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William McKean Log of the USS Niagara and Related Papers
MSS 0777
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Title: William McKean Log of the USS Niagara and Related Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0777
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, California, 92093-0175
Languages:
English
Physical Description:
2.0 Linear feet
(1 archives box, 1 oversize box, and 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): 1814-1863
Abstract: The collection consists of two log books and a small amount of related papers from Union naval Flag Officer William McKean,
captain of the USS
Niagara and commander of the Gulf Blockading Squadron from 1861 to 1862.
Creator:
McKean, William W. (William Wister), 1800-1865
William Wister McKean (1800-1865) was an officer in the United States Navy. He was appointed midshipman in 1814, rose through
the ranks to become a flag officer, and served through the beginnings of the Civil War. McKean was notable for his command
of the Union's Gulf and East Gulf Blockading Squadrons (appointed Commander 22 September 1861 to 20 January 1862, and 20 January
1862 to 3 June 1862, respectively), which closed Confederate seaports and seized blockade-running ships. He was released from
active duty in June 1862.
The USS
Niagara was a screw-streamer driven frigate in the United States Navy. First launched by the New York Navy Yard in 1855, her early
missions included laying cable for the first transatlantic telegraph, returning interdicted Africans from the slave ship Echo
to Liberia, and, with Captain McKean in command, ferrying the first diplomatic mission to the United States from Japan. McKean's
log onboard the
Niagara commences on 1 February 1861, as the ship rounded the Cape of Good Hope. Arriving in Boston on 23 April 1861, the crew learned
of the outbreak of the Civil War. Captain McKean and the
Niagara received orders for Union blockade duty, and immediately commenced patrols of the southeast coast and the Gulf of Mexico.
After a period of inaction due to repairs in 1862-63, the
Niagara resumed war duties in the European Squadron, finally returning to Boston in 1865. The ship was decommissioned and remained
in the Boston Navy Yard until she was sold on 6 May 1885.
Acquired 2015.
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection consists of two log books and a small amount of related papers from Union naval Flag Officer William McKean,
captain of the USS
Niagara and commander of the Gulf Blockading Squadron from 1861 to 1862. The log book entries began on 1 February 1861 as the
Niagara rounded the Cape of Good Hope on her way back to the United States following a diplomatic mission with Japanese dignitaries,
and end on 17 May 1862, shortly before McKean left the service. The log books contain descriptions of the ship, weather, and
patrolling action in the early years of the Civil War, in addition to longer journal entries with McKean's observations of
events. The papers include Civil War-era correspondence, signed oaths of allegiance by the
Niagara's officers and crew, and military orders pertinent to the Gulf Blockading Squadrons.
William McKean Log of the USS Niagara and Related Papers. MSS 777. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Niagara (Steam frigate).
Logs -- 1860-1869
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Blockades -- Sources