City Point Maritime Activities

USS Mendota
USS Mendota at Deep Bottom (LC-DIG-cwpb-01776)

Naval Support

City Point was close to Confederate lines and just downstream the James River from the ironclads that the Confederates had stationed at Richmond. The US Navy had warships stationed in the James River, including several Monitors to protect from an attack on City Point.

The official records of the navies have a report showing a number of warcraft stationed in the James River on December 5th, 1864.  Since I am modeling December 4th, this is useful in terms of what ship might be in the area of City Point.  Once identified, further searches on Wikipedia show some details and images of these vessels.


Vessel Length (feet)ArmamentType
Alert 641 24 lbr howscrew
Canonicus 2252x15" Dahlgrensingle turret monitor
Commodore Barney 1431x100 lpr rifle 3x9" smoothboresidewheel
Commodre Morris
 154
1x100lpr rifle 1x9" smoothbore 4x24pdr howitzersidewheel
Commodore Perry 1432x9" 2x32pdr smoothbore 1x12 pdr howitzersidewheel
Dawn1542x32pdr smoothborescrew
Daylight 1704x32 pdr smoothborescrew
Delaware 1614x32 pdr smoothbore 1x12pdr riflesidewheel
Eutaw 2054x9"Dahlgren 2x100 pdr ParrotSassacus class
sidewheel/double ender
General Putnam
1x32 pdr 120pdr Parrott 2x24 pdr howizer 1x12 pdrsidewheel
H Brinker821x30 pdrscrew
Hunch Back 1792x9" Dahlgren, 1x100 pdr Parrottsidewheel
Launch #4
Massasoit
2052x100 pdr 4x9" Dahlgren 2x24 pdr 2x12 pdrSassacus class
sidewheel/double ender
Mendota2052x100 pdr 4x9" Dahlgren 2x24 pdr 2x20 pdrSassacus class
sidewheel/double ender
Miami2081x80 pdr Parrott 1x9" Dahlgren 2x24 pdrsidewheel/double ender
Mahopac2232x15" DahlgrenCanoicus class monitor
Osceola2052x110 Parrott 4x9" Dahlgren 1x12 pdr 1x12 pdr rifle 1x24 pdrSassacus class
sidewheel/double ender
Phlox145sidewheel
Picket Boats - Alpha Gamma Delta, Epxilon Zeta72spar torpedoscrew
Saugus2252x15" DahlgrenCanoicus class
monitor



The Transports

Take a look at what is loaded on the transport in this crop of a picture from the library of congress.  Food for horses - the stuff that the army needed more than any other commodity - by a wide margin.  By the way, I'm not 100% convinced that this picture is of the James River.

transport on the james river

City Point, Virginia. Transports on James River  (LC-DIG-cwpb-01736)

The following interesting image shows how artillery is moved by sea.  I'm guessing the limber chests are stored below deck.
Artillery Loaded On Ships
Crop of Library of Congress item LC-DIG-cwbp-00637

The James River

When modeling the James River and vessels on it, it can be helpful to understand the nature of the river.   The river runs fromthe Appalacian Mountains to near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.  The head of navigation is at the falls at Richmond.  This is what made Richmond so important.  Though the head of navigation is at Richmond, navigating to that point, involves following a narrow channel.  Much of the area of the river is actually shallow flats, with depths of only a few feet.

Take a look at this chart of the area around City Point, which differs little from earlier charts that I have found.

http://jamesrivercats.com/chart.htm

It should be clear that any boats that draw more than a few feet, have no choice, but to stay in the channel that brushes alongside the wharfs at City Point.  The accounts of the Battle of Trent's Reach in January, 1865 is as much an account of the groundings of the Confederate attackers when they strayed from the narrow channel than anything else.    Finally, period photographs of City Point, show the that the shoal areas are indeed, devoid of vessels.

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