Hampton was built at Norfolk Naval Shipyard in 1862 and based there until May 1862, when the yard was abandoned and the fleet moved up the James River. With LieutenantJohn Herndon Maury, CSN, in command, Hampton participated in significant river actions including the battle at Dutch Gap on August 13, 1864; operations against Fort Harrison on September 29-October 1; and the engagement at Chaffin's Bluff on October 22.
Hampton was burned by the Confederates as they evacuated Richmond, Virginia on April 3, 1865.
↑Coski (1996), John M. Capital Navy: The Men, Ships and Operations of the James River Squadron, Campbell, CA: Savas Woodbury Publishers. ISBN1-882810-03-1.