Editing CSS Virginia II (section)

==Career==

''Virginia II'' went into action on June 21, 1864, as the flagship of [[Commodore (rank)|Commodore]] [[John K. Mitchell]], during the engagement between the James River Squadron and Federal ships in Trent's Reach. But the ironclad developed mechanical problems when an errant chain from the nearby ''Richmond'' became entangled in her propeller, and she could no longer participate in the battle.<ref>Coski, ''Capital Navy'', 165–166</ref>

On August 13, the ''Virginia II'' participated in the attack on the Union forces at Dutch Gap. The [[Canonicus-class monitor|''Canonicus''-class monitor]], {{USS|Saugus|1863|6}}, and her gunboats joined in the battle, but could not effectively train their guns, though they did manage to fire two shots that hit ''Virginia II''.<ref>Scharf, ''History of the Confederate States Navy'', 735</ref> On August 17, she participated in the capture of [[Signal Hill (Henrico County, Virginia)|Signal Hill]], shelling the Union defenses from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. before finally ceasing fire.<ref>Coski, ''Capital Navy'', 167</ref>

From September 29 through October 1, the ''Virginia II'' and the rest of the squadron attacked New Market Heights and [[Fort Harrison]] in conjunction with the [[Confederate Army]]; it was the largest operation north of the [[James River]] since [[Battle of Cold Harbor|Cold Harbor]] and would remain so until the end of the war. Once again, though, the ''Virginia II'' suffered difficulty, delaying her entrance into the battle. She had just received a new cannon, and in the rush to leave the dock, the supply ship ''Gallego'' became entangled in her anchor chain, causing the ''Gallego'' to sink.<ref>Coski, ''Capital Navy'', 168</ref>

In their routine patrol of the James River, the squadron was surprised to discover, on the morning of October 22, that the Union Army had finished fortifying [[Cox Hill]]. To cover the retreat of the Confederate wooden vessels, ''Virginia II'' approached the battery, followed by two ironclads, and effected a retreat upstream to [[Chaffin's Bluff]].<ref name="scharf">Scharf, ''History of the Confederate States Navy'', 736–737</ref> During this, the ''Virginia II''{{'}}s smokestack was riddled by shells.<ref>Coski, ''Capital Navy'', 171</ref> Though caught by surprise, this small action helped determine the effectiveness of the ironclads' armored casemates against close rifled cannon fire, and in the case of the ''Virginia II'', the results were favorable: her casemate withstood 7 direct hits by 100-pound conical iron "bolts," which barely dented her plating.<ref name="scharf" />

On December 7 ''Virginia II'', along with the ''Fredericksburg'' and ''Richmond'', steamed down to Fort Brady near Trent's Reach and near sunset exchanged cannon fire with the fort until darkness fell.<ref>Scharf, ''History of the Confederate States Navy'', 738</ref>

===Battle of Trent's Reach===
[[Image:WreckofCSSJamestown.jpg|thumb|244px|Site of the sinking of ''Virginia II'' and other ships in the [[James River]]. The part showing above water is from {{ship|CSS|Jamestown}}. ''(Photograph by [[Mathew Brady]])'']]
{{main|Battle of Trent's Reach}}
Her final action took place on January 23–24, 1865 when the James River Squadron, including [[ironclad]]s ''Richmond'', and ''Fredericksburg'', with five smaller vessels, made a second unsuccessful attempt to circumvent obstructions in Trent's Reach. A reliable report indicated there was a passage through, as a result of a [[freshet]] of melting ice. To avoid the risk of collision, the gunboats and tenders were lashed to the starboard sides of the ironclads; ''Virginia II'' accreted to her bulk the gunboats {{ship|CSS|Nansemond||2}} and {{ship|CSS|Torpedo||2}}, with the torpedo boat {{ship|CSS|Scorpion||2}} in tow. After passing the Union batteries at Fort Brady sometime after 8 p.m., the ''Virginia II'' accidentally beached ''Torpedo'' by cutting too close to the shore. The captain of ''Nansemond'' untied his ship from ''Virginia II'' in an attempt to free ''Torpedo''. The fleet continued on and reached the obstructions at Trent's Reach.<ref name="coski">Coski, ''Capital Navy'', 198–207</ref><ref>Scharf, ''History of the Confederate States Navy'', 740–742</ref>

Again ''Virginia II'' ran into trouble, this time running aground; the smaller ships tried to free her for three hours. Only two ships made it through, the rest were either running aground or helping the ones that had already run aground. Dawn came with most of the squadron in full view of the Union fortifications at Battery Parsons, and they had to suffer fire until the water rose high enough to allow them to finally retreat. In late morning, just as the water was high enough to re-float ''Virginia II'', the Union fleet arrived and added its firepower. This time it was much more deadly: the double-turreted monitor {{USS|Onondaga|1864|6}} was able to pierce her armor with its shot. ''Virginia II'' and the rest of the squadron retreated upstream until they were safely under the cover of Confederate Battery Dantzler. They attempted to run past again that night, but Union soldiers had erected a huge light illuminating the obstructions; this, combined with several other factors, forced the attempt to be abandoned.<ref name="coski" />

While leaving, ''Hampton'' managed to entangle her screw propeller in ''Virginia II''{{'}}s anchor chain. They suffered more heavy fire on their return upriver from [[Fort Brady]], and ''Virginia II'' ran aground again before making it to the safety of Chaffin's Bluff. The ship had at least six killed and more than a half dozen wounded from the action; she also suffered heavy battle damage which required extensive repairs.<ref>Scharf, ''History of the Confederate States Navy'', 741</ref> Her smokestack was destroyed, the engines broke down, and her iron armor and underlying wooden framework were damaged.<ref name="coski" />