{{Short description|Military unit of the United States Navy}} {{about|the U.S. Navy squadron that operated from 1838 to 1861|the U.S. Navy squadron sometimes informally called the "Home Squadron" that operated from 1865 to 1902|North Atlantic Squadron|the British naval formation|Home Fleet}} {{Infobox military unit |unit_name= Home Squadron |image=USS Mississippi 1863.jpg |image_size=300px |caption=The [[paddle frigate]] {{USS|Mississippi|1841|6}} in 1863. She served as the flagship of the Home Squadron during the [[Mexican–American War]]. |dates=1838–1861 |country= {{flag|United States of America|1861}} |allegiance= |branch= {{flagicon image|Flag of the United States Navy (1864–1959).svg}} [[United States Navy]] |type= [[Squadron (naval)|Naval squadron]] |role= |size= |command_structure= |garrison= |garrison_label= |nickname= |patron= |motto= |colors= |colors_label= |march= |mascot= |equipment= |equipment_label= |battles= |anniversaries= |decorations= |battle_honours= |disbanded= <!-- Commanders --> |commander1= |commander1_label= |commander2= |commander2_label= |commander3= |commander3_label= |commander4= |commander4_label= |notable_commanders= <!-- Insignia --> |identification_symbol= |identification_symbol_label= |identification_symbol_2= |identification_symbol_2_label= |identification_symbol_3= |identification_symbol_3_label= |identification_symbol_4= |identification_symbol_4_label= }}
The '''Home Squadron''' was part of the [[United States Navy]] in the mid-19th century. Organized as early as 1838, ships were assigned to protect coastal commerce, aid ships in distress, suppress [[piracy]] and the [[Atlantic slave trade]], make [[exploration|coastal surveys]], and train ships to relieve others on distant stations. It was discontinued in 1861 after the outbreak of the [[American Civil War]], when the [[Union blockade]] forced a reassignment of ships to close off Southern ports.
==History== [[File:Albany-sloop-Currier-Ives.jpeg|267px|left|thumb|''USS Albany, a sloop of the Home Station during the Mexican-American War.'']] {{main|Mexican–American War}}
===Mexican–American War=== During the [[Mexican–American War]] the ships of the Home Squadron, commanded by [[David Conner (naval officer)|Commodore David Conner, USN]] fought in several engagements against Mexican forces. Many of the Home Squadron vessels were attached to vice commander [[Matthew C. Perry|Commodore Matthew C. Perry's]] [[Mosquito Fleet]] which was involved in the [[First Battle of Tuxpan|battles]] of [[Tuxpan, Mexico|Tuxpan]], [[First Battle of Tabasco|Tabasco]], [[Battle of Villahermosa|Villahermosa]] and [[Siege of Veracruz|Veracruz]]. No ship-to-ship combat occurred though several merchant vessels were captured, the Home Squadron primarily operated against Mexican coastal [[fort]]s and [[artillery battery|artillery batteries]].
===Reform War=== {{main|Battle of Anton Lizardo}}
Since the [[Mexican War of Independence]] ending in 1821, Mexican liberals, a political party which evolved from the Masonic Lodge of the York Rite created by Joel R. Poinsett who was an American Diplomat sent by President James Monroe to secretly propose the purchase of the northern provinces from the First Mexican Empire; and the conservative party—which as its name indicates, had as its principal objective was to preserve the traditions and customs of the nation—were constantly in conflict at each other throughout the first decades of the existence of Mexico.
The continuous friction led to a major [[civil war]] known as the [[Reform War]] from 1858 to 1860 and political instability, which the U.S. government under James Buchanan saw as a great opportunity to further expand the U.S. territory limits southwards (after the acquisition through war of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, most of Colorado, south Wyoming, and a fraction of Kansas and Oklahoma. For this reason and based upon the Doctrine Monroe, the U.S government sent an emissary to discuss with Juarez's liberal party the possibility to cede the Baja California peninsula to the United States, which he promptly accepted in exchange of diplomatic, economic and military support to counteract the conservative power that at that point, had the full support of the majority of the Mexican people, and was in control of the entire country with the exception of the cities of Morelia and Veracruz.
During the [[second siege of Veracruz]] in 1859, a Mexican officer named [[Thomas M. Marin]] of the [[Mexican Navy]] purchased vessels in Cuba, that he armed and equipped to sail back to [[Veracruz]] to assist and supply General Miramon's siege of the held city. The Liberal Mexican government declared Marin's fleet to be that of [[pirate]]s so ships of the Home Squadron were ordered to intervene and arrest Marin. Two of Marin's ships, the [[steamship|steamer]] ''General Miramon'' and the [[sloop-of-war]] [[CSS McRae|''Marquis of Havana'']], arrived at their rendezvous off [[Antón Lizardo, Veracruz|Anton Lizardo]]. They were spotted by a Mexican [[fort]] and the [[frigate]] [[USS Savannah (1842)|USS ''Savannah'']] which ordered the sloop-of-war [[USS Saratoga (1842)|USS ''Saratoga'']] to intervene with help from two steamers.
The American ships under [[Commander (United States)|Commander]] [[Thomas Turner (naval officer)|Thomas Turner]] approached and fired warning shots, the Mexicans obviously fired back as the American fleet had no jurisdiction within Mexican waters. Despite the fact of being outnumbered by the American fleet, the Mexican vessels engaged in battle resulting in a bloody encounter [[Battle of Anton Lizardo]] and the capture of the conservative ships and over thirty casualties on both sides. The battle played an important role in ending the Reform War with a liberal victory and the signatory of the secret MacLane-Ocampo Treaty where Juarez and the radical liberals agreed on further cessions of Mexican territory to the U.S., as well as a couple of transit concessions through the Tehuantepec Isthmus, and from Tamaulipas across Mexico to the Gulf of California in perpetuity to the U.S. that eventually was rejected by the American congress, as it was determined that the inclusion of these states into the American federation could strengthen the southern confederate states.
Due to the American intervention, the conservatives under General Miramon failed to take Veracruz from the liberals for a second time, which a few years later led Mexico to a French intervention.
===Slave trade=== {{Main|Blockade of Africa|African Slave Trade Patrol}}
'''Slavers seized by the Home Squadron:'''<ref>Canney, D.L. (2006) ''Africa Squadron'', Potomac Books. pp.233–34</ref><br /> {|class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Vessel !! Captor !! Date !! Location |- |''Putnam'' |{{USS|Dolphin|1836|2}} |21 August 1858 |[[Cuba]] |- |''Cygnet'' |{{USS|Mohawk|1853|2}} |18 November 1859 |[[Cuba]] |- |''Wildfire'' |{{USS|Mohawk|1853|2}} |26 April 1860 |[[Cuba]] |- |''William'' |{{USS|Wyandotte|1853|2}} |9 May 1860 |[[Cuba]] |- |''Bogota'' |{{USS|Crusader|1858|2}} |23 May 1860 |[[Cuba]] |- |''W.R. Kibby'' |{{USS|Crusader|1858|2}} |23 July 1860 |[[Cuba]] |- |''Joven Antonio'' |{{USS|Crusader|1858|2}} |14 August 1860 |[[Cuba]] |- |''Toccoa'' |{{USS|Mohawk|1853|2}} |20 December 1860 |[[Havana]] |- |''Mary J. Kimball'' |{{USS|Mohawk|1853|2}} |21 December 1860 |[[Havana]] |}
==Commanders== * Commodore [[Charles Stewart (1778-1869)|Charles Stewart]] 20 Jan 1842 - 21 Dec 1843 * Commodore [[David Conner (naval officer)|David Conner]] 1 Jan 1844 – 19 Apr 1847 * Commodore [[Matthew C. Perry]] 15 Mar 1847 – 21 Nov 1848 * Commodore [[Jesse Wilkinson]] 20 Nov 1848 - 6 Mar 1849 * Commodore [[Foxhall A. Parker, Sr.]] 5 Apr 1849 - 14 Jun 1852 * Commodore [[John T. Newton|John Thomas Newton]] 15 Jul 1852 – 2 Apr 1855 * Commodore [[Charles Stewart McCauley]] 3 Apr 1855 – 5 Jul 1856 * Commodore [[Hiram Paulding]] 30 Jun 1856 – 19 Mar 1858 * Commodore [[James Mc. McIntosh]] 19 Mar 1858 - 18 Jan 1859 * Commodore [[William J. McCluney]] 1 Feb 1859 – 13 May 1860<ref>Hammersly, ''General Register of the United States Navy and Marine Corps''</ref><ref>''Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy'', Bureau of Naval Personnel, 1814-</ref> * Commodore [[Joseph R. Jarvis]] 16 Jun 1860 - 16 Nov 1860 * Commodore [[Garrett J. Pendergrast]] 19 Oct 1860 – 10 Apr 1861 * Commodore [[Silas H. Stringham]] 11 Apr 1861 - 4 May 1861
==References== {{reflist}} {{More citations needed|date=September 2007}}
{{US Squadrons}}
[[Category:Ship squadrons of the United States Navy]] [[Category:1838 establishments in the United States]] [[Category:1861 disestablishments in the United States]] [[Category:Atlantic slave trade]]