AH-WR-0358

CSS Pee Dee

Gunboat · Confederate States of America · Lost 1865 · The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

A Confederate river gunboat scuttled at Mars Bluff in the war's final weeks, later partly recovered by archaeologists.

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

CSS Pee Dee was a Confederate Navy gunboat built at the Mars Bluff shipyard on the Pee Dee River in South Carolina. As Union forces advanced in March 1865, her crew scuttled the vessel to prevent capture. Portions of her hull and guns were later recovered by archaeologists. She remains an important example of Confederate inland naval construction.

Vessel

Built: 1864
Builder: Not established
Yard: Mars Bluff, South Carolina
Material: Wood
Length: Not established
Beam: Not established
Tonnage: Not established
Propulsion: Steam, screw
Owners: Confederate States Navy

Loss

Date: March 15, 1865
Cause: Intentional sinking
Location: Great Pee Dee River near Mars Bluff, South Carolina
Water: Pee Dee River
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Not established
Aboard: Not established
Lives lost: Not established
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: Not established
Condition: Partially salvaged; remains recovered archaeologically
Orientation: Not established
Discovered: 1954
Protection: Not established

Position

Coordinates: 34.21° N 79.66° W
Accuracy: General area only
Nearest: Mars Bluff, South Carolina
Region: The Georgia & South Carolina Coast

General area only: coordinate of Mars Bluff from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, marking the named place of loss recorded for this vessel (Great Pee Dee River near Mars Bluff), not a surveyed wreck position.

Evidence

Overall confidence: Partially documented (65/100)

Exact dimensions and crew details are not firmly established in the sources reviewed.

South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology
Construction, scuttling, and recovery details
USGS Geographic Names Information System — Mars Bluff, South Carolina
coordinate of the named place of loss