USS ''Queen City'' was a steamer acquired 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 Navy as a gunboat and assigned to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries.

Service history

''Queen City'', a wooden, side wheel steamer, was purchased by the

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 ...

, from Samuel Wiggins, on 13 February 1863. The vessel was commissioned at Cincinnati on 1 April 1863, Acting Master Jason Goudy in command. The " tinclad"

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 ...

(No. 26) operated tip the

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 ...

supporting

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 of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

operations in the area through the spring. In the summer she transferred 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 fl ...

and patrolled the river protecting Union lines of supply and communications. On 13 October she departed

Helena, Arkansas Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phillips, an early settler of Phillips County and the n ...

, and carried troops to

Friars Point, Mississippi Friars Point is a town in Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 896. Situated on the Mississippi River, Friars Point was once a busy port town, and remains the only place in Coahoma County with publi ...

, where they landed and surrounded the town. The next morning they seized a large quantity of

cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor pe ...

Capture

In ensuing months, she continued operations along the rivers of

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

. Off

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 ...

, on 24 June, two regiments of Confederate cavalry supported by artillery attacked ''Queen City'' disabling the paddle wheel steamer arid forcing her commander to surrender. When attempted to recover the ship, the Confederates blew her up.

References

External links

Photo gallery
at navsource.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Queen City (1863) Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Shipwrecks in rivers Maritime incidents in June 1864

Service history

Capture

See also

References

External links