USS John P . Jackson ( 1860 ) USS " John P . J " ackson ( 1860 ) was a steamship acquired by the United States Navy during the beginning of the American Civil War . She was assigned to the Union blockade of the Confederate States of America . as well as the bombardment of Mississippi River ports . Commissioned at the New York Navy Yard . " John P . Jackson " was built at Brooklyn , New York , in 1860 and purchased by the Navy at Newark , New Jersey , from Jersey City Ferry Company on 6 November 1861 . She was commissioned at New York Navy Yard on 14 February 1862 , Lieutenant Selim E . Woodworth in command . Civil War service . Assigned to the Gulf blockade . " John P . Jackson " was ordered to Key West on 10 February to serve as one of the steamers in Comdr . David D . Porter ' s mother flotilla . On 30 March she arrived at Ship Island from Key West , Florida , as Flag Officer David Farragut assembled vessels for his campaign against New Orleans , Louisiana . While Farragut labored to move his deep - draft , sea - going ships across the bar into the Mississippi River , " John P . Jackson " was part of the task force which secured Pass Christian , Mississippi on 4 April . During the operation she joined USS " New London " and USS " Hatteras " in driving off Confederate steamers " Carondelet " , " Pamlico " , and " Oregon " as they attempted to prevent the Union landing which wrested the area around Biloxi , Mississippi from the South . The same day " John P . Jackson " captured steamer " P . C . Wallis " with a cargo of naval stores . Bombarding Forts St . Philip and Jackson . She next escorted General Butler ' s occupation troop ships to the Mississippi passes while towing Army transport " Great Republic " . Leaving the Union Army vessels at the mouth of the Mississippi to await the outcome of the impending naval effort against New Orleans , " John P . Jackson " joined the mortar boats for the intense bombardment of Forts St . Philip and Jackson . The cannonade began 18 April and lasted until Farragut ' s ships had safely passed the Confederate batteries 6 days later , dooming the Southern riverside strongholds and the metropolis which they had fought to protect . Sailing under fire past Vicksburg . " John P . Jackson " again supported Farragut when he ran the gauntlet at Vicksburg , Mississippi almost two months later to meet Flag Officer Charles Henry Davis , who had battled south along the Mississippi valley . Braving the fire of skillfully used Vicksburg cannons , Porter ' s flotilla peppered the Southern emplacements with shell , grape , and shrapnel throughout the daring dash . During the fray " John P . Jackson " was hit twice by 7 - inch rifle projectiles , leaving her without power and causing other serious damage . Moments later " Clifton " , coming to her aid with a towline , was struck in her starboard boiler ; seven men were killed by scalding steam . " John P . Jackson " quickly lowered her boats to save a number of other men who had been forced overboard by the steam . Continued blockade operations . After repairs at New Orleans , " John P . Jackson " was ordered to Mississippi Sound on 30 September for reconnaissance work ; and she served there throughout the remainder of the war . Fire broke out in her engineering spaces on 8 October , but efficient and courageous damage control action extinguished the blaze and saved the ship . She captured sloop " Young Gustave " in Mississippi Sound on 21 October , and diligently performed blockade duty in the months that followed . On 12 September 1863 she cooperated with " Genesee " and " Calhoun " in chasing steamer " Fanny " ashore where she was burned to prevent her falling into Union hands . The next day the same team engaged Confederate steamer " Jeff Davis " , forcing her to withdraw to the shelter of batteries at Grant ' s Pass . The Union vessels then silenced the Grant ' s Pass guns . " John P . Jackson " overhauled and took schooner " Syrena " bound from Biloxi , Mississippi , to Pascagoula , Mississippi , on 21 October . Bombardment of Fort Powell . Admiral Farragut ' s next major objective was Mobile Bay . " John P . Jackson " was on hand at the outset of the campaign on 16 February 1864 when she towed three schooner s into position for the bombardment of Fort Powell and then joined in the cannonade . For the next six months she operated from New Orleans supporting the operations which culminated on 5 August in Admiral Farragut ' s stirring victory . " John P . Jackson " captured the schooner " Medora " in Mississippi Sound on 8 December 1864 , and continued to serve in the West Gulf Blockading Squadron until after the end of the war . Post - war decommissioning and sale . She departed Pensacola Navy Yard on 26 July 1865 and two days later arrived New Orleans , where she decommissioned 5 September . She was sold at public auction in New Orleans to Marcy , Maury & Co . on 27 September 1865 . She was renamed " J . P . Jackson " on 3 October 1865 and was later abandoned in 1871 .