ship was named for the chief of the Narragansett Indians. In the first attack on Fort Fisher, it sustained two hits and put two guns at the fort out of commission. In the second attack, it was hit 36 times and twice had the flag shot away. No one was killed, but three wounded.
Quartermaster Daniel D. Stevens received a medal of Honor for replacing the flag under fire.
The Canonicus was decommissioned, but in 1872 was operational again and cruised the waters of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. After that. it was frequently out of commission.
Again, It is Too Bad That This Ship Could Not Have Been Saved. --Old B-Runner
The Battle of Fort Fisher, N.C.
