Hampton Roads Naval Museum

26. USS Minnesota

Norfolk, VA

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USS Minnesota was a wooden steam frigate in the United States Navy. Launched in 1855 and commissioned eighteen months later, the ship served in east Asia for two years before being decommissioned. She was recommissioned at the outbreak of the American Civil War and returned to service as the flagship of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. While blockading off Hampton Roads, March 8, 1862, Minnesota sighted three Confederate ships, Jamestown, Patrick Henry, and Virginia-the former USS Merrimack, rebuilt and protected by iron plates-rounding Sewell's Point and heading toward Newport News, Virginia. Minnesota slipped her cables and got underway to engage the southern warships in a fight that would come to be known as the Battle of Hampton Roads. When about 1.5 miles from Newport News, Minnesota grounded. Meanwhile, Virginia passed the frigate Congress and rammed sloop-of-war Cumberland. Virginia then engaged Congress, compelling her to surrender. Then Virginia, Jamestown, and Patrick Henry bombarded Minnesota, killing and wounding several of her crew before the Union warship's heavy guns drove them off. Minnesota also fired upon Virginia with her pivot gun. Toward twilight the southern ironclad withdrew toward Norfolk. The recoil from her broadside guns forced Minnesota further upon the mud bank. All night tugs worked to haul her off, but to no avail. During the night, however, USS Monitor arrived. "All on board felt we had a friend that would stand by us in our hour of trial," wrote Captain Gershom Jacques Van Brunt, the vessel's commander, in his official report the day after the engagement. Early the next morning, Virginia reappeared. As the range closed, Monitor, steaming between Minnesota and the ironclad, fired gun after gun, and Virginia returned fire with whole broadsides, neither with much apparent effect. Virginia, finding she could not hurt Monitor, turned her attention to Minnesota, who answered with all guns. Virginia fired from her rifled bow gun a shell which passed through the chief engineer's stateroom, through the engineers' mess room, amidships, and burst in the boatswain's room, exploding two charges of powder, starting a fire which was promptly extinguished. At midday Virginia withdrew toward Norfolk and the Union Navy resumed its efforts to refloat Minnesota. Early the next morning, steamer S. R. Spaulding and several tugs managed to refloat the frigate and she anchored opposite Fort Monroe for temporary repairs. Seven African-American sailors manned the forward gun of the vessel. This crew mustered in at Boston, Mass., and included William Brown, Charles Johnson, George Moore, George H. Roberts, George Sales, William H. White and Henry Williams. Minnesota was repaired and returned to duty, and three years later she participated in the Second Battle of Fort Fisher. Minnesota served until 1898, when she was stricken, beached and burnt to recover her metal fittings and to clear her name for a newly ordered battleship, USS Minnesota (BB-22).