While Butler was gathering his forces, Flag Officer Stringham was also making preparations. Somehow he learned that the War Department orders to Butler's superior, Major General John E. Wool, had contained the statement, "The expedition originated in the Navy Department, and is under its control." Reasoning that he would be blamed if anything went wrong, he decided to follow his own plans. He selected seven warships for the expedition: , , , , , , and . All but the last were ships of the U.S. Navy; "Harriet Lane" was a revenue cutter, part of the US Revenue Cutter Service. He also included in his force the armed steam tug "Fanny", needed to tow some of the surf boats that would be used for the landing.