USS ''Moose'' was a steamer purchased by the

Union Navy The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were un ...

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 ...

. She was used by the Union Navy as a

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

assigned to patrol

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 1 ...

waterways to prevent the South from trading with other countries. ''Moose'', a wooden sternwheel steam gunboat built 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 wi ...

, in 1863 as ''Florence Miller II'', was purchased at Cincinnati 20 May 1863, and commissioned immediately, Comdr. LeRoy Fitch in command.

Assigned as a gunboat to the Mississippi Squadron

Assigned to 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 was ...

, the new gunboat departed Cincinnati 2 July 1863 to patrol the Ohio River from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, upstream. Morgan’s Raiders had captured Union ships ''John T. McComb'' and ''Alice Dean'' 7 July; ''Moose'' and responded to the Confederate threat, arriving

Brandenburg, Kentucky Brandenburg is a home rule-class city on the Ohio River in Meade County, Kentucky, in the United States. The city is southwest of Louisville. It is the seat of its county. The population was 2,643 at the 2010 census. History Brandenburg w ...

, 9 July. ''Moose'' caught up with a guerrilla band at Twelve Mile Island 11 July; of the 1,500 Confederate troops trying to reinforce Morgan’s party, 45 crossed the Ohio River, 39 were held on the island and taken prisoner, some were drowned, and the rest driven back.

Ohio River operations

On 19 July, ''Moose'' and ''Allegheny Belle'' shelled Confederates near

Buffington Island Buffington Island is an island in the Ohio River in Jackson County, West Virginia near the town of Ravenswood, United States, east of Racine, Ohio. During the American Civil War, the Battle of Buffington Island took place on July 19, 1863, just ...

, and captured abandoned artillery. Continuing to patrol the Ohio, Cumberland, and

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

s during the summer, ''Moose'' had

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

duty on the Cumberland in October, and joined , , , and 8 November in defeating Confederate guerrillas attempting to cross the Ohio River. Returning from Harpeth Shoals and escorting 10 transports to

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, ''Moose'' lay below Dover 9 November planning the destruction of a guerrilla camp near

Palmyra Palmyra (; Palmyrene: () ''Tadmor''; ar, تَدْمُر ''Tadmur'') is an ancient city in present-day Homs Governorate, Syria. Archaeological finds date back to the Neolithic period, and documents first mention the city in the early secon ...

, a mission carried out with ''Victory'' in December.

Kentucky River operations

She continued river patrols, reporting on construction of ships in the

, and in April 1864 with and broke up a Confederate attack on

Columbus, Kentucky Columbus is a home rule-class city in Hickman County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 170 at the 2010 census, a decline from 229 in 2000. The city lies at the western end of the state, less than a mile from the Mississippi Ri ...

. On the 16th, the Confederates attacked Fort Pillow, annihilating its 500 defenders; ''Moose'', , and ''Hastings'' were sent there to clean up. On the 29th, ''Moose'' scouted the river to

Hickman, Kentucky Hickman is a city in and the county seat of Fulton County, Kentucky, United States. Located on the Mississippi River, the city had a population of 2,365 at the 2020 U.S. census and is classified as a home rule-class city. Hickman is part of the ...

, bringing away Unionists while skirmishing to keep guerrillas away from the river. From May through December, ''Moose'' patrolled from Nashville to halt smuggling and control guerrilla movements. Typical operations included shelling and scattering a group of 40 cavalry at the crossing of the Memphis and Clarksville Railroads near Johnsonville 5 November, and shelling a large southern encampment above Turkey Island the same month. On 3 and 4 December, she fought field batteries at Bell's Hills, Tennessee, silencing the guns and recapturing three transports. She returned to Nashville, but hit another battery, the 15th, capturing the guns. She joined 17 December to escort transports compelled to return to Nashville by a strong southern force.

A surprise attack on guerrillas on the Cumberland River

''Moose'' made a surprise attack on guerrillas crossing the Cumberland at Eddyville, Indiana, 30 April 1865, completely dispersing and demoralizing the party. ''Moose'' then returned to the Ohio and was ordered to

Jefferson Barracks, Missouri The Jefferson Barracks Military Post is located on the Mississippi River at Lemay, Missouri, south of St. Louis. It was an important and active U.S. Army installation from 1826 through 1946. It is the oldest operating U.S. military installation w ...

, 2 July to discharge stores.

End-of-war decommissioning, sale, and civilian career

She 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 ...

, 12 April 1865 and was sold at public auction to D. White 17 August 1865. Redocumented as ''Little Rock'' 9 October 1865, she operated on the rivers until destroyed by fire at

Clarendon, Arkansas Clarendon is a city in, and the county seat of, Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. Located in the Arkansas Delta, the city's position on the White River at the mouth of the Cache River has defined the community since first incorporating in ...

, 23 December 1867.

References