In late January of 1861 the front lines in the area around Washington, D.C. had been static for many months.  Along the south bank of the Potomac River the Confederates still held territory uncomfortably close to the Union capital.  Intelligence regard the Confederate strength in the area was limited, and Union commanders were always evaluating points of attack and possible threats.  Being located along a river, the Navy naturally played an important role in any operation which may go on there.  150 years ago today a Navy officer named Robert H. Wyman who commanded a Navy flotilla along the Potomac sent local Army commander Joseph Hooker an assessment for possible offensive operations.  Wyman joined the Navy at age 15 and had a wide skill set and proved to be effective in many roles during the Civil War.

Wyman was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1822.  His father was in the Navy, and in 1837 Wyman was appointed a midshipman about the USS Independence sailed for Brazil on his first assignment with his ship.  During the Mexican War he served in the Gulf of Mexico as a part of the fleet which transported Winfield Scott’s Army of Occupation to Vera Cruz in 1847.  In 1850 he was promoted to lieutenant and between then and the outbreak of the Civil War was on various assignments.

In December of 1861 Wyman was appointed commander of the Potomac Flotilla which was charged with keeping the Potomac River clear of Confederate intrusions between Washington and the Chesapeake Bay.  Like in other theaters of the war, the Navy worked closely with the Army in day-to-day operations.  Wyman was apparently asked in January of 1862 by Joseph Hooker, who commanded the Union forces in lower Maryland, the practicability of moving troops to the south bank on his ships.  This was Wyman’s reply:

In his letter Wyman described his force.  He mentioned the firepower which he had, which was strong but not overwhelming.  Also, Wyman details how vulnerable his ships were.  They were not armored and their drafts prohibited them from accessing much of the shallower water along the Virginia Shore.  He did offer some advice in that if Hooker wanted to cross men over to the south side it would be better to tow barges rather than actually load the soldiers onto his ships. 

Above: The area Wyman describes in his letter is highlighted in yellow above.  His territory included the Potomac River in between Hallowing Point just south of Alexandria to Point Lookout on the Chesapeake Bay.  This map is circa 1861.

Wyman then describes perceived Confederate strength and activity that his ships have observed which seemed to have not been very concerning to him.  A Union offensive across the Potomac south of Alexandria in the winter of 1862 is an interesting ‘what if’ scenario, but with the principle Confederate army still in the vicinity of Manassas the size of the operation would have had to been limited to a raid which quickly slipped back to Maryland.

Wyman ably led the Potomac Flotilla until June of 1862.  During his tenure he was vital in securing safe passage for McClellan’s Army of the Potomac down to the Peninsula in the spring.  In the summer of 1862 he was promoted and sent to the West Indies where he proved that he could be effective in capturing southern blockade runners.  While commanding the Santiago de Cuba, Wyman captured the blockade runners Britannia and Lizzie before he was transferred to an administrative position in Washington in 1863.

Above: The USS Santiago de Cuba.

After the Civil War Wyman served with the Navy’s European Squadron and operated in the Mediterranean.  His highest post was as leader of the Hydrographic Office, which the Navy relied upon to survey waters across the globe for accurate depths and maps for navigation.  Wyman finished that post as a rear admiral and served in posts both at sea and on land until his death in 1882.