Roswell Lamson
| Roswell Hawkes Lamson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
March 30, 1838 Burlington, Iowa |
| Died | August 14, 1903 (aged 65) Portland, Oregon |
| Buried at | River View Cemetery, Portland, Oregon |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1858–1866, 1895 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant
|
| Commands held |
USS Mount Washington USS Gettysburg |
| Battles/wars |
American Civil War • First Battle of Fort Fisher • Second Battle of Fort Fisher |
| Other work | Clerk of Customs |
Roswell Hawkes Lamson (30 March 1838 – 14 August 1903) was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.
Born in Burlington, Iowa, Lamson accompanied his natal family as Oregon Trail pioneers of 1847. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy on 20 September 1858, with the rank of acting-midshipman, the first Oregonian to receive an appointment. After graduating in 1862, completing his training on active duty, he saw action in the Civil War.
Promoted to lieutenant on August 1, 1862, he commanded the gunboat Mount Washington in joint Army-Navy operations on the Nansemond River, and played an important role in the capture of batteries at Hill's Point in April 1863.
On 2 May 1864, at the New York Navy Yard, Lamson commissioned the gunboat Gettysburg, a former blockade runner captured off Wilmington, North Carolina, in November 1863. He spent the next seven months commanding Gettysburg while stationed off the Cape Fear River, as part of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, capturing several ships.
Lamson was in the forefront of the attacks on Fort Fisher, which stood at the entrance of the Cape Fear River protecting the approach to Wilmington. In December 1864, an attempt was made to reduce the fort by means of a "powder boat" – in effect a floating bomb. The plan, concocted by General Benjamin F. Butler, called for the steamer Louisiana to be loaded with 215 tons of gunpowder and sailed under the walls of the fort and detonated, destroying the fortifications and stunning the garrison into submission. On the night of December 23/24, the Louisiana, under Commander Alexander Rhind, was towed by Wilderness, commanded by Lamson, to within 300 yards of the fort. Rhind set the fuzes and he and his crew abandoned ship, and were picked up by Wilderness, which promptly sailed for safety. After 80 minutes the ship finally exploded. Unfortunately the tide and an offshore breeze had moved the Louisiana further away from the fort, and the explosion had no effect.
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