Battle
On May 29, 1861, a converted 250 ton paddle-wheel steamer mounting 3 guns, the USS Thomas Freeborn of the Federal Potomac Flotilla under the command of Commander James H. Ward attacked the Confederate batteries at Aquia to little effect. Confederate Captain Lynch reported that the Thomas Freeborn fired 14 shots and only wounded one man in the hand. On the following day, May 30, 1861, the Thomas Freeborn returned with the USS Anacostia, a 200 ton vessel with 2 guns, and USS Resolute, which was half the size of the Anacostia, and engaged the Confederate batteries for several hours, again with little effect. The largest guns of the squadron were 32-pounders. On June 1, the Thomas Freeborn, Anacostia, Resolute, and the sloop-of-war USS Pawnee bombarded the batteries for almost 5 hours, firing over 500 rounds. Captain Lynch reported no deaths or injuries from the second and third days of shelling, only the death of a chicken and a horse. Lynch added that his works sustained some damage, houses in the rear were "knocked about" and the railroad was torn up in three or four places. Lynch said that he returned fire sparingly in order to save ammunition and because he could fire only when the ships came in view and range of his embrasures as the big guns could not be turned. Nonetheless, during the fight both the Thomas Freeborn and the Pawnee took minor damage from the batteries and required repairs. No Federal sailors were seriously wounded or killed.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Aquia Creek
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