- USS Paw Paw (1863)
USS "Paw Paw" (1863) was a steamer acquired by the
Union Navy during theAmerican Civil War . She was used by the Union Navy as aconvoy and patrol vessel on Confederate waterways.Acquisition and conversion to tinclad
"Fanny", a wooden, center-wheel steamer formerly named "St. Charles", was purchased by the Navy at
Chicago, Illinois ,9 April 1863 from J. Van Vartwick; arrivedCairo, Illinois , fromSt. Joseph, Missouri .13 April 1863 for conversion to a “tinclad”gunboat ; renamed "Paw Paw"12 May 1863 , designated "gunboat No. 31" on19 June 1863 ; and commissioned25 July 1863 , Acting Master Augustus F. Thompson in command.Assigned to the upper Mississippi, "Paw Paw" runs aground
"Paw Paw" patrolled the upper
Mississippi River protecting Union communication and supply bases fromguerilla attacks. She struck a snag and sank in Walnut Bend6 August 1863 , but was pumped out and raised by steam pump boat "Champion No. 5". After repairs atCairo, Illinois , she resumed patrol duty. From10 October to13 December , she supported GeneralWilliam Tecumseh Sherman ’s operations on theTennessee River .General Sherman thanks Admiral Porter for the support of his ships
In acknowledging the arrival of the gunboats, General Sherman wrote Admiral
David Dixon Porter ::“Of course we will get along together elegantly. All I have, he (Lt. Comdr. S. L. Phelps, the senior naval officer on the Tennessee River) can command, and I know the same feeling pervades every sailor’s and soldier’s heart. We are as one.”
Sherman’s confidence was well founded. The joint effort solidified the Union’s position in the South’s interior and prepared for Sherman’s drive on
Atlanta, Georgia , and ultimate thrust to the sea.Continued operations with the Mississippi Squadron
Through the end of the war, "Paw Paw" remained active in the
Mississippi Squadron maintaining Union control of the vast river system which acted as the nerves and sinews of the South.Post-war decommissioning and disposal
"Paw Paw" decommissioned at
Mound City, Illinois ,1 July 1865 and was sold at public auction there to Sol. A. Silver17 August 1865 .References
See also
*
United States Navy
*American Civil War External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p3/paw_paw.htm USS Paw Paw]
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