USS Dacotah
Civil War Naval Vessel

Dacotah

A steam sloop, was launched 23 March 1859 by Norfolk Navy Yard and commissioned 1 May 1860, Commander W. Radford in command.

Sailing from Norfolk 30 June 1860 Dacotah rounded the Cape of Good Hope, and arrived at Hong Kong 8 January 1861 to join the East Indian Squadron. She cruised off China until returning to Hong Kong on 14 June. On 6 August she sailed for home and arrived at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 21 November for 2 weeks of patrolling before arriving at New York 20 December.

Out of commission from 31 December 1861 to 25 February 1862, Dacotah sailed on 9 March to join the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. She served in the waters around Hampton Roads from 13 March to 14 September except for a cruise to New Orleans in May and June to carry messages to Flag Officer D. G. Parragut. Prom 19 July she was assigned to the James River Flotilla. She had several skirmishes with the Confederates including those in which a company of her sailors and marines, destroyed a Confederate battery of 11 guns at Harden's Bluff, Va., on 2 July, and one of 15 guns at Day's Point, Va., the next day.

Ordered to Nassau 4 September 1862 to search for the Confederate privateers Alabama and Florida, she patrolled off the Bahamas until 1 November when she was sent to search further northward to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. She joined the blockading forces off Wilmington, N.C., on 8 December and served there until 11 June 1863 when she stood out for Baltimore, Md., and repairs to her boilers. Returning to the blockade 15 September she was ordered into quarantine at New York the next month when several cases of smallpox were discovered on board. During a repair period at Portsmouth, N.H., she participated in the search for the captured steamer Chesapeake, turned raider, from 13 to 23 December.

Decotah departed Portsmouth 28 January 1864 to rejoin the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron at Beaufort, N.C., serving' there until 2 August when she sailed for Boston Navy Yard and overhaul. Out of commission from 19 August 1864 to 29 May 1865 she cruised in the West Indies from 13 June 1865 until her arrival at Philadelphia Navy Yard 31 August.

Dacotah put to sea from Philadelphia 27 January 1866 for a voyage to the Pacific, calling at Funchal, Maderia, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo, and after passing through the Straits of Magellan, at Valparaiso. Following duty off the coasts of South and Central America, Mexico, and California until 26 July 1869, Dacotah remained in an inactive status until sold 30 May 1873 at Mare Island Navy Yard.
Blockaders, Refugees, and Contrabands: Civil War on Florida'S Gulf Coast, 1861-1865
Coastal Florida had a refugee crisis as the war progressed. Escaped slaves ("contrabands") sought out the blockaders. Some joined the U.S. Navy. White men and their families sought to avoid conscription or vengeful neighbors/regulators and eventually sought refuge with the blockaders


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Halls of Honor
The U.S. Navy Museum takes you on an informed and entertaining romp through one of North America s oldest and finest military museums. The museum has been in continuous operation at the Washington Navy Yard since the American Civil War 		DVD

Raise The Alabama
She was known as "the ghost ship." During the Civil War, the CSS Alabama sailed over 75,000 miles and captured more than 60 Union vessels. But her career came to an end in June of 1864 when she was sunk by the USS Kearsarge off the coast of Northern France
Ironclads and Big Guns of the Confederacy : The Journal and Letters of John M. Brooke
Information about the Confederate Navy's effort to supply its fledgling forces, the wartime diaries and letters of John M. Brooke tell the neglected story of the Confederate naval ordnance office, its innovations, and its strategic vision.
Confederate Phoenix: The CSS Virginia
The CSS Virginia of the Confederate States Navy destroyed two of the most formidable warships in the U.S. Navy. Suddenly, with this event, every wooden warship in every navy in the world became totally obsolete

The Hunley: Submarines, Sacrifice, and Success in the Civil War
Information on the contruction of the first successful submarine and the mishaps that plagued it. The photos and illustrations are great. You really get the feeling of the importance of this vessel and the dedication of the crew and the designers of the submarine
Wolf of the Deep: Raphael Semmes and the Notorious Confederate Raider CSS Alabama
In July 1862, the Confederate captain Raphael Semmes received orders to report to Liverpool, where he would take command of a secret new British-built steam warship. His mission: to prey on Union commercial vessels and undermine the North's ability to continue the war
The Hunt for the Albemarle: Anatomy of a Gunboat War
The Confederate ironclad Albemarle was the key to the river wars in North Carolina. Flusser's search for this ship would determine the success or failure of the Union navy in securing the North Carolina coast and rivers. James Cooke and the Confederates knew their only chance to break the blockade was with the new ironclad.
Ironclad of the Roanoke: Gilbert Elliott's Albemarle
The story of a Confederate Ironcald that was a powerful force until sunk by a Union Torpedo Boat after its brief stormy life. Ironic in the fact it was built in a Cornfield. Confederate Ingenunity at it finest!