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NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Montgomery (III)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal
Screw Gunboat:
  • A wooden screw steamer, built at New York in 1858
  • Chartered by the Navy in May 1861
  • Purchased at New York, 28 August 1861
  • Commissioned USS Montgomery, 27 May 1861 at New York, CDR. O. S. Glisson in command
  • Assigned to the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron in June 1861
    Captured Finland, 29 August 1861, off Apalachicola, FL.
  • Joined the East Gulf Blockading Squadron, 20 January 1862, at Ship Island
    Took schooner Isabel, 1 February off Atchafalaya Bay
  • Joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, 5 April 1862
    Hunted for and found abandoned schooner Columbia in April burning her
    Captured a large un-named sloop
    Cruised the Mexican and Texas coasts helping free American citizens held in Mexico
    Captured British schooner Will-o’-the-Wisp off the Rio Grande, 3 June 1862
  • Further prizes were
    Blanche, chased ashore at Havana 7 October, 1862
    British steamer Caroline, taken off Mobile, 28 October 1862
    Sloop William E. Chester, taken 20 November 1862
  • Joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, searching for Confederate cruisers CSS Tacony and CSS Florida in June and July 1863
  • Joined the Wilmington Blockade in August for the remainder of the year
    Captured Pet, 11 February 1864
    Destroyed blockade runner SS Dove, 7 June 1864
    Captured Bendigo, aground on Wilmington Bar 13 June 1864
    Seized Bat off Western Bar, 11 October 1864
    Participated in the attacks on and capture of Fort Fisher in December 1864 and January 1865.
    From February to June patrolled off Cape Fear River
  • Decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard, 20 June 1865
  • Sold at public auction, 10 August 1865, redocumented SS Montgomery, 1 April 1866
  • Engaged in merchant service into 1877
  • Final Disposition, on 7 January 1877 collided with the steamship SS Seminole and sank off Cape May, New Jersey with the loss of thirteen lives. Survivors were rescued by Seminole.
    Specifications:
    Displacement 787 t.
    Length 201' 6"
    Beam 28' 7"
    Depth unknown
    Draft 15' 6"
    Speed 8 kts
    Complement 108
    Armament
    one 8" gun
    four 32-pdr rifles
    Propulsion steam
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Source
    Montgomery (III) 58 k Watercolor by Erik Heyl, 1950 of SS Montgomery, painted for use in his book "Early American Steamers", Volume I. This steamer served as USS Montgomery in 1861-65. Courtesy of Erik Heyl.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 63883    		 Bill Gonyo
    Montgomery (III) 158k Line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", July-December 1861, pages 456-457, depicting a large number of Navy ships off the New York Navy Yard, early in the Civil War. Vessels shown include (from left to right): USS Montgomery;
    USS Vandalia;
    USS Brandywine;
    USS North Carolina;
    USS Potomac;
    USS Savannah;
    USS R.R. Cuyler;
    USS Mount Vernon;
    USS Roanoke;
    USS Resolute
    and USS Wabash. A rowing launch is underway in the foreground.
    US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 59308    		 Bill Gonyo
    USS Montgomery (III)
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
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    This page is created by Gary P. Priolo and maintained by Michael Junge
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    Last Updated 9 January 2024