USS General Bragg
Encyclopedia
USS General Bragg (1851) was a heavy (1,043-ton) steamer
captured by Union Navy
forces during the American Civil War
. She was outfitted as a U.S. Navy gunboat
and was assigned to enforce the Union blockade
of the waterways of the Confederate States of America
.
in 1851. She was owned by the Southern Steamship Co. at the start of the American Civil War
Mexico was pressed into Confederate
service as CSS General Bragg at New Orleans, Louisiana
15 January 1862. She was converted to a "cottonclad" ram and renamed for General
Braxton Bragg
, a western theater
commander. As part of the River Defense Fleet
, she took part in the defenses of Memphis, Tennessee
, and the surrounding area.
In an action off Fort Pillow on 10 May 1862 she helped disable the Union Navy
ironclad and was put out of action herself. On 6 June, she was run aground and captured during the naval battle off Memphis
. After repairs, she became USS General Bragg.
30 September 1862. Her first Commanding Officer was Lieutenant
Joshua Bishop.
General Bragg was fitted out at Cairo, Illinois
, departing 9 July 1862 for Helena, Arkansas
. She sailed 16 August 1862 as part of an escort to steamer Iatan carrying 500 troops to the mouth of the Yazoo River
for reconnaissance of Confederate batteries
and guerrilla parties
. For the next 15 months, except for periods of repair at Memphis, Tennessee
, she patrolled the river from Helena to the mouth of the Yazoo River, where she guarded against Confederate movements toward Vicksburg, Mississippi
.
in July 1863, General Bragg remained in the vicinity until her departure 13 December, for her new station at the mouth of the Red River
. During the spring of 1864, it was her duty to guard the mouth of the river in support of the joint expedition against Shreveport, Louisiana
on the Red. She began patrolling the river again, and 15 June engaged a Confederate battery with Naiad
near Tunica Bend, Louisiana. For a time the ships got the worst of the action amid a hail of shot and musketry, but eventually drove off the Confederates with the help of Winnebago
. General Bragg was disabled in the action.
The remainder of General Bragg' career was spent patrolling the Mississippi from the mouth of the Red River to Natchez, Mississippi
. Infrequently she cruised as far south as Baton Rouge, Louisiana
and New Orleans, Louisiana
.
, 2 July 1865, and decommissioned at Cairo 24 July 1865. She was sold 1 September 1865, she was redocumented Mexico. She was employed for U.S. civilian purposes until 1870, when she was sold to foreign interests.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
captured by Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
forces during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. She was outfitted as a U.S. Navy gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
and was assigned to enforce the Union blockade
Union blockade
The Union Blockade, or the Blockade of the South, took place between 1861 and 1865, during the American Civil War, when the Union Navy maintained a strenuous effort on the Atlantic and Gulf Coast of the Confederate States of America designed to prevent the passage of trade goods, supplies, and arms...
of the waterways of the Confederate States of America
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
.
Built in New York City
General Bragg was originally the 1043-ton side-wheel river steamer Mexico and was built in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1851. She was owned by the Southern Steamship Co. at the start of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
Service as CSS General Bragg
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
service as CSS General Bragg at New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
15 January 1862. She was converted to a "cottonclad" ram and renamed for General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
, a western theater
Western Theater of the American Civil War
This article presents an overview of major military and naval operations in the Western Theater of the American Civil War.-Theater of operations:...
commander. As part of the River Defense Fleet
River Defense Fleet
The River Defense Fleet was a set of fourteen vessels in Confederate service, intended to assist in the defense of New Orleans in the early days of the American Civil War...
, she took part in the defenses of Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, and the surrounding area.
In an action off Fort Pillow on 10 May 1862 she helped disable the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
ironclad and was put out of action herself. On 6 June, she was run aground and captured during the naval battle off Memphis
Battle of Memphis
The First Battle of Memphis was a naval battle fought on the Mississippi River immediately above the city of Memphis on June 6, 1862, during the American Civil War. The engagement was witnessed by many of the citizens of Memphis. It resulted in a crushing defeat for the Rebels, and marked the...
. After repairs, she became USS General Bragg.
Service as the USS General Bragg
Following General Bragg's capture by the Union's Western Flotilla, she was transferred to the War DepartmentUnited States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
30 September 1862. Her first Commanding Officer was Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Joshua Bishop.
General Bragg was fitted out at Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, departing 9 July 1862 for Helena, Arkansas
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the county seat of Phillips County until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with...
. She sailed 16 August 1862 as part of an escort to steamer Iatan carrying 500 troops to the mouth of the Yazoo River
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.The Yazoo River was named by French explorer La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth. The exact meaning of the term is unclear...
for reconnaissance of Confederate batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
and guerrilla parties
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
. For the next 15 months, except for periods of repair at Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, she patrolled the river from Helena to the mouth of the Yazoo River, where she guarded against Confederate movements toward Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
.
Red River operations
With the fall of VicksburgBattle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
in July 1863, General Bragg remained in the vicinity until her departure 13 December, for her new station at the mouth of the Red River
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
. During the spring of 1864, it was her duty to guard the mouth of the river in support of the joint expedition against Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
on the Red. She began patrolling the river again, and 15 June engaged a Confederate battery with Naiad
USS Naiad (1863)
USS Naiad, was a stern-wheel steamer of the Union Navy during the American Civil War. In Greek mythology, "Naiads" are nymphs who lived in and gave life to lakes, rivers, springs, and fountains....
near Tunica Bend, Louisiana. For a time the ships got the worst of the action amid a hail of shot and musketry, but eventually drove off the Confederates with the help of Winnebago
USS Winnebago (1863)
USS Winnebago was a Milwaukee-class double-turret monitor, named for the Winnebago tribe of Siouan Indians that aided the US government during the Black Hawk War of 1832....
. General Bragg was disabled in the action.
The remainder of General Bragg
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
. Infrequently she cruised as far south as Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
and New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
.
Post-war decommissioning and subsequent career
The ship returned to Mound City, IllinoisMound City, Illinois
Mound City is a city located along the Ohio River in Pulaski County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 692. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Mound City is located at ....
, 2 July 1865, and decommissioned at Cairo 24 July 1865. She was sold 1 September 1865, she was redocumented Mexico. She was employed for U.S. civilian purposes until 1870, when she was sold to foreign interests.