- USS Vindicator (1863)
USS "Vindicator" (1863) was a 750-ton steamer acquired by the
U.S. Navy and put to use by the Union during theAmerican Civil War ."Vindicator" served the
Union Navy primarily as a ram on theMississippi River and its tributaries as part of the Union effort to control the Mississippi River and, essentially, divide theConfederate States of America in half. "Vindicator" was also equipped by the Navy as agunship with a number of powerful guns installed on board.Acquired by the Union in Indiana in 1863
"Vindicator" -- originally acquired by the Federal Government in
1863 atNew Albany, Indiana , for use by theUnion Army during the American Civil War -- was transferred to the Union Navy in1864 ; and commissioned on24 May , Lt. Comdr.Thomas O. Selfridge in command.Civil War operations
Reworked as a ram gunboat
Shortly after her transfer from the Army, "Vindicator" was reworked at
Mound City, Illinois , for use as a ram in the Mississippi Squadron. She was assigned Command to the 5th District of the squadron on4 July and deployed offNatchez, Mississippi , later that month.While off Natchez, "Vindicator" and her squadron performed patrol and
reconnaissance duties, and the mere presence and vigilance of the formidable Union gunboats there were credited with preventing a planned Confederate crossing of the river on22 August .Yazoo River expedition
"Vindicator" was transferred to the 6th District of the Mississippi River for duty in early November. During an expedition up the
Yazoo River , "Vindicator" and the stern-wheeler "Prairie Bird" transported and covered Union cavalry forces in an attack on Confederate communications in westernMississippi on the 27th. The Federals destroyed the railroad bridge over theBig Black River and tore up tracks for a distance of 30 miles around. Major GeneralNapoleon J. T. Dana praised the performance of the two gunboats, saying::"The assistance of the vessels of the Sixth Division Mississippi Squadron rendered the expedition a complete success."
Pursuit of CSS William H. Webb
Vindicator remained in the 6th District for the duration of the war and conducted a spirited, though unsuccessful, pursuit of the ram "William H. Webb" off the mouth of the Red River in Mississippi on 23 and
24 April 1865 . During the chase, Acting Master D. P. Slattery of Vindicator stoked his boilers to near bursting point, commenting that:"Such was the spirit animating every officer, man, and boy that all seemed to vie with each other in the rapid and intelligent execution of each order." "Vindicator" was withdrawn from service soon thereafter and laid up at
Mound City, Illinois , where she was partially dismantled in July.Post-war decommissioning and subsequent career
She was sold at public auction at Mound City to W. L. Hambleton on
29 November ; redocumented "New Orleans" on27 February 1866 ; and dropped from documentation in1869 .References
See also
*
American Civil War
*Union Navy
*Confederate States Navy External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-v/vindcatr.htm USS Vindicator]
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