View source for CSS Patrick Henry

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'''CSS ''Patrick Henry''''' was a ship built in [[New York City]] in 1859 by the renowned [[William Henry Webb|William H. Webb]] for the Old Dominion Steam Ship Line as the civilian steamer '''''Yorktown''''', a brigantine-rigged side-wheel [[Steamship|steamer]]. She carried passengers and freight between [[Richmond, Virginia|Richmond]], [[Virginia]], and [[New York City]]. ''Yorktown'' was anchored in the [[James River]] when [[Virginia]] seceded from the Union on 17 April 1861 and was seized by the [[Virginia State Navy|Virginia Navy]] and later turned over to the [[Confederate Navy]] on 8 June 1861.

[[Commander]] [[John Randolph Tucker (naval officer)|John Randolph Tucker]], who commanded the ship, directed that ''Yorktown'' be converted into a gunboat and renamed ''Patrick Henry'' in honor of [[Patrick Henry]], the revolutionary patriot and [[Founding Father of the United States|Founding Father]]. She also served as the first flagship of the [[James River Squadron]].<ref>[http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaxtf/view?docId=lva/vi00884.xml;query=; Historical Information] Library of Virginia. Retrieved 27 December 2016</ref>

==Career==
Still commonly referred to as ''Yorktown'', she was assigned to a position near [[Mulberry Island]] in the James River to protect the right flank of the Confederate [[Army of the Peninsula]].

On 13 September 1861 and again on 2 December, Commander Tucker took ''Patrick Henry'' down the river to a point about {{convert|1.5|mi|abbr=off|sp=us}} above [[Newport News, Virginia]], and opened fire on the Federal squadron at long range hoping to draw out some of the gunboats. The gambit was refused, but Tucker inflicted some minor damage.

During the [[Battle of Hampton Roads]] on 8 March 1862 in which [[CSS Virginia|CSS ''Virginia'']] destroyed the Federal warships [[USS Cumberland (1842)|USS ''Cumberland'']] and [[USS Congress (1841)|USS ''Congress'']], ''Patrick Henry'' attempted to take the latter's surrender but was fired upon by shore batteries, and took a shell in her steam chest that killed four men. Towed out of action long enough to make repairs, she soon resumed her former position.

During the historic 9 March 1862 action between ''Virginia'' and [[USS Monitor|USS ''Monitor'']], ''Patrick Henry'' fired long range at ''Monitor''. The Confederate Congress later accorded special thanks to all officers and men for their gallant conduct during the two-day battle.
[[File:CSS Patrick Henry JT Sharf.jpg|thumb|right|A sketch of the CSS ''Patrick Henry'' signed by [[John Thomas Scharf|Midshipman J.Thomas Scharf]].]]
''Patrick Henry'' was also present during some of ''Virginia''{{'}}s other actions. In a daring night operation on 5 May 1862, she helped remove Confederate property from the [[Norfolk Navy Yard]] before it was abandoned to the Federals.

After the surrender of [[Norfolk, Virginia]], on 10 May 1862, the James River Squadron, including ''Patrick Henry'', retired up the river to [[Drewry's Bluff]], where pursuing Federal ships were repulsed on 15 May.

''Patrick Henry'' was designated an academy ship in May 1862 and underwent appropriate alterations. In October 1863, ''Patrick Henry'' housed the floating [[Confederate States Naval Academy]] at Drewry's Bluff, where instruction for 52 [[midshipman|midshipmen]] began under the superintendency of [[Lieutenant]] [[William Harwar Parker]]. Numbers later increased to sixty, with thirteen teachers in attendance. Sometimes she took part in action with the midshipmen on board.

When Richmond was evacuated on 3 April 1865, ''Patrick Henry'' was burned to prevent capture. Her midshipmen were charged with the delivery of a treasury of some CS$500,000 to the new government seat of [[Danville, Virginia]]. When they were disbanded each were given $40 in gold to help them reach their homes.

==Commanders==
The commanders of the CSS ''Patrick Henry'' were:<ref name=coski>Coski (1996), John M. ''Capital Navy: The Men, Ships and Operations of the James River Squadron'', Campbell, CA: Savas Woodbury Publishers. {{ISBN|1-882810-03-1}}.</ref>
*Captain [[John Randolph Tucker (naval officer)|John Randolph Tucker]] (1861 – June 1862)
*Lieutenant [[William Harwar Parker]] (1863-end of war)

==See also==
*[[Bibliography of early U.S. naval history#American Civil War|Bibliography of American Civil War naval history]]
*[[List of ships of the Confederate States Navy]]
*[[Union Navy]]
*[[USS Patrick Henry (SSBN-599)|USS ''Patrick Henry'']]

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last=Heidler |first=David Stephen  |title=Encyclopedia of the War of 1812 |ref=Heidler|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_c09EJgek50C|publisher=Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Md.|year=2004 |pages=636|isbn=1-59114-362-4}}

==Notes and references==
*{{DANFS}}
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Commons category-inline|CSS Patrick Henry (ship, 1859)|CSS ''Patrick Henry'' (ship), 1859}}

{{CSN steamers}}
{{Battle of Hampton Roads|state=autocollapse}}{{List of Ships Built by William H. Webb}}{{Patrick Henry}}
{{1865 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Patrick Henry}}
[[Category:Gunboats of the Confederate States Navy]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the James River]]
[[Category:Ship fires]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in April 1865]]
[[Category:Virginia in the American Civil War]]
[[Category:Ships built in New York City]]
[[Category:1859 ships]]
[[Category:Ships built by William H. Webb]]