- USS Silver Lake (1862)
USS "Silver Lake" (1862) was a steamer purchased by the
Union Navy during theAmerican Civil War .She was used by the Union Navy as a
gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways.Built in Pennsylvania is 1862
"Silver Lake", a wooden stern-wheel steamer built in
1862 atCalifornia, Pennsylvania , was purchased by the Navy on15 November 1862 atCincinnati, Ohio , for service in theMississippi Squadron and commissioned on24 December 1862 , Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Robert K. Riley in command.Civil war operations
Ordered to support Union troops at Fort Donelson
On
24 January 1863 , "Silver Lake" and "Lexington" were ordered to join three other ships in theCumberland River to stop Confederate forces from crossing. The expedition, under the command of Lt. Cpmdr. LeRoy Fitch and consisting of "Silver Lake", "Lexington", "Fairplay", "St. Clair", "Brilliant", and "Robb", proceeded up theCumberland River to support Union forces surrounded by Confederate units atFort Donelson .Arriving after dark on the evening of
3 February 1863 , the Union ships caught the enemy by surprise. The Confederates besieging the fort had taken positions which exposed them to fire from the gunboats. Heavy casualties were inflicted. Fire was so well directed, that the Confederate force could not even carry off a captured caisson and retreated without firing a shot. The ships were then stationed in the area to prevent the return of the Southern forces.Shelling the town of Florence, Tennessee
"Silver Lake", "Lexington", and "Robb" shelled enemy forces from the town of
Florence, Tennessee , on31 March 1863 , destroying the cotton works.Destroying the town of Palmyra, Tennessee
Still under the command of Lt. Comdr. Fitch, "Silver Lake", "Lexington", "Brilliant", "Robb", and "Springfield" destroyed the city of
Palmyra, Tennessee , on3 April 1863 in retaliation for Confederateguerrilla forces firing upon a Union convoy.Silencing the Confederate batteries near Bell’s Mills, Tennessee
On the evening of
2 December 1864 , an expedition in which "Silver Lake" was included, surprised Southern batteries nearBell's Mills, Tennessee . On the two following days, the expedition silenced the batteries and recaptured three transports taken by the Confederates on the 2d. On6 December , "Silver Lake", "Moose", "Fairplay", and the ironclad "Neosho" engaged enemy batteries near Bell's Mills. Seeing that the lighter armed vessels would be destroyed by enemy fire, Fitch ordered the gunboats to return toNashville, Tennessee .Post-war decommissioning, sale, and civilian career
"Silver Lake" was decommissioned on
11 August 1865 atMound City, Illinois , and sold at public auction to J. H. Kenniston on17 August 1865 . She was redocumented as "Mary Hein" and had her rig changed to sidewheel by28 September 1865 . Fire destroyed the ship in the Red River on27 February 1866 .References
See also
*
United States Navy
*American Civil War External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s12/silver_lake.htm USS Silver Lake]
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