USS Naumkeag (1863)
Encyclopedia
USS Naumkeag (1863) 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.
Naumkeag, a wooden stern-wheel steamboat built at Cincinnati, Ohio
, early in 1863, was purchased by the Navy at Cairo, Illinois
, 14 April 1863 from Allen Collier; and commissioned at Mound City, Illinois
, 16 April 1863, Lt. Comdr. George Brown in command.
and its tributaries which united vast reaches of the Confederacy. As determined Federal forces wiped out Southern naval power on these inland waters, and finally won unbroken possession of the Mississippi Valley with the conquest of Vicksburg
, the South selected cavalry raids and guerilla tactics as the most promising means of snatching their fruits of victory from the North.
surrendered, Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan
, CSA, attacked Union positions on the upper Ohio and captured Union steamers John T. McCombs and Alice Dean. He crossed the river at Brandenburg
and raced east through southern Indiana
and Ohio
-- burning bridges, tearing up railroads, destroying Federal public property, and terrifying the countryside.
some 250 miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio
, and attacked, forcing the Southerners to flee up river leaving their wounded and foot soldiers behind to be captured. The Union ships followed Morgan’s troops until stopped by shallow water.
, 11 August 1865, and was sold at public auction
there to Charles F. Dumont 17 August 1865.
She redocumented as Montgomery 16 September 1865 and served on the rivers of the South until destroyed by fire at Erie, Alabama, 19 January 1867.
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.
Naumkeag, a wooden stern-wheel steamboat 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...
, early in 1863, was purchased by the Navy 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...
, 14 April 1863 from Allen Collier; and commissioned 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 ....
, 16 April 1863, Lt. Comdr. George Brown in command.
The Union effort to control the rivers of the Confederacy
The Civil War in the west was largely a struggle to control the Mississippi RiverMississippi 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...
and its tributaries which united vast reaches of the Confederacy. As determined Federal forces wiped out Southern naval power on these inland waters, and finally won unbroken possession of the Mississippi Valley with the conquest of Vicksburg
Battle 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...
, the South selected cavalry raids and guerilla tactics as the most promising means of snatching their fruits of victory from the North.
The terror tactics of Confederate General John Morgan
On 7 July 1863, three days after VicksburgVicksburg, 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,...
surrendered, Brig. Gen. John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan
John Hunt Morgan was a Confederate general and cavalry officer in the American Civil War.Morgan is best known for Morgan's Raid when, in 1863, he and his men rode over 1,000 miles covering a region from Tennessee, up through Kentucky, into Indiana and on to southern Ohio...
, CSA, attacked Union positions on the upper Ohio and captured Union steamers John T. McCombs and Alice Dean. He crossed the river at Brandenburg
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:...
and raced east through southern Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
-- burning bridges, tearing up railroads, destroying Federal public property, and terrifying the countryside.
In pursuit of General Morgan
Learning of the attack the next day, Lt. Comdr. Le Royo Fitch, the Union naval commander in the region, ordered his ships up river in pursuit of the raiders. Naumkeag joined the chase on the 10th. On the 19th, the gunboats caught up with Morgan at a ford above Buffington IslandBuffington 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....
some 250 miles east of 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...
, and attacked, forcing the Southerners to flee up river leaving their wounded and foot soldiers behind to be captured. The Union ships followed Morgan’s troops until stopped by shallow water.
Final operations, decommissioning and civilian career
Naumkeag continued to operate on the western rivers through the end of the war. She decommissioned at 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 ....
, 11 August 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....
there to Charles F. Dumont 17 August 1865.
She redocumented as Montgomery 16 September 1865 and served on the rivers of the South until destroyed by fire at Erie, Alabama, 19 January 1867.