USS Moose (1863) was a steamer purchased by 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...

 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 used by the Union Navy as a 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:...

 assigned to patrol Confederate

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...

 waterways to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Moose, a wooden sternwheel steam gunboat built at Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

, in 1863 as Florence Miller II, was purchased at Cincinnati 20 May 1863, and commissioned immediately, Comdr. LeRoy Fitch in command.

Assigned as a gunboat to the Mississippi Squadron

Assigned to the Mississippi Squadron, the new gunboat departed Cincinnati 2 July 1863 to patrol the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

 from Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville, Kentucky

Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...

, upstream. Morgan’s Raiders had captured Union ships John T. McComb and Alice Dean 7 July; Moose and Victory

USS Victory (1863)

USS Victory was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.Victoria was used primarily by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways...

 responded to the Confederate threat, arriving Brandenburg, Kentucky

Brandenburg, Kentucky

Brandenburg is a city in Meade County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 2,049 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Meade County.-History:...

, 9 July.

Moose caught up with a guerrilla band at Twelve Mile Island 11 July; of the 1,500 Confederate troops trying to reinforce Morgan’s party, 45 crossed the Ohio River

Ohio River

The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...

, 39 were held on the island and taken prisoner, some were drowned, and the rest driven back.

Ohio River operations

On 19 July, Moose and Allegheny Belle shelled Confederates on Buffington Island

Buffington Island

Buffington Island is an island in the Ohio River in Jackson County, West Virginia, United States, east of Racine, Ohio. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Buffington Island took place on July 19, 1863, just south of the Ohio community of Portland....

, and captured abandoned artillery. Continuing to patrol the Ohio, Cumberland

Cumberland River

The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...

, and Tennessee River

Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...

s during the summer, Moose had convoy

Convoy

A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...

 duty on the Cumberland in October, and joined Fairplay

USS Fairplay

Fairplay was a wooden riverine ship in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.She was originally built in 1859 at New Albany, Indiana, for service on the Mississippi River and other waterways...

, Springfield

USS Springfield (1862)

USS Springfield was a steamship purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways....

, Silver Lake

USS Silver Lake (1862)

USS Silver Lake was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways.- Built in Pennsylvania is 1862 :...

, and Victory 8 November in defeating Confederate guerrillas attempting to cross the Ohio River. Returning from Harpeth Shoals

Harpeth River

The Harpeth River, long, is one of the major streams of north-central Middle Tennessee and one of the major tributaries of the Cumberland River...

 and escorting 10 transports to Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, Moose lay below Dover

Dover, Tennessee

Dover is a city in Stewart County, Tennessee, United States, westnorthwest of Nashville on the Cumberland River. An old national cemetery is in Dover. The population was 1,442 at the 2000 census...

 9 November planning the destruction of a guerrilla camp near Palmyra

Palmyra, Tennessee

Palmyra is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is located along State Route 149 southwest of Clarksville. The town has its own post office with the ZIP Code of 37142. Palmyra has a rich civil war history where MAJ GEN Joseph Wheeler of the Confederate army...

, a mission carried out with Victory in December.

Kentucky river operations

She continued river patrols, reporting on construction of ships in the Tennessee River

Tennessee River

The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately 652 miles long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other names...

, and in April 1864 with Hastings

USS Hastings (1860)

USS Hastings was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways....

 and Fairy

USS Fairy (1861)

USS Fairy was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways...

 broke up a Confederate attack on Columbus, Kentucky

Columbus, Kentucky

Columbus is a city in Hickman County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 229 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbus is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....

. On the 16th, the Confederates attacked Fort Pillow, annihilating its 500 defenders; Moose, Brilliant

USS Brilliant (1862)

USS Brilliant was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways....

, and Hastings were sent there to clean up. On the 29th, Moose scouted the river to Hickman, Kentucky

Hickman, Kentucky

Hickman is a city in Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,560 at the 2000 census. Named for Captain Paschal Hickman, a Kentucky officer who was killed by Indians in the Massacre of the River Raisin during the War of 1812, it is the county seat of Fulton County.Hickman is...

, bringing away Unionists while skirmishing to keep guerrillas away from the river.

From May through December, Moose patrolled from Nashville to halt smuggling and control guerrilla movements. Typical operations included shelling and scattering a group of 40 cavalry at the crossing of the Memphis and Clarksville Railroads

Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad

The Memphis, Clarksville and Louisville Railroad received its charter on January 28, 1852, from the state of Tennessee. The line connected with the Memphis and Ohio Railroad and the Louisville and Nashville Railroad connects between Memphis and Louisville.The railroad had a major strike in 1868...

 near Johnsonville 5 November, and shelling a large southern encampment above Turkey Island the same month. On 3 and 4 December, she fought field batteries at Bell’s Hills, Tennessee, silencing the guns and recapturing three transports. She returned to Nashville, but hit another battery, the 15th, capturing the guns. She joined Neosho

USS Neosho (1863)

USS Neosho was a ironclad river monitor laid down for the Union Navy in the summer of 1862 during the American Civil War. She was named after the Neosho River that flowed through Kansas and Oklahoma. After completion in mid-1863 the ship spent time patrolling the Mississippi River against...

 17 December to escort transports compelled to return to Nashville by a strong southern force.

A surprise attack on guerrillas on the Cumberland

Moose made a surprise attack on guerrillas crossing the Cumberland at Eddyville, Indiana, 30 April 1865, completely dispersing and demoralizing the party. Moose then returned to the Ohio and was ordered to Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, 2 July to discharge stores.

End-of-war decommissioning, sale, and civilian career

She decommissioned at Mound City, Illinois

Mound 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 ....

, 12 April 1865 and was sold at public auction

Public auction

A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....

 to D. White 17 August 1865. Redocumented as Little Rock 9 October 1865, she operated on the rivers until destroyed by fire at Clarendon, Arkansas

Clarendon, Arkansas

Clarendon is a city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 1,960 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Monroe County.-Geography:Clarendon is located at ....

, 23 December 1867.