At the outbreak of the
American Civil War, Hollins had served for almost 47 years in the U.S. Navy (almost 17 years total at sea), was a citizen of
Florida, and was commanding the
USS Susquehanna, cruising at the Mediterranean Sea. Hollins and his ship left the coast of Italy on May 5, 1861, and arrived at
Boston, Massachusetts, on June 4, 1861. Having considered himself a Southerner, he promptly resigned his commission, but it was not accepted and an order was made for his arrest. Hollins escaped, and in March 1861, was in
Montgomery, Alabama, then the Confederate capital, where he met
Raphael Semmes, Josiah Tattnall, Thomas Brent, and many other naval officers to consult with a committee of the Confederate Congress on the means of providing a navy for the new government. He was commissioned a Captain, Confederate States Navy, on June 22, 1861. He later received a commission for the same rank, but to rank retroactively to March 26, 1861. On June 29 of the first year of the Confederacy, he quickly attracted attention by his clever capture of the steamer St. Nicholas in the Potomac River, as well as the capture of the Monticello, Mary Pierce and the Margaret. On July 10, the naval defenses of the
James River were placed under his command, and on July 31, he was put in charge of the naval station at
New Orleans, where he defeated the Federal blockading squadron the following October. Also that year, he served at the naval defenses, James River, Virginia. From 1861 to 1862, he was the Commandant at the Naval Station, New Orleans, Louisiana. Hollins then commanded the defenses afloat the
Mississippi River, with his flagship the
CSS Manassas on the coast of
Louisiana. Appointed flag officer in December 1861, he took a fleet up the
Mississippi River to assist in the defense of the works at
Columbus, Kentucky. From 1862 to 1863, he commanded the Richmond, Virginia Station, and in 1863, he commanded at Charlotte, North Carolina. In 1864, he again commanded the Richmond, Virginia Station, and then at the Wilmington, North Carolina Station. After the war, he returned to
Baltimore, Maryland where he was appointed Crier at the City Court, and was in that position until his death on January 18, 1878. ==See also==