USS ''Fort Hindman'' was a
steamer acquired by the
Union Navy during the
American Civil War. She was placed in service and used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the
Confederacy
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 ...
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Assigned to the Mississippi Squadron
''Fort Hindman'', a side wheel
steamer, was purchased 14 March 1863 as ''James Thompson''; she was converted into a river gunboat by the addition of timber bulwarks and thin iron plate: a style of warship commonly referred to as a "tinclad". She joined the
Mississippi Squadron
The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and ...
in April 1863, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant
Thomas O. Selfridge Jr.
Thomas Oliver Selfridge Jr. (February 6, 1836 – February 4, 1924), son of Rear Admiral Thomas O. Selfridge, was an officer in the United States Navy.
Early life
Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, Selfridge graduated from the United State ...
in command; was renamed ''Manitou'' 23 March 1863; and renamed ''Fort Hindman'' 8 November 1863. The ''USS Fort Hindman'' was designed to patrol in shallow waters and small tributaries where heavier ironclads could not enter. Her light armor was only intended to stop small arms fire.
Patrolling the Mississippi and adjacent rivers
In July 1863, the
steamer headed an expedition up the
Little Red River, a tributary of the
Black River, and captured quantities of
ordnance and Confederate Government provisions, as well as the heavier Federal
ironclad
An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...
''Louisville''.
She continued to patrol the central
Mississippi River and its tributaries, taking a Confederate merchantman prize in the Red River 1 March, engaging Confederate
sharpshooters and a battery ashore in the Black and later that day in the
Ouachita River. During the expedition, ''Fort Hindman'' transported troops and
prisoners of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held Captivity, captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold priso ...
, over and over again engaged Confederate batteries, and took part in the passage of the falls off
Alexandria, Louisiana, on 8 May.
Moving to a more southerly patrol area, ''Fort Hindman'' operated in the rivers and
bayou
In usage in the Southern United States, a bayou () is a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It may refer to an extremely slow-moving stream, river (often with a poorly defined shoreline), marshy lake, wetland, or creek. They ...
s of
Louisiana, occasionally returning to
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, N ...
.
Post-war decommissioning and sale
She arrived at
Mound City, Illinois, 1 August 1865. There she was decommissioned 3 August 1865, and sold 17 August 1865.
See also
*
Blockade runners of the American Civil War
*
Union Navy
*
Confederate States Navy
References
External links
USS Fort Hindman (1863-1865, "Tinclad" # 13).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Hindman
Ships of the Union Navy
Steamships of the United States Navy
Gunboats of the United States Navy
American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States
1862 ships