CSS Grampus
Encyclopedia
CSS Grampus was a stern-wheel river steamer built in 1856 at McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport, Pennsylvania
McKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
, for civilian employment. Taken by the Confederate Army in early 1862, she served as a scout boat and transport on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Late in March 1862, Captain Marsh Miller in command, she took an active part in the defense of Island No. 10
Battle of Island Number Ten
The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. The position, an island at the base of a tight double turn in the course of the river, was held by the Confederates...
where the Confederates finally sank her to prevent capture, on 7 April. The Union Gunboat Flotilla set out to raise her during May 1862 and did so, but she is believed to be the Grampus No. 2 which burned the following 11 January.