Black Warrior
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Black Warrior is the name of a Confederate two-masted schooner that participated in the defense of Roanoke Island in North Carolina during the Civil War.
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| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | Unknown |
| Launched: | ? |
| Commissioned: | 1861? |
| Status: | Burned on February 10, 1862 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | ? |
| Length: | ? |
| Beam: | ? |
| Draft: | ? |
| Propulsion: | Schooner rig, two masts. |
| Speed: | ? |
| Complement: | ? |
| Armament: | 2 x 32 pdr guns |
[edit] History
Under the command of Lieutenant Harris, the Black Warrior was part of a nine-gunboat naval squadron tasked with the defense of the northeastern North Carolina sounds. She was at anchor in Croatan Sound under the guns of Fort Forrest when a Union army/navy force under the command of General Ambrose Burnside arrived on Feb. 6, 1862 to invade Roanoke Island. Because of her limited mobility and the fact that the Union landing site was well to the south of the schooner she took no action against the invasion force. The other gunboats of the Confederate squadron engaged in a futile attempt to disrupt the landings on Feb. 7. That evening it was decided to retreat to Elizabeth City and obtain more ammunition. One of the gunboats, the Seabird, took the Black Warrior in tow, and the remainder of the squadron made their way overnight to Elizabeth City. (Parker 1883)
It was postulated that Elizabeth City would be the next Union objective, so it was decided to anchor Black Warrior a little ways below the fort that guarded the approaches to Elizabeth City, while the rest of the gunboat squadron formed line abreast across the channel opposite the fort. On Feb. 10 the Union gunboat squadron, consisting of 14 vessels, simply bypassed the fort and Black Warrior to attack the other Confederate gunboats. Two Confederate gunboats escaped; the rest were either captured or sunk. The Black Warrior was burned to prevent capture. (Parker 1883)
[edit] References
John G. Barrett, The Civil War in North Carolina, University of North Carolina Press, 1963.
William Parker, Recollections of a Naval Officer, Naval Institute Press, 1883, 1985.
