Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - An nada Barney a matsayin Laftanar a cikin Rundunar Sojan Ruwa ta Tarayyar Amurka a ranar 2 ga Yuli, 1861. Ya umurci CSS "Jamestown" a lokacin yakin Hampton Roads, sanannen yaƙi tare da, a lokacin da ya kama brigs biyu da Accomac schooner daga Newport News Point yayin da CSS "Virginia" ke kula da Navy Navy. Bayan da aka kwashe 'yan tawayen daga Norfolk, "Jamestown" ya rushe don toshe Kogin James a Drewry's Bluff. A cikin yakin Drewry's Bluff na gaba
A lokacin yakin basasa na Confederate, wanda batuttukan bakin teku na Kudancin suka kori sojojin Union Navy da ke zuwa Richmond, an yi la'akari da bindigogi na "Jamestown" a matsayin babban abin da ke hana jiragen ruwa na abokan gaba. Bayan yakin, ya sami yabo daga Majalisar Tarayya kuma ya ci gaba da zama kwamandan.