CSS Cotton Plant, sometimes referred to as Cotton Planter, was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...

 in 1860 and reportedly carried troops in the Pamlico River

Pamlico River

The Pamlico River is a tidal river that flows into Pamlico Sound, in North Carolina in the United States of America. It is formed by the confluence of the Tar River and Tranters Creek....

 as early as September 1861. She sailed with CSS Albemarle

CSS Albemarle

CSS Albemarle was an ironclad ram of the Confederate Navy , named for a town and a sound in North Carolina and a county in Virginia...

 when that ironclad ram attacked Union

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 forces at Plymouth

Plymouth, North Carolina

Plymouth is the largest town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,107 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...

, North Carolina

North Carolina

North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...

, sank USS Southfield and drove off USS Miami

USS Miami (1861)

The first USS Miami was a side-wheel, double-ender gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.Miami was launched by Philadelphia Navy Yard on November 16, 1861, and commissioned there on January 29, 1862, Lieutenant Abram Davis Harrell in command.-Battle of New Orleans:The...

, USS Ceres and USS Whitehead on April 18-19 1864. On May 5, 1864 she steamed as convoy to Albemarle from the Roanoke River

Roanoke River

The Roanoke River is a river in southern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina in the United States, 410 mi long. A major river of the southeastern United States, it drains a largely rural area of the coastal plain from the eastern edge of the Appalachian Mountains southeast across the Piedmont...

 en route to the Alligator River

Alligator River (North Carolina)

The Alligator River is a small river in eastern North Carolina, USA, separating Dare County with Tyrrell County. It is a tributary of the Albemarle Sound and is part of the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. The Lindsey C. Warren Bridge of U.S. Route 64 crosses the river.A 21-mile canal...

. The convoy was engaged by ships of the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, but both the ram and Cotton Plant with several launches in tow escaped into the Roanoke River.

In May 1865, Cotton Plant was surrendered to Union officials near Halifax, North Carolina

Halifax, North Carolina

Halifax is a town in Halifax County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 344 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Halifax County...

 by parties claiming that she had been appropriated by Confederate authorities. Ownership was adjudicated at Plymouth and she was turned over to the U.S. Treasury purchasing agent to transport cotton and provisions. She was later delivered to the U.S. Navy at Norfolk

Norfolk, Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....

, Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

.