USS Anacostia
Built By: Unknown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Namesake: Anacostia River
Laid Down: 1856
Launched: 1856
Acquired: 1859
Commissioned: May 1859
Decommissioned: June 12, 1865
Stricken: 1865
Home port: Washington Navy Yard
Fate: Burned, 22 March 1868
Characteristics
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Type: Steamer
Displacement: 217 tons
Length: 129 feet
Beam: 23 feet
Draft: 5 feet
Propulsion: Steam Engine - Propeller
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Armament
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2 x 9-inch Dahlgren Smoothbore guns
Battles
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Potomac Flotilla
Temporary Duty at Fort Monroe
Supported Gen. McClellan's operations and the Army of the Potomac
Battle of Port Royal
Raids St. George's Island
December 28, 1862: Captured the schooner Exchange in the Rappahannock River
Time to time, parties from the ship went ashore and captured men, material and equipment
3 April 1863: Landed at Indian Creek and captured a large quantity of smuggled medical supplies
21 May 1863: along with other USS ships, captured the schooner CSS Emily
7 November 1864: destroyed two wagons conveying blockade goods
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USS Anacostia (1856). https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Anacostia_(1856). Accessed: 16 February 2026.
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