USS ''Vindicator'' was a 750-ton steamer acquired by the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

and put to use by the Union 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 ...

. ''Vindicator'' served the

Union Navy ), (official) , colors = Blue and gold , colors_label = Colors , march = , mascot = , equipment = , equipment_label ...

primarily as a ram on 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 its tributaries as part of the Union effort to control the Mississippi River and, essentially, divide 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 ...

in half. ''Vindicator'' was also equipped by the 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-steam ...

with a number of powerful guns installed on board.

Service history

''Vindicator''—originally acquired by the Federal Government in 1863 at

New Albany, Indiana New Albany is a city in Floyd County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River, opposite Louisville, Kentucky. The population was 37,841 as of the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Floyd County. It is bounded by I-265 t ...

, for use by the

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 ...

during the American Civil War—was transferred to the Union Navy in 1864; and commissioned on 24 May, Lt. Comdr.

Thomas O. Selfridge Rear Admiral Thomas Oliver Selfridge (24 April 1804 – 15 October 1902) was an officer in the United States Navy during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War and was the father of another rear admiral, Thomas O. Selfridge, Jr ...

in command. Shortly after her transfer from the Army, ''Vindicator'' was reworked 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 ...

, for use as a ram in the Mississippi Squadron. She was assigned Command to the 5th District of the squadron on 4 July and deployed off

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 ...

, later that month. While off Natchez, ''Vindicator'' and her squadron performed patrol and

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

duties, and the mere presence and vigilance of the formidable Union gunboats there were credited with preventing a planned Confederate crossing of the river on 22 August. ''Vindicator'' was transferred to the 6th District of the Mississippi River for duty in early November. During an 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 ...

, ''Vindicator'' and the stern-wheeler ''Prairie Bird'' transported and covered Union cavalry forces in an attack on Confederate communications in western

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 ...

on the 27th. The Federals destroyed the railroad bridge over the Big Black River and tore up tracks for a distance of 30 miles around. Major General Napoleon J. T. Dana praised the performance of the two gunboats, saying: "the assistance of the vessels of the Sixth Division Mississippi Squadron rendered the expedition a complete success." ''Vindicator'' remained in the 6th District for the duration of the war and conducted a spirited, though unsuccessful, pursuit of the ram ''William H. Webb'' off the mouth of the Red River in Mississippi on 23 and 24 April 1865. During the chase, Acting Master D. P. Slattery of ''Vindicator'' stoked his boilers to near bursting point, commenting that, "such was the spirit animating every officer, man, and boy that all seemed to vie with each other in the rapid and intelligent execution of each order." ''Vindicator'' was withdrawn from service soon thereafter and laid up at Mound City, where she was partially dismantled in July. She was sold at

public auction In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

at Mound City to W. L. Hambleton on 29 November; redocumented ''New Orleans'' on 27 February 1866; and dropped from documentation in 1869.

References

External links

USS Vindicator
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vindicator Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Rams of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States 1860s ships

Service history

See also

References

External links