In 1861 he was assigned to the steam sloop and served in her with the Western Gulf Blockading Squadron throughout the Civil War. He participated in the engagement with the Confederate ram during the Battle of the Head of Passes on October 12, 1861, the artillery duel with Fort McRee and other shore batteries in Pensacola Bay on 22 November, the passage of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, and the capture of New Orleans in late April 1862.