The USS ''Fawn'' was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy 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 used by the Union Navy as a patrol and escort vessel, operating in

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...

waterways. ''Fawn'', a stern wheel steamer, was launched in 1863 at

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, as ''Fanny Barker''. She was commissioned 11 May 1863 and purchased by the Navy 13 May 1863, Acting Master J. R. Grace in command. She was renamed ''Fawn'' 19 June 1863.

Supporting operations on various Confederate waterways

Throughout the remainder of the Civil War, ''Fawn'' patrolled the

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

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 ...

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

and

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in the western United Stat ...

s, also convoying

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 ...

transports, ferrying troops across rivers, carrying Army payrolls, and often engaging Confederate batteries, cavalry, and foot soldiers ashore. For much of her career, she served in the White River, convoying transports and shelling Confederate positions threatening Union troop concentrations.

Holed by a hit at Clarendon, Arkansas

From March through June 1864, aside from a brief repair period at

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, she supported Army operations against

Clarendon, Arkansas Clarendon is a city in, and the county seat of, Monroe County, Arkansas, Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Arkansas Delta, the city's position on the White River (Arkansas), White River at the mouth of the Cache River (Arkansas ...

, receiving one hit from a shore battery there.

Final operations and decommissioning

From March to May 1865, ''Fawn'' patrolled the Mississippi between the White and

St. Francis River The St. Francis River is a tributary of the Mississippi River, about long, in southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas in the United States. The river drains a mostly rural area and forms part of the Missouri-Arkansas state line along the ...

s, then sailed up river to Mound City, Illinois, where she was decommissioned 30 June 1865 and sold 17 August 1865.

References

External links

USS Fawn
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fawn Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Cincinnati Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy 1863 ships