11. Service in the navy
For the sailors and officers of the Union Navy, the coastal waters and rivers and streams posed a considerable obstacle. Most of the pre-war officers familiar with the waterways of the south resigned and joined the Confederate Navy, and most local pilots and watermen remained loyal to their respective states. In Virginia and North Carolina, several tribes chose to align themselves with the Union, acting as river guides and pilots in both civilian and military capacities. Among them were the Powhatan, descendants of the first Indians to encounter the English settlers at Jamestown more than 250 years earlier. They were joined by the Pamunkey and Lumbee in North Carolina and Virginia.
The Powhatan pilots and guides were essential to the operations of the Union Army during the Peninsula Campaign and subsequent operations around Hampton Roads, along the James River, and on its tributaries. They also provided spies which reported to the leaders of the Army of the Potomac during its operations in Virginia. As such, they reported the movements of the Army of Northern Virginia, identified river fords not depicted on maps, and provided information on alternate routes to the main roads in eastern Virginia. Other tribes, including Cherokee and Creek loyal to the Union, provided similar services to the Union armies in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia.