USS Annie

Anna was condemned by the Key West, Florida, prize court and the Union Navy purchased her on 11 March 1863 for service in the East Gulf Blockading Squadron.[4] Her name first appeared on the list of vessels composing that squadron in a report dated the 16th and bore the notation, "Tender to Dole, fitting out."

By 1 April 1863, she had begun her active service and was stationed at Boca Grande. The vessel's name appeared as Annie and so it remained throughout her naval service. Almost a year later, on 8 March 1864, the squadron commanding officer, acting Rear Admiral Theodorus Bailey, explained this discrepancy to the Navy Department.[5]

On the morning of the 13th, Annie—Acting Ensign James S. Williams in command—took her first prize, the schooner Mattie which was attempting to run into the Crystal River, Florida, with a diverse cargo. Williams placed a crew on board the prize and sent her to Key West in charge of Master's Mate Marcellus Jackson.

About half an hour before noon on 28 April, Annie sighted, chased, and fired upon Dream before that British schooner escaped into Spanish territorial waters off Cuba. This action prompted a protest by the English master and added to the already large list of incidents that kept relations between the Federal Government and the United Kingdom tense throughout the Civil War.

Annie scored again while proceeding to Tampa Bay on 11 July when she took the whaleboat Alice and her crew of six—from Havana—behind Cotteral's Key. Williams had been informed of the presence of the boat by the keeper of the Northwest Channel lighthouse who feared that she might attack his outpost. Another prize came Annie's, way on the afternoon of 20 October when she captured the British schooner Martha Jane, outward-bound from Bayport, Florida, laden with cotton.

Ten days later, Annie joined the armed launch of the screw gunboat USS Sagamore—which she was then tending—in chasing Meteor and caught that British schooner which was attempting to slip into Bayport, with an assorted cargo from Havana. Annie and the launch again teamed up on 7 November when they took the British schooner Paul which—although cleared from Havana for Matamoras—was approaching the Florida coast with diverse merchandise.[6]

In the second half of February 1864, Annie left Sagamore and was attached to the screw gunboat Takoma; and, thereafter, she acted as a tender to several other Union blockaders. On the morning of 2 March 1864, Annie anchored at 9:00 a.m., some five miles from land. Two hours later, a lookout reported having sighted a small boat approaching. At noon, the boat reversed course and fled, prompting the Union warship to give chase. Thirty minutes' sailing brought her within sight of "a schooner inside the reefs" and toward which the boat was rowing.

At 1:10 p.m., Annie "anchored in 6 feet of water" and sent an armed boat to board the schooner. However, the fleeing boat reached that vessel before the Yankee sailors boarded her, set her afire, and then hurried on shoreward. At 2:00 p.m., Annie's men went on board the schooner and found her to a new vessel of about 80 tons carrying an assorted cargo which included a large amount of ammunition. The rapid spread of the flames forced them to leave the prize which exploded about three minutes after their departure.

Later that afternoon, a skiff flying a white flag came alongside Annie. Its sole passenger, a man who "identified himself as Allen A. Stephens" and reported that he was one of a group of 20 men "about to rise against the rebel government ... and requested arms for his company." After promising Allen to report the incident, they allowed him to return to land, but no further mention of this man appears in the official record.