USS Reindeer (1863)
Encyclopedia
USS Reindeer (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. Post-war she was converted into a dispatch vessel
and served that function until finally decommissioned.
, in the spring of 1863 as Rachel Miller, was purchased by the Navy there on 13 June 1863 and placed in service early in July 1863.
and Navy efforts to open the entire Mississippi River
system to Federal shipping finally reached fruition with the capture of the South's river strongholds at Vicksburg, Mississippi
, and Port Hudson, Louisiana
.
To counter this strategy, Southern generals attempted to deprive the North of the use of these vital rivers. Lacking a powerful naval arm to challenge Federal forces afloat, the South resorted to guerrilla raids and cavalry forays against Union bases along the riverbanks and on supply ships which plied the rivers bringing Mr. Lincoln's
soldiers food, clothing, ammunition, and the other necessities of war.
crossed the Ohio River
and invaded the North with some 6,000 troops early in July, Reindeer joined a group of Union gunboats which patrolled the river for 10 days to prevent his crossing back to the southern bank and escaping. Aided by Union troops under Major General Ambrose Burnside
, they chased Morgan for almost 500 miles before they caught up with him at Buffington Island
on the 19th and captured about half of the invading force.
, to Madison, Indiana
, watchful against guerrilla batteries as she patrolled the river and escorted transports and supply ships.
for similar duty. In the months that followed, she frequently engaged Confederate batteries which fired upon her from temporary positions along the riverbanks as she reconnoitered the upper Cumberland and supported Army operations in Tennessee
which would ultimately culminate in General William Tecumseh Sherman
's death thrust through Georgia
to the sea.
On 11 April 1864, Reindeer became a dispatch vessel for the Navy base at Mound City, Illinois
, and served in that capacity until she decommissioned on 7 August 1865.
on 17 August 1865 to J. A. Williamson, et al., and was redocumented as Mariner on 5 October 1865. The ship operated as a merchantman until she was stranded and destroyed at Decatur, Alabama
, on 9 May 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. Post-war she was converted into a dispatch vessel
Dispatch boat
Dispatch boats were small boats, and sometimes large ships, tasked to carry military dispatches from ship to ship or from ship to shore or, in some cases from shore to shore...
and served that function until finally decommissioned.
Built in Cincinnati in 1863
Reindeer, a wooden, stern-wheel gunboat (No. 35) built at Cincinnati, OhioCincinnati, 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 the spring of 1863 as Rachel Miller, was purchased by the Navy there on 13 June 1863 and placed in service early in July 1863.
Assigned to the Mississippi Squadron
Reindeer joined the Mississippi Squadron just as Union ArmyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
and Navy efforts to open the entire 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...
system to Federal shipping finally reached fruition with the capture of the South's river strongholds at Vicksburg, Mississippi
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...
, and Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson, Louisiana
Port Hudson is a small unincorporated community in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, United States. Located about northwest of Baton Rouge, it is most famous for an American Civil War battle known as the Siege of Port Hudson.-Geography:...
.
Opening of the Confederate waterways to Union Navy control
This achievement of Northern arms opened a new phase of the Civil War in the West. Control of the vast inland waterways, which meandered through the Confederacy, gave Union commanders strategic lines of supply and communication for campaigns which would pierce into the South's heartland to deprive the Confederacy of its centers of strength.To counter this strategy, Southern generals attempted to deprive the North of the use of these vital rivers. Lacking a powerful naval arm to challenge Federal forces afloat, the South resorted to guerrilla raids and cavalry forays against Union bases along the riverbanks and on supply ships which plied the rivers bringing Mr. Lincoln's
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
soldiers food, clothing, ammunition, and the other necessities of war.
Supporting the effort to suppress Morgan’s Raiders
It was Reindeer's job to protect Northern shipping from Southern raiders. After Confederate Brig. Gen. John H. MorganJohn 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...
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...
and invaded the North with some 6,000 troops early in July, Reindeer joined a group of Union gunboats which patrolled the river for 10 days to prevent his crossing back to the southern bank and escaping. Aided by Union troops under Major General Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, they chased Morgan for almost 500 miles before they caught up with him at 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....
on the 19th and captured about half of the invading force.
Reindeer finally officially commissioned
The crisis passed, Reindeer returned to Cincinnati for a belated commissioning ceremony on 25 July 1863. She operated along the Ohio from Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, 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...
, to Madison, Indiana
Madison, Indiana
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,004 people, 5,092 households, and 3,085 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,402.9 people per square mile . There were 5,597 housing units at an average density of 654.1 per square mile...
, watchful against guerrilla batteries as she patrolled the river and escorted transports and supply ships.
Reassigned to Cumberland River operations
On 15 November, the gunboat was transferred to the Cumberland RiverCumberland 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...
for similar duty. In the months that followed, she frequently engaged Confederate batteries which fired upon her from temporary positions along the riverbanks as she reconnoitered the upper Cumberland and supported Army operations in Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
which would ultimately culminate in General William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
's death thrust through Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
to the sea.
On 11 April 1864, Reindeer became a dispatch vessel for the Navy base 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 ....
, and served in that capacity until she decommissioned on 7 August 1865.
Post-war disposal and subsequent civilian career
She was sold at public auctionPublic 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....
on 17 August 1865 to J. A. Williamson, et al., and was redocumented as Mariner on 5 October 1865. The ship operated as a merchantman until she was stranded and destroyed at Decatur, Alabama
Decatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
, on 9 May 1867.