CSS Black Warrior
| History | |
|---|---|
 Confederate States of America
|
|
| Name: | Black Warrior |
| Launched: | 1859 as M. C. Etheridge |
| Commissioned: | 1861? |
| Fate: | Burned at Elizabeth City, North Carolina on February 10, 1862 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 144 tons |
| Length: | 92 ft (28 m) |
| Beam: | 24 ft (7.3 m) |
| Draft: | 7 ft (2.1 m) |
| Propulsion: | Schooner rig, two masts. |
| Speed: | ? |
| Complement: | ? |
| Armament: | 2 × 32-pounder guns |
Black Warrior is the name of a Confederate two-masted schooner that participated in the defense of Roanoke Island in North Carolina during the Civil War. Its brief wartime career ended with its burning at Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The Black Warrior was originally named the M.C. Etheridge. Built in Plymouth, North Carolina, in 1859, she was owned and operated by J. Brown. Initially registered for overseas trade, the Etheridge was enrolled for interstate trade in 1860. In October of that year her documentation was changed back for overseas trade. (Enrollment abstracts, NA)
The Black Warrior was acquired by the Confederate Navy in 1862 and was armed with two 32-pounder guns. Under the command of Lieutenant F. M. Harris, the schooner was part of a nine-gunboat naval squadron tasked with the defense of the northeastern North Carolina sounds. She was at anchor in Croatan Sound under the guns of Fort Forrest when a Union army/navy force under the command of General Ambrose Burnside arrived on February 6, 1862 to invade Roanoke Island. Burnside sent his forces to destroy the remains of the Southern Mosquito Fleet still operating in North Carolina's sounds. Because of her limited mobility and the fact that the Union landing site was well to the south of the schooner, she took no action against the invasion force. The other gunboats of the Confederate squadron engaged in a futile attempt to disrupt the landings on February 7. Late in the day the Black Warrior was detailed to salvage what guns and ammunition she could from the partially sunk gunboat Curlew. That evening the squadron retreated to Elizabeth City to obtain more ammunition. One of the gunboats, the Ellis, took the Black Warrior in tow while the remainder of the squadron made their way overnight to Elizabeth City. (Parker 1883: 247ff)
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