USS ''Clifton'' was a shallow-draft side-wheel paddle steamer, built in 1861 at

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, as a civilian ferry. 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 ...

bought her early that December, and commissioned her after having her converted into 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 ...

. In 1863 she ran aground, was captured and commissioned into the Texas Marine Department. Her career ended in 1864 when she ran aground and her Confederate crew burned her to prevent her recapture.

US Navy service

''Clifton'' steamed from New York to the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an 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 the United ...

in February–March 1862. In April she towed mortar schooners into 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 fl ...

and supported them as they bombarded the Confederate fortifications below

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

.Following the fall of the forts and city later in the month, she operated with Rear Admiral

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. F ...

's squadron during its drive up the river to

Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vi ...

. There, on 28 June 1862 Clifton was damaged by enemy gunfire. ''Clifton'' participated in the Battle of Baton Rouge on 5 August 1862. In October 1862, ''Clifton'' took part in the capture of Galveston, Texas. She helped seize Fort Burton, at Butte La Rose, Louisiana, in April 1863. In mid-July, her crew assisted in capturing the sailing bark ''H. McGuin''. Later in the month she fired on Confederate batteries on the

Atchafalaya River The Atchafalaya River ( french: La Rivière Atchafalaya, es, Río Atchafalaya) is a distributary of the Mississippi River and Red River in south central Louisiana in the United States. It flows south, just west of the Mississippi River, and ...

, Louisiana.

Capture and Confederate service

On 8 September 1863, during a Union attack on

Sabine Pass Sabine Pass is the natural outlet of Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico. It borders Jefferson County, Texas, and Cameron Parish, Louisiana. History Civil War Two major battles occurred here during the American Civil War, known as the First and ...

, Texas, ''Clifton'' grounded while under intense cannon fire and was captured. Entering Confederate service with the Texas Marine Department, ''Clifton'' was employed as a gunboat. According to a report made by Colonel S.P. Bankhead, Chief of Artillery for the Department of Texas in mid-December 1863, she was armed with 3 – 9-inch Dahlgren Cannon, 1- 30 pdr Rifle, and 3 – 32 pdr Guns. On 21 March 1864 she ran aground off Sabine Pass while attempting to run the blockade. After attempts to refloat the ship failed, ''Clifton'' was burned by her crew to prevent capture by Union warships.

References

External links

USS Clifton (1862–1863), CSS Clifton (1863–1864)Daniel D. T. Nestell Papers
(Acting Assistant Surgeon on the ''Clifton'') {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifton 1861 ships American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Gunboats of the United States Navy Ship fires Ships built in Brooklyn Ships of the Union Navy Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Shipwrecks of the Texas coast Steamships of the United States Navy Maritime incidents in March 1864 Maritime incidents in September 1863