CSS Pamlico
CSS Pamlico was a Confederate sidewheel steamer turned gunboat that served early in the Civil War. Built in 1856 in New York City, she started life as a passenger vessel on Lake Pontchartrain, carrying people between towns like Mandeville, Lewisburg, Madisonville, and Covington.
The Confederate States Navy purchased Pamlico on July 10, 1861 and converted her into a gunboat. She was commissioned on September 2, 1861 under First Lieutenant William G. Dozier. Pamlico displaced about 218 long tons and was armed with three 8-inch smoothbore cannons and one 6.4-inch Brooke rifle.
Pamlico saw action in December 1861 in two small clashes near Horn Island and Ship Island. She and CSS Florida attempted to disable the Union steamer Montgomery by long-range fire and boarding, but Montgomery escaped. In the following weeks she and other Confederate ships confronted Union blockaders near Mississippi City, and later helped escort a blockade runner before failing to pass the Union ships near Ship Island.
In March 1862 Pamlico escorted CSS Oregon toward the Pass Christian area. The two then engaged Union ships near New London from about 2,000 yards. A round from Pamlico’s 8-inch guns exploded prematurely and the Brooke rifle jammed, so the Confederates withdrew for repairs.
On April 3, 1862, Union forces attacked Pass Christian. Pamlico, Oregon, and Carondelet offered resistance but withdrew after a short fight; Union troops then landed and destroyed Confederate camps. A few days later, Pamlico’s crew helped defend Lake Pontchartrain by ferrying troops from New Orleans to Covington.
On April 25, 1862, to prevent capture as Union ships broke through the defenses around New Orleans, Pamlico was burned by her crew on Lake Pontchartrain. Before burning, some sailors were sent to help crew the ironclad CSS Louisiana, and the cannons from Pamlico were removed for use at Vicksburg. Oregon was sunk as a blockship, trapping the other Confederate vessels.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:05 (CET).