USS Thomas Freeborn
USS Thomas Freeborn (left) in the engagement at Mathias Point, 27 June 1861
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| History | |
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 United States
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| Name: | USS Thomas Freeborn |
| Builder: | Lawrence & Foulks (NY) |
| Laid down: | date unknown |
| Launched: | 1861 |
| In service: | April 1861 |
| Out of service: | 17 June 1865 |
| Homeport: | Washington, D.C. |
| Fate: | sold, 20 July 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 269 tons |
| Length: | 143 ft 4 in (43.69 m) |
| Beam: | 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) |
| Draught: | not known |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | not known |
| Complement: | not known |
| Armament: | two 32-pounder guns |
USS Thomas Freeborn was a steam tug acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.
Thomas Freeborn was used by the Navy as a gunboat to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Thomas Freeborn—a sidewheel steamer built in 1861 at Brooklyn, New York—was one of three steam tugs chartered by the Navy in April 1861 for use in the unsuccessful Fort Sumter relief expedition. She was detained at New York City, however, and did not sail with the other two ships, USS Yankee and Uncle Ben,
On 7 May, she was purchased by the Union Navy and, under the command of Comdr. James H. Ward, joined the newly formed "Flying Flotilla" as his flagship. She departed New York City on 16 May for duty in the Chesapeake Bay and at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
In Hampton Roads, USS Monticello and Thomas Freeborn engaged Confederate batteries at Sewell's Point, Virginia, on 19 May. The next day, Thomas Freeborn carried Senators Benjamin F. Wade, Zachariah Chandler, and Robert Morrill to Washington, returning to Hampton Roads on 22 May.
She again sailed for the Washington Navy Yard on 23 May and took part in the Union occupation of Alexandria, Virginia, on the 24th. Thomas Freeborn deployed on permanent blockade and patrol duty in the Potomac River on 27 May.
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Wikipedia