''Fairplay'' was a wooden riverine ship in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. She was originally built in 1859 at

New Albany, Indiana New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. The population was 37,841 as of the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Floyd County. It is bounded by I-265 t ...

, for service on the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

and other waterways in the Trans-Mississippi Theater of the war. She was pressed into service at the start of the Civil War by the Confederacy, but was captured by the

76th Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiment The 76th Ohio Infantry Regiment, sometimes 76th Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry ( or 76th OVI) was an infantry regiment of the Union Army during the American Civil War. The regiment served in the Western Theater, primarily as part of the XV Cor ...

on 18 August 1862, during a joint expedition to

Milliken's Bend The Battle of Milliken's Bend was fought on June 7, 1863, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign during the American Civil War. Major General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union Army had placed the strategic Mississippi River city of Vicksburg, Mississipp ...

on the Mississippi. The

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

took possession of the ship, and on 6 September 1862, ''Fairplay'' was commissioned into Federal service with Lieutenant Commander

LeRoy Fitch USS ''Fitch'' (DD-462/DMS-25), was a of the United States Navy. Namesake LeRoy Fitch was born on 1 October 1835 in Logansport, Indiana. He was a member of the United States Naval Academy class of 1856, and served with distinction in the Ameri ...

in command. She was transferred to the

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

on 1 October 1862. From the base at

Smithland, Kentucky Smithland is a home rule-class city in Livingston County, Kentucky, United States, at the confluence of the Ohio and Cumberland Rivers. The population was 301 at the 2010 census, a drop from 401 in 2000. It is the county seat of Livingston Count ...

, ''Fairplay'' operated with other

gunboats A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to shore bombardment, bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for troopship, ferrying troops or au ...

in cooperation with the Army, patrolling the

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

, and

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

rivers, convoying troop transports and Army supply ships, and searching out and shelling concentrations of Confederates ashore. In August 1862 ''Fairplay'' was recaptured by the Union navy while it was transporting military supplies during the Vicksburg Campaign. Johnson, 1888, p. 358 On 3 February 1863, ''Fairplay'' was steaming up the Cumberland from the Smithland base to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, guarding a convoy of transports during a lengthy campaign. She and the five other gunboats of the escort received word that the garrison at

Dover, Tennessee Dover is a city in and the county seat of Stewart County, Tennessee, west-northwest of Nashville on the Cumberland River. Fort Donelson National Cemetery is in Dover. The population was 1,442 at the 2000 census and the 2010 census showed a popu ...

, was under attack by a large Confederate force. The small flotilla sailed at full speed to disperse the main body of attackers, taking them by surprise, and then returned to complete the passage to Nashville. ''Fairplay'' continued to operate in the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Ohio rivers, and on 3 December 1864, engaged a Confederate battery at Bell's Mill near Nashville. The next day, with the , she recaptured two transport steamers, previously taken by the Confederates and held at Bell's Mill.

Postwar history

After patrolling the same area after the war, as well as the Mississippi, she was decommissioned at

Mound City, Illinois Mound City is a city and the county seat of Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. It is located along the Ohio River just north of its confluence with the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 588. History Mound Ci ...

, on 9 August, and sold 17 August 1865.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairplay Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in New Albany, Indiana Steamships of the United States Navy 1862 ships Riverine warfare

Postwar history

See also

References

Sources