CSS Hampton

History
Name	CSS Hampton
Launched	1862
Commissioned	1862
Decommissioned	April 3, 1865
Fate	Burned to prevent capture
General characteristics
Displacement	166 tons
Length	106 ft (32 m)
Beam	21 ft (6.4 m)
Draft	6 ft (1.8 m)
Propulsion	Steam engine
Armament	1 9" cannon, 1 32-pounder cannon

CSS Hampton was a wooden gunboat of the Confederate States Navy, one of the few Hampton class gunboats to be built.

Hampton was built at Norfolk Navy Yard in 1862 and based there until May 1862, when the yard was abandoned and the fleet moved up the James River. With Lieutenant John Herndon Maury, CSN, in command, Hampton participated in significant river actions including the battle at Dutch Gap on August 13, 1864; operations against Fort Harrison on September 29-October 1; and the engagement at Chaffin's Bluff on October 22.

Hampton was burned by the Confederates as they evacuated Richmond, Virginia on April 3, 1865.

The flag from the CSS Hampton was taken from the ship as it sank in the James River by Lt. William Ladd, a Union soldier. Recently rediscovered, the flag will be put on display at the Hampton Roads Naval Museum after conservation is completed.

Commanders

The commanders of the CSS Hampton were:

• Lieutenant George W. Harrison (as of May 1862)
• Lieutenant Hunter Davidson (1862)
• Lieutenant John S. Maury (1863-July 6, 1864; October 26-29, 1864)
• Lieutenant John W. Murdaugh (July 6-October 26, 1864)
• Lieutenant Ivey Foreman (October 29-November 18, 1864)
• Lieutenant Walter Raleigh Butt (November 18, 1864-)
• Lieutenant Francis E. Shepperd (December 28, 1864-January 14, 1865; briefly in February 1865)
• Lieutenant Joseph David Wilson (January-February 1865)

Notes and references

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.