Career
Laid down:
Launched:	1855
Commissioned:	September 12, 1861
Decommissioned:	April 24, 1862
Status:	Sunk in battle April 24, 1862
General Characteristics
Displacement:	387 tons
Length:	143 feet
Beam:	33 feet
Draft:	17 feet
Propulsion and power:	Steam engine
Speed:
Complement:	36 officers and men
Armament:	1 64-pounder Dahlgren, later replaced by 1 32-pounder

CSS Manassas, formerly the steam propeller Enoch Train, was built at Medford, Massachusetts, by J. O. Curtis in 1855. A New Orleans commission merchant, Captain John A. Stevenson, acquired her for use as a privateer and fitted her out at Algiers, Louisiana as an ironclad ram of radically modern design. Covered with 1½-inch iron plating, her hull projected only 2½ feet above the water, and her plated top was convex causing cannon shot to glance off harmlessly. She was provided with sharp irons on her bow to stave holes through enemy vessels. Fast moving, lying low in the water and a difficult target, virtually bomb-proof, she looked like a floating cigar or egg shell and was described by Union intelligence as a "hellish machine." Engraving of CSS Manassas From the public domain U.S. Naval Historical Center. ... Image File history File links Confederate_Battle_Flag. ... Settled: 1630 â€“ Incorporated: 1630 Zip Code(s): 02155 â€“ Area Code(s): 339 / 781 Location Location in Massachusetts Government County Middlesex County Form of Government Mayor-council city Executive office Mayor Geography Area Total 8. ... Official language(s) English Capital Boston Largest city Boston Area  Ranked 44th  - Total 10,555 sq. ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a rank in various uniformed organizations. ... A privateer was a private ship (or its captain) authorized by a countrys government to attack and seize cargo from another countrys ships. ... Algiers is a community in Louisiana, part of the city of New Orleans. ... Official language(s) English and French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans at last census; probably Baton Rouge since Hurricane Katrina Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq. ... Ironclad warships, frequently shortened to just ironclads, were ships sheathed with thick iron plates for protection. ... A small Civil War-era cannon on a carriage A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ... Four cigars of different brands (from top: H. Upmann, Montecristo, Macanudo, Romeo y Julieta) An airtight cigar storage tube and a guillotine-style cutter A cigar is a tightly rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco, one end of which is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into... Motto: (1789 to 1956) (Latin for Out of many, one) In God We Trust (1956 to present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at federal level; English (de facto) Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice... Military intelligence (abbreviated MI, int [Commonwealth], or intel [U.S.]), is a military discipline that focuses on information gathering, analysis, and dissemination about enemy units, terrain, and the weather in an area of operations. ...

Commissioned as a Confederate privateer on September 12, 1861, Manassas was seized soon afterwards by Flag Officer G. N. Rollins, CSN, for use in the lower Mississippi River. With Lieutenant A. F. Worley, CSN, in command she participated in Flag Officer Rollins' surprise attack on the Federal blockading squadron at Head of Passes, Mississippi River, on October 12, 1861. In the action Manassas violently rammed USS Richmond, damaging her severely below the water line. Manassas, however, suffered the loss of her prow and smokestack and had her engines temporarily thrown out of gear from the impact. She managed to retire under heavy fire from USS Preble and Richmond whose shells glanced off her armor. Two months after this engagement, Manassas was purchased for direct ownership by the Confederate Government. Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans February 4, 1861–May 1... September 12 is the 255th day of the year (256th in leap years). ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Flag Officer is both a historic naval rank and a modern day navy title. ... Navy Department Seal The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861 responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... A Lieutenant is a military, paramilitary or police officer. ... The Birds Foot Delta Head of Passes is where the main stem of the Mississippi River branches off into three distinct directions at its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico: Southwest Pass (west), Pass A Loutre (east) and South Pass (centre). ... October 12 is the 285th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (286th in leap years). ... The second USS Richmond was a wooden steam sloop in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. ... The sloop-of-war USS Preble. ...

Under Lieutenant Worley, Manassas joined the force of Captain John K. Mitchell, CSN, commanding Confederate naval forces in the lower Mississippi. She participated in the engagement of April 24, 1862 during which Admiral David Farragut, USN, on his way to New Orleans, ran his fleet past the Confederate forts of Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. In the action Manassas attempted to ram USS Pensacola, which turned in time to avoid the blow and deliver a broadside at close range. Manassas then ran into murderous fire from the whole line of the Union fleet. She then charged USS Mississippi and delivered a long glancing blow on her hull, firing her only gun as she rammed. Next she rammed USS Brooklyn, again firing her gun, and injuring her rather deeply, but not quite enough to be fatal. April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (115th in leap years). ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. ... Admiral David Glasgow Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Navy during the American Civil War. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. ... Fort Jackson is a United States Army Basic Combat Training (BCT) base located in South Carolina. ... Fort St. ... For other ships named Pensacola, see USS Pensacola The first USS Pensacola was a screw steamer that served in the United States Navy during the U.S. Civil War. ... USS Mississippi, a sidewheel steamer, was the first ship of the United States Navy bear that name. ... The first USS Brooklyn was a wooden screw sloop in the United States Navy. ...

After this action Manassas followed the Union fleet quietly for a while, but as she drew closer Mississippi furiously turned on her. Manassas managed to dodge the blow but was run aground. Her crew escaped as Mississippi poured her heavy broadsides on the stranded Confederate vessel. Later Manassas slipped off the bank and drifted down the river in flames past the Union mortar flotilla. Commander David Dixon Porter, USN, in command of the mortar boats, tried to save her as an engineering curiosity, but Manassas exploded and immediately plunged under water. Insignia of a United States Navy Commander Commander is a military rank used in many navies but not generally in armies or air forces. ... Portrait of David Dixon Porter during the Civil War David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States admiral who became one of the most noted naval heroes of the Civil War. ...

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS for short) is the primary reference work for the basic facts about every ship ever used by the United States Navy. ...

External Link

• [CSS Manassas at the Naval Historical Center]