Where the Wateree Was

The Wateree was a sidewheel gunboat built in Chester Pennsylvania by Reaney Son and Archbold. She was Commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on January 20th 1864, with Commander F E Murray in Command. Assigned to the Pacific, the Wateree departed Philadelphia soon after commissioning. During the next 10 months, she made the arduous voyage around Cape Horn to the Pacific. In addition to struggling against the heavy weather for which the Cape region is noted, the warship experienced difficulty acquiring fuel. That problem necessitated her making numerous stops along the way to acquire wood for her boilers; and, as a result, she did not reach San Francisco until mid-November 1864. This is the story of that voyage.