Today’s ship was not built in the Washington Navy Yard, but served honorably from there throughout the Civil War – and was captained for a number of years by a local.
When, in 1858, the US Navy decided to send a fleet of ships up the Río Paraná to demand an apology for the Paraguay’s attack on the Water Witch, a minor problem presented itself: The Navy did not have enough ships for this venture. A series of ships that had been built for other, private, purposes were thus pressed into service. One of these was the MW Chapin, a tugboat that had been built in Philadelphia, but was serving in Connecticut at the time.
Under 130 feet long and all of 217 tons, she was the perfect size to make it up the river and to Asunción. As it turned out, her presence was unnecessary; negotiations were handled by two ships (including the Water Witch) while the rest of the fleet stayed downriver. While not actually in action, the Chapin had proved itself worthy, and the Navy bought it, along with a number of the other boats that had been along for the ride.
On May 27, 1859, the Washington Evening Star reported that the Chapin had arrived at the Navy Yard, and that “her officers were detached.” This marked a new chapter in the boat’s history: When next mentioned in the Star in July of that year, she has been given the name USS Anacostia. The reason for article was her new commander: Thomas Scott Fillebrown. An 18-year veteran of the Navy originally from Georgetown, he was, according to the Star, “an active, intelligent and deserving officer.” Fillebrown was in charge of the Anacostia for two years. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Fillebrown took the ship up and down the Potomac, to ensure that the river would remain open. Along the way, he discovered batteries being built in Virginia, as well as attempts to sabotage buoys along the river. Shortly after the secession of Virginia and the subsequent Union occupation of Arlington County, Fillebrown turned over command to Napoleon Collins.
The attack on the batteries at Acquia Creek on June 1, 1861, a print from Frank Leslie’s Magazine. The Anacostia is the second ship from the left, surrounded in a halo of smoke (Note that she did not actually fire on the 1st, but had done so the previous day)
Almost immediately thereafter, the Anacostia was involved in one of its most dramatic episodes: The bombardment of Acquia Creek. The Confederates had been building a fort at the mouth of the creek, and a fleet was hastily assembled to bombard it. On the first day, the Anacostia assisted in the bombardment, while on the second, it stayed out of range of the guns in order to assist those doing the firing, should it become necessary. Late that evening, the Anacostia, along with two damaged ships, returned to the Navy Yard.
The Anacostia continued to patrol the Potomac, using the Washington Navy Yard as its base. Several times, however, she was called upon to raid further afield, down the Chesapeake Bay. She was decommissioned shortly after the war, and was sold at the Navy Yard. Her new owner renamed er the Alexandria, and used her in the Chesapeake Bay until she burned on March 22, 1868.