The first USS ''Tuscumbia'' was a
gunboat in the
United States Navy during the
American Civil War. She was named for the town of
Tuscumbia, Alabama, which had been named for a
Cherokee chief.
''Tuscumbia'' was built in 1862 at
Cincinnati, Ohio, by Joseph Brown; launched on 2 December; and commissioned at
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 ...
; on 12 March 1863, Lieutenant Commander
James W. Shirk in command. She had two engines for the two sidewheels and two smaller engines for her two screws.
Service history
''Tuscumbia'' assisted in the recapture of
Fort Heiman on the
Tennessee River from 12 March to 14 March 1863. The vessel destroyed Confederate shipping used to ferry troops across the river and enfiladed Southern entrenchments situated behind the fort. At the end of the month, she entered the
Mississippi River.
In the spring and early summer of 1863, ''Tuscumbia'' performed valuable service during amphibious operations against
Vicksburg, Mississippi. On 1 April, she carried Admiral
David D. 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 of ...
and Generals
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
and
William Tecumseh Sherman on a reconnaissance expedition up the
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...
to determine the practicality of landing a force above Vicksburg at
Hayne's Bluff. ''Tuscumbia'' withdrew under heavy fire from shore batteries, prompting the decision to shift operations below Vicksburg to
Grand Gulf. ''Tuscumbia'' participated in the run past the Vicksburg batteries to
New Carthage on the night of 16 April and 17 April 1863, towing the damaged transport ''Forest Queen'' to safety. On 20 April,
USS General Price General Price may refer to:
* Cedric Rhys Price (1905–1987), British Army major general
* Charles F. B. Price (1881–1954), U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general
*Charles Basil Price (1889–1975), Canadian Army major general
* Denis Price (1908â ...
and ''Tuscumbia'' reconnoitered the Mississippi from New Carthage to Grand Gulf and took part in the attack on the Confederate works
at Grand Gulf on 29 April. During the attack, ''Tuscumbia'' suffered five casualties and was put out of action after taking 81 hits.
''Tuscumbia'' was quickly repaired and fired upon the Vicksburg batteries on 19 May and 22 May. During the attack on the 22nd, , , , and ''Tuscumbia'' silenced three water batteries and destroyed four guns. ''Tuscumbia'' returned to the naval station at
Memphis, Tennessee, for repairs in August but was laid up in November. She was repaired at Memphis in May 1864 and was assigned patrol duty between
Cairo and the head of the
Tennessee River.
After further repairs at
Mound City, Illinois, in October, she was inactivated in February 1865.
''Tuscumbia'' was sold at auction at Mound City to W. K. Adams on 29 November 1865.
See also
*
Anaconda Plan
*
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 ...
References
Bibliography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuscumbia
Ships of the Union Navy
Ships built in Cincinnati
Gunboats of the United States Navy
American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States
Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area
Alabama in the American Civil War
1862 ships