USS ''Tallahatchie'' was a 171-ton steamer acquired 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 ...

for service against the

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...

. ''Tallahatchie'' was outfitted with ordnance for river bank operations ( howitzers) and guns for attacking blockade runners (32-pounders) and was sent to 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 then to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

coast, where she participated in operations in both places.

Built in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1863

''Cricket No. 4''—a wooden-hulled sidewheel steamer built 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 ...

—was purchased there by the Union Navy from Stephen Morse et al. on 23 January 1864. Renamed ''Tallahatchie'' on 26 January and designated "''tinclad gunboat no. 46''," the sidewheeler was held at Cincinnati for a fortnight by ice in the

Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...

before she could be moved downstream to

Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...

, to be fitted out and lightly armored.

Civil War operations

Assigned to the Mississippi River

Acquired by Rear Admiral

David Dixon Porter David Dixon Porter (June 8, 1813 – February 13, 1891) was a United States Navy admiral and a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the U.S. Navy. Promoted as the second U.S. Navy officer ever to attain the rank o ...

in response to a request from Commodore

Henry H. Bell Henry Haywood Bell (13 April 1808 – 11 January 1868) was an admiral in the United States Navy. In the American Civil War, he took part in the liberation of New Orleans and the lower Mississippi. Later he was sent to the Far East to command the Ea ...

for light draft gunboats to strengthen United States naval forces in the

, ''Tallahatchie'' headed down the Mississippi River on 9 March 1864. The ship's bottom was covered with sheet copper at

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, to protect it during salt water operations. When finally ready for action, the ship was commissioned at New Orleans, Acting Master J. W. Saunders in command. Meanwhile, Porter's

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 ...

had ascended the Red River to support a

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 ...

thrust toward

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

. However, the forces had met reverses and were retiring. This left the Union gunboats without land support and in danger of being caught upstream by the falling water level in the river. Now Porter needed help, and ''Tallahatchie'' ascended the Mississippi and entered the Red River which she patrolled from Fort De Russy to the mouth of the Black River to protect the Mississippi Squadron's waterborne communications.

Assigned to the West Gulf blockade

In the meantime, the crews of Porter's warships and Union Army engineers dammed the river to allow the ships to ride downstream over the rapids. When the Union gunboats reached safety, ''Tallahatchie'' returned to New Orleans for duty with the

West Gulf Blockading Squadron The Union blockade in the American Civil War was a naval strategy by the United States to prevent the Confederate States of America, Confederacy from trading. The blockade was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln in April 1861, and required ...

. She served with this force for the duration of hostilities, operating off the passes of the Mississippi and in Mississippi Sound and

Lake Pontchartrain Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from west ...

. On 15 September 1864, while ''Tallahatchie'' was operating on the lake, her commanding officer, Acting Master J. W. Lennekin, received information warning him that smugglers would attempt to bring out contraband cotton under cover of darkness. Accordingly, he stationed a picket boat off the mouth of the Blind River.

Apprehending smugglers

That evening, when the smugglers came out, ''Tallahatchie's'' pickets challenged them and ordered them to surrender. Facing imminent capture, the southerners threw overboard a ledger book which contained the details of their illicit activities. Much to the smugglers' chagrin, the book was recovered. Two days later at the mouth of the Amite River, ''Tallahatchie'' captured more contraband cotton as well as small quantities of medicines, powder, flour, and other supplies on the banks of Bayou Schinblon. Besides taking the contraband, her landing party went ashore and learned that Confederate agents had previously purchased ammunition and supplies in the vicinity.

Post-war decommissioning

After the coming of peace in the spring of 1865, ''Tallahatchie'' was decommissioned at Mobile Bay,

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, on 21 July 1865. Sold at auction to S. W. Roberts on 12 August, the sidewheeler was redocumented as ''Coosa'' on 25 August. She was subsequently destroyed by fire at Licking River,

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia to ...

, on 7 July 1869.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallahatchie Ships of the Union Navy Ships built in Cincinnati Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1863 ships