Page 522 G. H. SMOOT Sch: t. 36 G. H. SMOOT, a schooner, was captured May 18, 1862 in the Potecasi Creek, N.C., by USS HUNCHBACK and SHAWSHEEN, of the naval force under Comdr. S. C. Rowan, USN. She was reported by her captors "as being the property of the rebel citizens of North Carolina ... engaged in the transportation of troops and supplies...." G. W. BIRD, see GOVERNOR MILTON GAINES SwStr: t. 863; l. 202'; b. 38'; dph. 13'; dr. 6; s. 10 k.; cpl. 130; a. 1 8" r., 5 32-pdr.; cl. MORGAN CSS GAINES was hastily constructed by the Confederates at Mobile, Ala., during 1861-62, from unseasoned wood which was partially covered with 2- inch iron plating. Gaines resembled CSS MORGAN except that she had high pressure boilers. Operating in the waters of Mobile Bay, under the command of Lt. J. W. Bennett, CSN, she fought gallantly during the battle of 5 August 1864 until finally run aground by her own officers to avoid surrender to the Union forces. GALLATIN Sch: t. 112 [150]; l. 73'4" bp; b. 20'6"; dph. 7'4"; cpl. 40; a. 2 12-pdr.; cl. MORRIS GALLATIN was a foretopsail schooner, sister to CALEB CUSHING (q.v.) and built at New York Navy Yard in 1831 as a revenue cutter. Originally on the Mobile station, she had been rushed to Charleston at the time of the South Carolina nullification incident, November 1832. In 1840, she went to the Coast Survey, back to the Revenue Marine in 1848 and to the Survey once more in 1849. She was seized upon Georgia's secession, she and HALLIE JACKSON becoming, 18 April 1861, the first privateers commissioned under the law of 17 April. A letter of marque was issued to William Hone, acting for fellow-owners F. W. Simms, D. H. Baldwin, J. A. Courvoisie and William Stamch, all of Savannah. GALLATIN's further activity is not recorded in official documents. GALLEGO Sch: t. 596; l. 144'; b. 30'; dph. 15' GALLEGO was built in 1855 at Newburyport, Mass., and was operating out of New Orleans when acquired by the Confederates. She was employed primarily as a cargo and store ship on the James River, Va. In a sinking condition and badly in need of repairs GALLEGO was run aground by the Confederates below the obstructions at Drewry's Bluff on the James River late in 1864. With the use of steam pumps the waterlogged schooner was successfully floated on 18 January 1865 and the next day was returned to an officer of the Confederate Engineering Corps stationed at Drewry's Bluff. GALVESTON, see GENERAL QUITMAN GENERAL BEAUREGARD SwRam GENERAL BEAUREGARD, often called BEAUREGARD, was selected in January 1862 by Capt. J. E. Montgomery, former river steamboat master, for his River Defense Fleet. [See Annex II]. At New Orleans, 25 January, Captain Montgomery began her conversion to a cotton-clad ram, installing 4-inch oak and 1-inch iron sheathing over her bow, with cotton bales sandwiched between double pine bulkheads to protect her boilers. Conversion completed 5 April GENERAL BEAUREGARD steamed to Fort Pillow, Tenn., to defend the approaches to Memphis. On 10 May 1862, GENERAL BEAUREGARD, Capt. J. H. Hart, and seven more of Montgomery's fleet, attacked the Federal Mississippi ironclad flotilla. This Plum Point Bend action witnessed effective ramming tactics by the Confederates, although GENERAL BEAUREGARD succeeded only in keeping her four 8-inch guns bravely firing in the face of a withering hail of Union shells. Montgomery's force held off the Federal rams until Fort Pillow was safely evacuated, 4 June, then fell back on Memphis to coal, the fifth. After Fort Pillow fell, Flag Officer C. H. Davis, USN commanding the Mississippi Flotilla, lost no time in appearing off Memphis, 6 June 1862. Montgomery, with a smaller squadron short of fuel, was unable to retreat to Vicksburg; unwilling to destroy his boats, he fought against heavy odds. In the ensuing Battle of Memphis, "witnessed by thousands on the bluff," BEAUREGARD unluckily missed ramming USS MONARCH and "cut away entirely the port wheel and wheel-house" of her partner, GENERAL STERLING PRICE, also engaging MONARCH. GENERAL BEAUREGARD, backing out, gave Union flagship BENTON a close broadside with a 42-pounder, and BENTON replied with a shot into the Confederate's boiler, killing or scalding many of her crew, 14 of whom, in agony were rescued by BENTON. GENERAL BEAUREGARD exploded and was sinking fast as MONARCH captured the rest of her complement and took her in tow towards the Arkansas shore, where the wreck remained for a short time partially visible in shoal water. Gbt On 16 December 1863, Admiral Porter noted, "From a refugee who escaped from Mobile, Ala., I learned the following particulars in relation to the rebel gunboats ; * * * in that vicinity. * * * A wooden gunboat called GENERAL BEAUREGARD carries four guns, and is commanded by Lieutenant Milligan. * * *" No further evidence to corroborate the existence of this warship has yet been discovered, but even this modicum of information does not suggest identification with any of the other BEAUREGARDs better known to history. GENERAL BEAUREGARD, see also BEAUREGARD GENERAL BEE Gbt GENERAL BEE, under Capt. T. Harrison, recruited a crew at Corpus Christi, Tex., in July 1862 and was assigned to guard the ship channel to prevent Federal gunboats from entering Corpus Christi Bay. GENERAL BRAGG SwRam: t. 1,043; l. 208'; b. 32'8"; dph. 15'; dr. 12'; s. 10 k.; a. 1 30-pdr. r., 1 32-pdr., 1 12-pdr. r. GENERAL BRAGG, originally MEXICO, was built at New York, N.Y., in 1851. She was owned by the Southern Steamship Co. before Maj. Gen. M. Lovell, CSA, under orders from Secretary of War J. Benjamin, impressed her for Confederate service at New Orleans, La., on 15 January 1862. Capt. J. E. Montgomery, a former river steamboat captain, selected her to be part of his River Page 523 Defense Fleet [See Annex II] and on 25 January ordered her conversion to a cottonclad ram with a 4-inch oak sheath and a 1-inch iron covering on her bow, and double pine bulkheads filled with compressed cotton bales. On 25 March 1862 GENERAL BRAGG's conversion was completed and she was sent from New Orleans to Fort Pillow, Tenn., where she operated in defense of the river approaches to Memphis, Tenn. On 10 May 1862, off Fort Pillow, GENERAL BRAGG, in company with seven other vessels under Captain Montgomery, attacked the ironclad gunboats of the Federal Mississippi Flotilla. In the engagement of Plum Point Bend GENERAL BRAGG, Capt. W. H. H. Leonard, went into the lead and closed USS CINCINNATI. The Union ship retreated to shallow water, but GENERAL BRAGG pursued despite vicious fire from nearly the whole Union fleet and rammed CINCINNATI, preventing her further retreat. GENERAL BRAGG received CINCINNATI's broadside, and, as her tiller rope was cut, drifted down river out of action leaving GENERAL STERLING PRICE and GENERAL SUMTER to finish off the Union ship. Later Montgomery's force held off the Federals until Fort Pillow was evacuated on 1 June. The Confederate rams then fell back on Memphis to take on coal. Following the Union capture of Fort Pillow, Flag Officer C. H. Davis, USN, commanding the Mississippi Flotilla, pressed on without delay and appeared off Memphis with a superior force on 6 June. Montgomery, unable to retreat to Vicksburg, Miss., because of his shortage of fuel, and unwilling to destroy his boats, determined to fight against heavy odds. In the ensuing Battle of Memphis on 6 June 1862, GENERAL BRAGG, called by Brig. Gen. M. Jeff Thompson, CSA. "the best and fastest" of Montgomery's vessels, was fired by a Union rifle shot bursting in her cotton protection. In the ensuing Union victory against the small Confederate force, GENERAL BRAGG grounded on a sand bar and was captured by Union forces, who, with great difficulty, managed to save her. She was taken into Federal service and sold after the war. GENERAL BRECKINRIDGE StwRam: cpl. 35; a. 1 24-pdr. GENERAL BRECKINRIDGE, also called . J. BRECKINRIDGE or BRECKINRIDGE, was selected at New Orleans, La., by Capt. J. E. Montgomery to be part of his River Defense Fleet [See Annex II]. On 25 January 1862 Captain Montgomery began to convert her into a cottonclad ram by placing a 4- inch oak sheath with a 1-inch iron covering on her bow, and by installing double pine bulkheads filled with compressed cotton bales. On 22 April 1862, as soon as her conversion was completed, GENERAL BRECKINRIDGE, under Capt. J. B. Smith, left New Orleans for Fort Jackson on the lower Mississippi to cooperate in the Confederate defense of New Orleans. GENERAL BRECKINRIDGE, with five other ships of Montgomery's River Defense Fleet in that area, was under the overall command of Capt. J. A. Stevenson. On 24 April 1862, when Flag Officer D. G. Farragut, USN, ran his fleet past Forts Jackson and St. Philip on his way to capture New Orleans, GENERAL BRECKINRIDGE was abandoned by her crew and burned to keep her from falling into Union hands. GENERAL CLINCH SwStr: t. 256; a. 2 brass guns GENERAL CLINCH., also called CLINCH, was built at Charleston, S.C., in 1839, and acquired in January 1861 by the State of South Carolina. She operated throughout the war in the Charleston harbor area and off the South Carolina coast, as a tender, harbor transport, and patrol boat. One of her earlier commanders was Lt. Thomas P. Pelot, CSN. In April 18g1 before the hostilities of the Civil War, GENERAL CLINCH in conjunction with Lady DAVIS and GORDON, all under the command of Comdr. H. J. Hartstene, CSN, guarded the approaches to Charleston harbor to prevent the Federal Government from reinforcing Fort Sumter. In the spring of the following year GENERAL CLINCH worked with MARION in moving the obstructions off Battery Island to near Elliott's Cut running into Wappoo Creek and into Charleston harbor. On 31 January 1863 GENERAL CLINCH participated with two other tenders CHESTERFIELD and ETIWAN, and the ironclad rams PALMETTO STATE and CHICORA in a daring expedition under Flag Officer D. Ingraham, CSN. The tenders, under Commander Hartstene, assisted the rams in leaving and reentering the narrow channels of Charleston harbor in their bold and damaging attack on Federal blockaders. There is evidence that GENERAL CLINCH sank in Charleston harbor and was raised before October 1864 by her owner, Mr. McCormick, for use as a blockade runner. GENERAL EARL VAN DORN SwRam: a. 1 32-pdr. GENERAL EARL VAN DORN, VAN DORN, EARL VAN DORN or GENERAL VAN DORN, was fitted out at New Orleans in 1862 for Confederate service. She operated under the direction of the Confederate army and was attached to the Mississippi River Defense Fleet commanded by Capt. J. E. Montgomery, a former river steamboat captain [See Annex II]. GENERAL EARL VAN DORN left New Orleans on 25 March 1862 and was detained at Memphis, Tenn., until 10 April while her ironwork was completed. She then steamed north and operated off Fort Pillow, Tenn., in defense of the river approaches to Memphis. On 10 May 1862, GENERAL EARL VAN DORN under Capt. I. D. Fulkerson, with seven other vessels of Montgomery's fleet, attacked the ironclad gunboats of the Federal Mississippi Flotilla off Fort Pillow. In the action of Plum Point Bend, which followed, GENERAL EARL VAN DORN, with skillful fire from her 32-pounder, succeeded in silencing Federal Mortar Boat No. 16. She then rammed USS MOUND CITY forcing her to run aground to keep from sinking. GENERAL EARL VAN DORN herself ran ashore and sustained a terrific carronade for a few minutes until she was able to back off. On 1 June 1862 a large number of Federal rams and gunboats appeared at Fort Pillow. GENERAL EARL VAN DORN and the other ships of Montgomery's fleet held them off until Fort Pillow was successfully evacuated. The Confederate force then fell back on Memphis to take on coal. Following the Federal capture of Fort Pillow. Flag Officer Charles H. Davis, USN, commanding the Mississippi Flotilla appeared off Memphis on 6 June with a superior force. Montgomery, unable to retreat because of his fuel shortage and unwilling to destroy his boats engaged the Federal force against heavy odds. All of the vessels of the Confederate River Defense Fleet at this engagement were either captured or destroyed except for GENERAL EARL VAN DORN which managed to escape because of her superior speed. She was chased down the Mississippi and up the Yazoo River by the rams MONARCH and LANCASTER under Col. C. Ellet, Jr. USA. They arrived below Yazoo City on 26 June 1862 in time to see GENERAL EARL VAN DORN being burned along with POLK and LIVINGSTON to prevent capture. According to Lancaster's log, they were "all oiled and tarred ready to be fired on our arrival," and, when first seen by the Federals rounding the bend, "all on fire and turned adrift * * * within a few hundred yards of the battery at Liverpool. * * * We backed down under the Page 524 point, when the VAN DORN blew up, which shook the hills." GENERAL LEE SwStr GENERAL LEE, small steamer, was used as a Confederate Army transport until captured at Savannah, Ga., in December 1864. GENERAL LOVELL SwRam: cpl. 40-50; a. 1 32-pdr. GENERAL LOVELL, a gunboat ram, had been a tugboat on the Mississippi River before she was purchased and fitted out at New Orleans for Confederate service. She was part of the River Defense Fleet [See Annex II] under the overall command of Capt. J. E. Montgomery, a former river steamboat captain. On 22 April 1862, as soon as her conversion was completed, GENERAL LOVELL, commanded by Capt. B. Paris left New Orleans for Fort Jackson on the lower Mississippi. GENERAL LOVELL and the other ships of Montgomery's River Defense Fleet in that area were under the command of Capt. J. A. Stevenson, CSA. On 24 April 1862 they were all destroyed when the Union fleet under Flag Officer D. G. Farragut, USN, ran past Forts Jackson and St. Philip on its way to New Orleans. GENERAL LOVELL was abandoned by her crew after being set on fire to keep her from falling into Union hands. GENERAL M. JEFF THOMPSON SwRam GENERAL M. JEFF THOMPSON, often referred to as JEFF THOMPSON, was selected in January 1862 by Capt. J. E. Montgomery to be part of his River Defense Fleet [See Annex II]. At New Orleans, La., on 25 January, Captain Montgomery began to convert her into a cottonclad ram by placing a 4-inch oak sheath with a 1-inch iron covering on her bow, and by installing double pine bulkheads filled with compressed cotton bales. When GENERAL M. JEFF THOMPSON's conversion was completed on 11 April, she steamed to Fort Pillow Tenn., where she operated in defense of the river approaches to Memphis, Tenn. On 10 May 1862, GENERAL M. JEFF THOMPSON, in company with seven other vessels of Montgomery's fleet, attacked the ironclad gunboats of the Federal Mississippi Flotilla. The action of Plum Point Bend which followed witnessed successful ramming tactics by the Confederates, but GENERAL M. JEFF THOMPSON, under Capt. J. H. Burke, was not able to get into the battle except with her guns. These she manned coolly and effectively despite the discouraging effect of heavy Union fire. Later Montgomery's force held off the Federal rams and gunboats until Fort Pillow was successfully evacuated on 1 June. Then the Confederate vessels fell back on Memphis to take on coal. Following the Federal capture of Fort Pillow, Flag Officer C. H. Davis, USN, commanding the Mississippi Flotilla pressed on without delay and appeared off Memphis with a superior force on 6 June 1862. Montgomery, unable to retreat to Vicksburg, Miss., because of his fuel shortage, and unwilling to destroy his boats, determined to fight against heavy odds. In the ensuing Battle of Memphis GENERAL M. JEFF THOMPSON was heavily hit and set on fire by Union shells. She ran aground and was abandoned by her crew. She burned to the water's edge and her magazine blew up violently, strewing the shore with iron braces and fastenings, with charred remains of broken timbers, and leaving her wrecked remains half buried and half sunk. GENERAL MIRAMON, see under MCRAE GENERAL PILLOW, see B. M. MOORE GENERAL POLK Gbt: t. 390; a. 3 to 7 guns, progressively CSS GENERAL POLK was originally a side-wheel river steamer which some authorities cite as the ED HOWARD or HOWARD, built in New Albany, Ind., in 1852. Purchased for $8,000 by the Confederates at New Orleans La., in 1861, she was converted into a ship of war which involved stripping her to a "mere shell." Her first service was under Flag Officer G. N. Hollins who took his Louisiana defense fleet up the Mississippi in December to cooperate with the Army in the vicinity of New Madrid, Mo. At that time Lt. J. H. Carter, CSN, commanded POLK, as she was usually known. In April, 1862 Commodore Hollins returned to New Orleans and command of the river fleet devolved on Comdr. R. F. Pinkney, CSN. After the fall of Island No. 10, POLK, LIVINGSTON and Army ram GENERAL EARL VAN DORN escaped 75 miles up the Yazoo River where they were burned at Liverpool, 25 miles below Yazoo City, on 26 June 1862 to prevent capture. GENERAL PRICE, see GENERAL STERLING PRICE GENERAL QUITMAN SwStr: t. 946; l. 233'3"; b. 34'3"; dph. 12'3"; dr. 9'; cpl. 90; a. 2 32-pdr. GENERAL QUITMAN was probably built at Brooklyn, N. Y. in 1857 and sailed as GALVESTON for the Texas Line of Charles H. Morgan's Southern S. S. Company before the war. Commodore Hunter, surveying her for a Confederate Navy gunboat in June 1861 at New Orleans, found her space too cramped for mounting guns. GALVESTON may have been substituted for the "small and poor" ATLANTIC, among 14 ships "impressed for public service" at New Orleans by Secretary of War Benjamin's order of 14 January 1862. On the 16th, Maj. Gen. Mansfield Lovell reported to the Secretary thus: "Captain Huger, of the Navy, who accompanied the party that took possession of the [14] ships, thinks the ATLANTIC will hardly answer as a war vessel, and I telegraphed yesterday to know whether I should substitute the GALVESTON for her." But it seems fairly certain GALVESTON soon became GENERAL QUITMAN of Capt. John K. Mitchell's lower Mississippi squadron. GENERAL QUITMAN continued under Louisiana State ownership, however, like GOVERNOR MOORE, still her running mate, with whom her identity has been confused for a century. Early in April 1862, cotton-clad and fitted with an iron prow to act as a ram, GENERAL QUITMAN steamed to support Forts Jackson and St. Philip, keys to the river position of New Orleans. Under Capt. Alexander Grant an experienced riverboat master, she reconnoitered the Union fleet downriver and stood by the forts. She was burned to prevent capture in the confusion of 24 June 1862, when New Orleans fell to the Union. SwStr: t. 615 [1,076]; l. 246 [261'6"]; b. 36' [40'2"]; dph. 7'3" ['4"] GENERAL QUITMAN was a river transport whose history from mid-January to 24 June 1862 is difficult to disentangle in official records from that of the former "sea steamer" GALVESTON, burned under the name GENERAL QUITMAN to escape capture when New Orleans fell to Farragut's forces. GENERAL QUITMAN is believed to have been built at New Albany, Ind. in 1859 for a New Or- Page 525 leans shipowner. She was "one of the best and most powerful boats on the river" in 1862 and one of the last to escape from the city the 24th, evacuating upriver "a good many ladies, some officers, and some ordnance stores." GENERAL QUITMAN continued to serve the Confederate Army as a troop and supply ship on the western rivers until war's end. Passed to private ownership, she sank at New Texas Landing, near Morganza, La., 23 October 1868. GENERAL RUSK SwStr: t. 750; l. 200'; b. 31'; dph. 12'; dr. 5'7" GENERAL RUSK built as a merchantman at Wilmington, Del.. in 1857, was seized from the Southern Steamship Co., by the State of Texas at Galveston in 1861. She served as reconnaissance and signal boat with the Texas Marine Department [See Annex III] in and about the waters of Galveston Harbor during the latter half of 1861. trying unsuccessfully on several occasions to slip past the Federal blockade. In early November 1861 she rendered aid to ROYAL YACHT following that vessel's capture and firing by Union forces from USS SANTEE and managed to save her from complete destruction and tow her to safety. In December 1861 she was ordered to take part in the defense of Buffalo Bayou, San Jacinto River. Her most memorable exploit was the capture on 17 April 1861 off Indianola, Tex., of USS STAR OF THE WEST the first Union transport to make news in the Civil War. [See ST. PHILIP.] During the early part of 1862 GENERAL RUSK was placed by General Hebert, commanding Texas Marine Department, under the control of Maj. T. S. Moise, Assistant Quartermaster, who colluded to transfer the steamer to his associates, authorizing them to place her under the British flag and employ her in blockade running. After a single successful round-trip there under the name BLANCHE she was bound for Havana in October 1862 when pursued by USS MONTGOMERY Comdr. C. Hunter, USN. While attempting to escape the steamer was run aground near Marianao, Cuba, and seized by a MONTGOMERY boat crew. Efforts to get her towed off the bar and underway again ended when fire broke out and consumed both ship and cargo. The incident occasioned strong protest from England under whose flag she sailed, and Spain in whose territorial waters she was captured. GENERAL SCOTT Str GENERAL SCOTT a guard boat and transport in Confederate army service, was fired and abandoned by her crew in the York River, Va., in May 1862 to prevent capture. GENERAL STERLING PRICE SwRam: t. 633 [483]; l. 182'; b. 30'; dph. 9'3" GENERAL STERLING PRICE often referred to as GENERAL PRICE or PRICE was built as LAURENT MILLAUDON, L. MILLANDON or MILLEDON at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1856. She was acquired for Confederate service and fitted out at New Orleans, La., for the River Defense Fleet under Capt. J. E. Montgomery. [See Annex II] On 25 January 1862 Captain Montgomery began to convert her into a cottonclad ram by placing a 4-inch oak sheath with a 1-inch iron covering on her bow, and by installing double pine bulkheads filled with compressed cotton bales. On March 25 GENERAL PRICE, Capt. J. H. Townsend, sailed from New Orleans to Memphis, Tenn., where she stayed until 10 April having her ironwork completed. She was then sent to Fort Pillow, Tenn., where she operated in defense of the river approaches to Memphis. On 10 May 1862, off Fort Pillow, GENERAL PRICE under First Officer J. E. Henthorne (or Harthorne), in company with seven other vessels under Captain Montgomery attacked the ironclad gunboats of the Federal Mississippi Flotilla. In the action of Plum Point Bend, which followed, the Confederate ram GENERAL BRAGG struck USS CINCINNATI halting her retreat. This allowed GENERAL PRICE to violently ram the Federal gunboat, taking away her rudder, stern post, and a large piece of her stern, decisively disabling her. At the same time GENERAL PRICE’s well directed fire silenced FEDERAL MORTAR BOAT NO. 16, which was being guarded by CINCINNATI. GENERAL PRICE was heavily hit in this action. Her upper works were severely damaged, and she was struck by a 128-pound shell which cut off her supply pipes and caused a dangerous leak. The Confederates quickly repaired GENERAL PRICE and later she participated with Montgomery’s force in holding off Federal vessels until Fort Pillow was successfully evacuated on 1 June. The Confederate vessels then fell back on Memphis to take coal. Following the Federal capture of Fort Pillow Flag Officer C. H. Davis, USN. commanding the Mississippi Flotilla, pressed on without delay and appeared off Memphis with a superior force on 6 June. Montgomery, unable to retreat to Vicksburg, Miss., because of his shortage of fuel, and unwilling to destroy his boats, determined to fight against heavy odds. In the ensuing Battle of Memphis, GENERAL STERLING PRICE charged the Federal ram MONARCH but instead collided with the Confederate ram GENERAL BEAUREGARD, also attacking MONARCH. GENERAL PRICE lost her wheel and was disabled. While the two Confederate vessels were entangled Federal rams attacked them mercilessly. GENERAL PRICE collided with the Federal ram QUEEN OF THE WEST under Col. C. Ellet, Jr., USA, commander of the two rams of the Davis Flotilla. As QUEEN OF THE WEST captured her crew, GENERAL STERLING PRICE sank slowly onto a sand bar. She was later raised by Union forces and taken into Federal service. GENERAL SUMTER SwRam: t. 525; l. 182'; b. 28'4"; dph. 10'8"; a. 32-pdr. GENERAL SUMTER-as often SUMTER in common parlance-is known to have been the river towboat JUNIUS BEEBE with low-pressure machinery-quite likely a vessel built at Algiers, La., in 1853. Acquired by the State of Louisiana from Charles H. Morgan's Southern Steamship Co. early in 1861, JUNIUS BEEBE was useful to the Confederate cause, in such details as diverting foreign shipping preparatory to closing Southwest Pass, operating under Stanton & Co., New Orleans, managing for the Governor, until selected by Capt. James E. Montgomery for his River Defense Fleet [see Annex II]. On 25 January 1862, in the James Martin yard at Algiers, across the Mississippi from New Orleans, Montgomery began her conversion to a cottonclad ram featuring 4-inch oak sheathing, an inch of iron over her bows and cotton bales between double pine bulkheads. Alterations completed, GENERAL SUMTER went up to Ft. Pillow, Tenn., 17 April, to be armed. On 10 May, defending the main avenue to Memphis, Montgomery's fleet of eight attacked the Federal ironclads. In this action at Plum Point Bend, 4 miles above Ft. Pillow it was probably GENERAL SUMTER under Capt. W. W. Lamb that bravely steamed up within 20 yards of MORTAR BOAT NO. 16 whose projectiles were threatening the fort, and fired everything she had, including a rifle volley; two 32-pound shot actually pierced the iron blinds of the Union floating battery. Then GENERAL STERLING PRICE and GENERAL SUMTER cooperated in a well executed coordinated attack. one after the other ram- Page 526 ming USS CINCINNATI at full speed 90 that she lost her rudder and much of her stern, CINCINNATI (whom Montgomery reported as CARONDELET) had to be run ashore to save her from sinking. Thus the Montgomery rams held off the Federal flotilla until the fort was successfully evacuated, 1 June, before falling back on Memphis to refuel. Quickly following up capture of Ft. Pillow, Flag Officer Charles H. Davis, USN, appeared off Memphis in force on 6 June. Montgomery, cornered, without coal enough to retreat to Vicksburg yet unwilling to scuttle his fleet, fought it out desperately in the Battle of Memphis: GENERAL SUMTER rammed and seriously damaged USS QUEEN OF THE WEST but eventually most of the Confederate vessels were destroyed or bowed to the inevitable. GENERAL SUMTER did not sink; badly shot up, she ran up on the Arkansas shore, was captured and became, briefly, USS SUMTER. In August she grounded again, downriver off Bayou Sara, La., and was abandoned except for spare-part raids on her machinery by the rest of the squadron at periods of low water; before the local populace completed stripping her, Confederate authorities succeeded in setting fire to the hulk. SwStr The passenger steamer GENERAL SUMTER, also commonly abbreviated to SUMTER, is reputed to have been under more or less direct Confederate Army control as a transport in the upper Florida Lakes-Ocklawaha River area but specific details of her service are lacking today. To avoid confusion in the roster of SUMTERs, already too frequently misidentified over the past century, this SUMTER cannot well be omitted here, especially since she became a notable ship from the time of her capture by USS COLUMBINE in Big (Great) Lake George, Fla., 23 March 1864. SUMTER's Capt. W. W. Tumblin, after his surrender, piloted COLUMBINE and, together with the SUMTER as a prize and armed with a howitzer, searched out and captured the Confederate steamer HATTIE BROCK in the difficult inland waters of Florida. GENERAL VAN DORN, see GENERAL EARL VAN DORN GEORGE BUCKHART Sch: a. 1 6-pdr. GEORGE BUCKHART was armed by the Confederates for duty in conjunction with the Texas Marine Department [See Annex III] along the Texas Coast, particularly in the Matagorda Bay area. She was described as a good vessel, but riding extremely low in the water so that she could be boarded easily. On 17 March 1865, a schooner, GEORGE BURKHART, probably the same ship, was captured by USS QUAKER CITY off Brazos Santiago while running the blockade. GEORGE PAGE SwStr: t. 410; a. 2 guns GEORGE PAGE, built as a transport at Washington, D.C., in 1853, was attached to the Quartermaster's Department of the United States Army, until captured by the Confederates at nearby Aquia Creek, Va., in May 1861. Acquired by the Confederate States Navy, George Page, Lt. C. C. Simms, CSN, was fitted out for river defense service, and sometime later renamed CITY OF RICHMOND. Her upper works may have been removed at this time. She operated in the Potomac in the vicinity of Quantico Creek until 9 March 1862 when she was destroyed by her crew upon abandonment of the Evansport batteries at that place. GEORGIA ScStr: t. 600 [700]; l. 212'; b. 27'; dph. 13'9"; a. 2 100-pdr., 2 24-pdr., 1 32-pdr. GEORGIA was built in 1862 as the fast merchantman, JAPAN. The Confederate Government purchased her at Dumbarton, Scotland, in March 1863. On 1 April she departed Greenock, reputedly bound for the East Indies and carrying a crew of fifty who had shipped for a voyage to Singapore. She rendezvoused with the steamer ALAR off Ushant, France, and took on guns, ordnance and other stores. [cf. also CASTOR and AGRIPPINA]. On 9 April 1863 the Confederate flag was hoisted and Page 527 she was placed in commission as CSS GEORGIA, Comdr. W. L. Maury, CSN, in command. Her orders read to prey against United States shipping wherever found. Calling at Bahia, Brazil, and at Trinidad, GEORGIA recrossed the Atlantic to Simon's Bay, Cape Colony, Africa, where she arrived 16 August. She sailed next to Santa Cruz, Tenerife, thence up to Cherbourg, arriving 28 October. During this short cruise she captured nine prizes. GEORGIA had a round stern, iron frame, fiddle-bow figurehead, short, thick funnel and full poop. Being an iron hull, she was clearly unsuited to long cruises without dry-docking during a period when anti-fouling underbody coatings were yet unknown. Commander James D. Bulloch, a key Confederate procurement agent overseas, would have nothing to do with iron bottoms, but Commander Maury settled for JAPAN because wood (which could be coppered) was being superseded in Great Britain by the new metal; consequently wooden new-building contracts were not easy to buy up in British shipyards While she was undergoing repair at Cherbourg in late January 1864, it was decided to shift her armament to CSS RAPPAHANNOCK. The transfer was never effected and GEORGIA was moved to an anchorage 3 miles below Bordeaux. On 2 May 1864 she was taken to Liverpool and sold on 1 June to a merchant of that city over the protest of Charles F. Adams, United States Minister to Great Britain. The steamer again put to sea on 11 August and 4 days later was captured by the frigate NIAGARA off Portugal. She was sent into Boston, Mass., where she was condemned and sold as a lawful prize of the United States. She was documented as a U.S. merchant vessel in New Bedford, Mass., 5 August 1865. [N.B.: GEORGIA was often called VIRGINIA, erroneously, by Union writers early in her career. ] IrcFltBtry: l. 250'; b. 60'; cpl. 200; a. 4 to 9 guns GEORGIA, also known as STATE OF GEORGIA and LADIES' RAM, was an ironclad floating battery built at Savannah Ga., in 1862-63. Placed under command of Lt. W. Gwathmey, CSN, she was employed in defending the river channels below Savannah, Ga., training her batteries against the Union advance. Since she lacked effective locomotive power the Confederates found it necessary to fire and destroy her during the evacuation of Savannah on 21 December 1864. GEORGIAN ScStr: t. 350 GEORGIAN might easily have headed the entire roster of Confederate cloak-and-dagger ships-had it not been for treachery and bungling. Intended for quick conversion to a cruiser by being "strengthened in the bow for a ram somewhere on Lake Huron", she was purchased in Toronto, Ont., by Confederate agent Col. Jacob Thompson through a Dr. James Bates of Louisville, "at one time a captain of the steamer MAGNOLIA on the Mississippi River." Delivery to the Confederate fifth column was effected at Pt. Colborne, Upper Canada (Ont.), 1 November 1864. The price paid was $16,000 or $16,500 to A. M. Smith & Co., who had labeled themselves Southern sympathizers two years earlier by selling a ship for blockade running. GEORGIAN was described by U. S. Vice Consul Gen. Thurston Montreal, as "a new vessel, built some year and a half since on the Georgian Bay, by [George] H. Wyatt and others, and has, I believe, made one trip across the Atlantic. She is a splendid vessel, built with great care, a fast sailer, and would be *** capable of doing immense injury to the shipping on the Lakes." He noted, the Confederate agents "claim that she is particularly adapted to the lumber trade, as she carries heavy loads with light draft and *** intend to strengthen her beams for towing." Word traveled quickly; by 5 November, Mayor W. G. Fargo of Buffalo, N.Y., where GEORGIAN arrived the 3d., telegraphed MICHIGAN'S Comdr. John C. Carter at Sandusky, O., that the steamer would "be armed on the Canada shore for the purpose of encountering the USS MICHIGAN and for piratical and predatory purposes." Carter, known to some of the conspirators as "Jack," a former shipmate, had just foiled the PHILO PARSONS (q.v.) plot and was unimpressed by a second lightning bolt impending; he wrote routinely to Secretary Welles two days later, "These reports are gotten up for the purpose of alarming the citizens on these Lakes." Welles retorted the 16th, "This may be so, but past experience teaches us to be on our guard," and ordered him to seize GEORGIAN on the smallest pretext. Carter's relief, Lt. Comdr. F. A. Roe, followed the scent and wrote Welles, 6 December: "Her captain, Bates, is a notorious secessionist and rebel sympathizer. When the GEORGIAN put to sea from Buffalo her propeller became loose. She went into Port Stanley, when it again became loose *** to Sarnia, and Bates went to Toronto and ordered a new wheel sent to Collingwood *** On her passage by Detroit [Lt.] Colonel [Bennett H.] Hill [Detroit post commander], who was on the lookout with two armed tugs. caught her, overhauled and examined her, and reports to me that he found nothing about her to justify her seizure. At Collingwood she was a second time examined-by the Canadian authorities-and they could not condemn her. Here it was given out that she was going into the Saginaw lumber trade, but this was a blind. She has not carried a pound of freight or earned a dollar in legitimate trade since she fell into her present owner's hands." She went to Bruce Mines and back to lay up for the winter in Collingwood, highly suspect but untouchable. On 6 April Canadian authorities seized GEORGIAN, transferred to a new owner, "G. T. Denison", and "being altered for the purpose, as it was said, of carrying more freight"; a new mast was being stepped "and she was intended to sail among the fishing vessels of the Page 528 United States to attack and destroy them." So prophesied Consul Thurston on 7 April, but he had been nearer right the first time about her intentions. This time a letter of October to Bates was captured on board containing patent references to procuring "Greek Fire" and "finest waterproof caps for the troops." By the time this furor had subsided, the war was over. Colonel Thompson's own confidential report of the plot is more amazing: "Desiring to have a boat on whose captain and crew reliance could be placed, and on board of which arms could be sent to convenient points for arming such vessels as could be seized for operations on the Lakes, I aided Dr. James T. Bates, of Kentucky, an old steamboat captain, in the purchase of the steamer GEORGIAN. She had scarcely been transferred when the story went abroad that she had been purchased and armed for the purpose of sinking the MICHIGAN [only warship on the Lakes], releasing the prisoners on Johnson's Island [off Sandusky], and destroying the shipping on the Lakes and the cities on their margin. The wildest consternation prevailed in all the border cities. At Buffalo two tugs had cannon placed on board; four regiments of soldiers were sent there- two of them represented to have been drawn from the Army of Virginia, bells were rung at Detroit, and churches broken up on Sunday. The whole lake shore was a scene of wild excitement. Boats were sent out, which boarded the GEORGIAN and found nothing contraband on board-but still the people were incredulous." The outline of the plot was essentially the same as the February '63 plan of Lt. William H. Murdaugh, CSN, partly carried through that November-as far as Halifax, N.S.-by Lt. John Wilkinson, CSN, 21 other naval officers and 32 escaped prisoners from Johnson's Island. The Wilkinson expedition (cf. ROBERT E. LEE, infra) had substituted an Ogdensburg-Chicago liner, to be boarded in the Welland Canal, for the Detroit-Sandusky steamer they had planned to join at Windsor; they too might have succeeded but for the treachery of a Canadian-one McCuaig-who informed the Governor General, which led him, Lord Monck. to alert Secretary of War Stanton. But Colonel Thompson never gave up although he lamented bitterly to Secretary of Benjamin in the 3 December report quoted above: "The bane and curse of carrying out anything in this country is the surveillance under which we act. Detectives, or those ready to give information, stand at every street corner. Two or three can not interchange ideas without a reporter." Thompson was abysmally disappointed that the "Order of the Sons of Liberty" had been unable "to throw off the galling dynasty at Washington", seize and hold "the three great Northwestern States of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio" besides freeing Kentucky and Ohio-since such a coup "in 60 days would end the war." Nothing daunted by the PHILO PARSON and GEORGIAN debacles, Thompson in January 1865 was busy promoting "The Order of the Star", a new, "purely military" organization based on his belief that "There is no ground to doubt that the masses, to a large extent, of the North are brave and true, and believe Lincoln a tyrant and usurper." GEORGIANA ScStr: t. 519 [407 ]; l. 205.6'; b. 25.2'; dph. 14.9'; dr. over 14' GEORGIANA was a brig-rigged, iron propeller of 120 horsepower and had clipper bow, jib, and two masts, hull and stack painted black. She was built by the Lawrie shipyard at Glasgow-perhaps under subcontract from Lairds of Birkenhead (Liverpool)-and registered at that port in December 1862 as belonging to N. Matheson's Clyde service. The London American took special note of her in its 28 January 1963 edition as a "powerful" steamer and remarked that her officers wore gold lace on their caps, considered a sure indication she was being groomed for a man-o'-war. The U. S. Consul at Tenerife was rightly apprehensive of her as being "evidently a very swift vessel." Attempting to run into Charleston, S.C., through Maffitt’s Channel on 19 March 1865, she was spotted by the yacht AMERICA which quickly brought gunfire from USS WISSAHICKON, crippling GEORGIANA. Capt. A. B. Davidson flashed a white light in token of surrender, thus gaining time to beach his ship in 14 feet of water, three-quarters of a mile offshore and escape on the land side with all hands; this was construed as "the most consummate treachery" by the disappointed blockading crew. Capt. Thomas Turner, station commodore, reported to Admiral S. F. du Pont that GEORGIANA was evidently "sent into Charleston to receive her officers, to be fitted out as a cruiser there. She had 140 men on board, with an armament of guns and gun carriages in her hold, commanded by a British naval retired officer." There seems to be no reason to dispute his facts or figures. Lt. Comdr. J. L. Davis, USN commanding WISSAHICKON, decided to set the wreck afire lest guerrilla bands from shore try to salvage her or her cargo: she burned for several days accompanied by large explosions when lots of powder succumbed to the flames. GERMANTOWN Slp: t. 939; l. 150'; b. 36'9"; dr. 17'; s. 12 k.; a. unarmed CSS GERMANTOWN, formerly the United States 22-gun sloop-of-war of that name, was built at Philadelphia Navy Yard in 1846. In 1861 she lay at Gosport (Norfolk) Navy Yard ready for sea but had to be scuttled and burned by the Federal Navy, evacuating Gosport, 20-21 April. The Confederates raised her in June of that year but she lay at anchor off Craney Island until May 1862 when she was filled with sand and sunk in the Elizabeth River for the protection of Norfolk. She was raised again by Federal forces in April 1863. GIBRALTAR, see SUMTER GIRAFFE, see ROBERT E. LEE GOLDEN AGE Str GOLDEN AGE was probably in use as an Army transport in the Mississippi River area. She was sunk in May 1863 as an obstruction in the Yazoo River about 15 miles below Fort Pemberton to impede advancing Union forces. She is mentioned as being "prepared with cotton bales" to carry 500 soldiers, in April 1863. GORDON, see THEODORA GORDON GRANT Tug GORDON GRANT was used by Confederate army forces in emplacing batteries at Columbus, Ky., late in 1861. She also served as a scout boat on the Mississippi River during the early months of 1862. GOSSAMER StwStr The small steamer GOSSAMER was used as a Confederate transport in Bayou Teche during the early months Page 529 GOVERNOR AIKEN GOVERNOR AIKEN, a sailing ship which had served as United States lighthouse tender at Charleston, was seized by South Carolinian forces following that state's secession from the Union on 20 December 1860. She was found to be of little value. GOVERNOR MILTON SwStr: t. 68; l. 85'; b. 20'; dph. 4'8" GOVERNOR MILTON was a wooden river steamer seized by the State of Florida as G. V. BIRD, renamed and used for a transport by the Confederacy. She was unarmed when captured by a boat from USS DARLINGTON, 7 October 1862, in a creek above Hawkinsville, Fla. GOVERNOR MOORE SwGbt: t. 1,215; cpl. 93; a. 2 32-pdr. r. CSS GOVERNOR MOORE had been Southern S. S. Company's CHARLES MORGAN. named for the firm's founder and built at New York in 1854 as a schooner-rigged, low pressure, walking beam-engined, seagoing steamer. She was seized at New Orleans by Brigadier General Mansfield Lovell, CSA, in mid-January 1862 "for the public service." As a gunboat, renamed for the State's Governor, her stem was reinforced for ramming by two strips of flat railroad iron at the waterline, strapped and bolted in place, with pine lumber and cotton-bale barricades to protect her boilers. The larger of two similar cotton-clads owned and operated by the State of Louisiana, GOVERNOR MOORE was commanded for some time by Lt. Beverly Kennon, CSN, then serving as Commander in the Louisiana Provisional Navy without pay. She distinguished herself in the battle of 24 April 1862, when Admiral Farragut passed Forts Jackson and St. Philip before dawn en route to capture New Orleans. After a furious exchange of raking fire, GOVERNOR MOORE twice rammed USS VARUNA and a third thrust from another cottonclad forced VARUNA aground. Next attacking CAYUGA, GOVERNOR MOORE exposed herself to fire from most of the Union flotilla. With practically her whole upper hamper shot away and 64 men dead or dying, she went out of command, drifting helplessly to shore, where her captain, pilot, and a seaman set her afire. GOVERNOR MOORE blew up while they and three other survivors were being captured by Oneida's boats to be imprisoned on board COLORADO, two-thirds of the two dozen or more crew members escaped into the marshes, the rest being captured by other ships' launches; no one drowned. "The pennant and remains of the ensign were never hauled down," wrote Kennon from COLORADO. "The flames that lit our decks stood faithful sentinels over their halyards until they, like the ship, were entirely consumed. I burned the bodies of the slain. Our colors were shot away three times. I hoisted them myself twice; finally every stripe was taken out of the flag, leaving a small constellation of four little stars only, which showed to our enemy how bravely we had defended them." (The flag referred to was the Louisiana State banner.) GOVERNOR MOREHEAD StwStr GOVERNOR MOREHEAD, a fast river steamer, was used by the Confederates as a tow boat and transport in the area of the Pamlico and Neuse Rivers, N.C. She was destroyed by Union army forces under Gen. E. E. Potter, USA, in July 1863. GRAMPUS StwGbt: t. 352; a. 2 brass 12-pdr. GRAMPUS, a stern-wheeler, served with Confederate army forces as a scout boat and transport on the Mississippi. Late in March 1862 she took an active part in the defense of Island No. 10 where the Confederates finally sank her to prevent capture, 7 April. Captain Marsh Miller was in command. The Union Gunboat Flotilla set out to raise her during May 1862 and did so but she is believed to be the GRAMPUS NO. 2 which burned the following 11 January. GRAND BAY StwStr: t. 135; l. 121'; b. 26'; dr. 4' GRAND BAY was built in 1857 at Mobile, Ala. Taken into the Texas Marine Department [See Annex III] to assist in defending the coastal waters of that State, she was employed as a transport in the Sabine River and Sabine Lake until the end of the war. GRAND DUKE SwStr: t. 508; l. 205'; b. 35'; dr. 7'6" GRAND DUKE, a steamer built at Jeffersonville, Ind., in 1859, was outfitted as a cotton-clad gunboat for service with the Confederate army in February 1863. She transported troops to Fort Taylor, La., late in February. On 14 April 1863 she was in company with the steamer MARY T., and ram QUEEN OF THE WEST when they were taken under attack on the Atchafalaya River, La., by Union vessels ESTRELLA, CALHOUN, and ARIZONA. Her speed, turning power, and superior piloting allowed GRAND DUKE to escape up river. On 4 May 1863 GRAND DUKE and MARY T. were taking on guns, ordnance stores, and other public property prior to the evacuation of Fort De Russy, La., when a Union reconnaissance force that included ALBATROSS, ESTRELLA and ARIZONA hove into view. In the ensuing hour-long engagement, each of the principal contestants sustained damage, but the Union ships withdrew, allowing the Confederates to remove their materiel further up the Red River and to delay the Federal advance by obstructing the river. GRAND DUKE was ordered to Shreveport, La., where she burned late in 1863. Page 530 GRAND ERA Str GRAND ERA was armed and outfitted with cotton-cladding for use as a tender in the Red River area. She was a unit of the Confederate squadron under Maj. J. L. Brent, CSA, that included the rams QUEEN OF THE WEST, and WEBB, and the boarding ship DR. BEATTY, ordered to attack USS INDIANOLA In the evening of 24 February 1863 the battle was joined near New Carthage, Miss. Tender GRAND ERA came down carrying troops for boarding but they proved unnecessary to the success of the mission. When the Union crew wisely allowed the heavily damaged INDIANOLA to fill with water and sink, GRAND ERA received prisoners on board. Confederate interest in raising and restoring the valuable INDIANOLA was demonstrated in feverish efforts, joined by GRAND ERA, but a clever Union ruse foiled the project. The Federals floated a barge, disguised as a gunboat, down near the site where work was proceeding. The working party at once abandoned the effort and departed in the ships present. They later returned only to eventually destroy their valuable prize. GRANITE CITY SwStr: t. 450(463); l. 160'; b. 23'; dph. 9'2"; dr. 6'6"; a. 6 24-pdr. how., 1 24-pdr. r., 1 20-pdr. r. GRANITE CITY was an iron side-wheeler which the Confederates recaptured 6 May 1864 at Calcasieu Pass, La. USS TIOGA had caught her off Eleuthera I. in the Bahamas, 22 March 1863, under Capt. John McEwan and in British disguise. The U.S. Navy bought GRANITE CITY from the New York prize court for $56,000. Working for the Confederacy again in April 1864, she was disarmed and loaded at Galveston. She ran out of the Calcasieu River, 20 January 1865, only to be chased ashore next day by Penguin off Velasco, Tex.; this time she is believed to have broken up. It is believed that by this time she had actually been renamed THREE MARYS. GREAT REPUBLIC Str GREAT REPUBLIC, a Confederate cotton-clad steamer rigged for boarding purposes and sharpshooters, was captured by units of the Mississippi Squadron in late summer of 1864. Later she was placed in service by Union army forces in the Gulf of Mexico. GREY CLOUD Str GREY CLOUD, a Confederate transport on the Mississippi River operated in the vicinity of Ship Island in July 1861 and eluded capture by running into Biloxi on 11 December 1861. By the following July she had been captured and placed in service by Union forces. GREYHOUND ScStr: t. 290 [400] GREYHOUND was "a three-masted propeller", known also as "a fast sailer" and noticeable on account of the red streak along her light lead colored hull; she was built in Liverpool in 1863. Whether Henry Lafone, Confederate agent in Nassau, managed her for the Government or owned part or all of her has not been established, but she did carry Government cargo and is here assumed to have acted as a public vessel. She left Liverpool for the Confederacy 5 January 1864 on her maiden voyage, and ran between there and the British islands nearby. Commanded by "Captain Henry", more accurately known as Lt. George Henry Dier, CSN, on 9 May 1864 she ran out of Wilmington, N.C., with 820 bales of cotton, 35 tons of tobacco and 25 casks of turpentine-presumably to pay for Confederate ships of her type being built in Britain. Captured next day by USS CONNECTICUT, she became celebrated as the ship that carried a mysterious "Mrs. Lewis", soon recognized as "the famous rebel lady, Miss Belle Boyd, and her servant"; Belle was a Southern heroine and Government agent who had been captured by the Union before. "Captain Henry," commanding Greyhound, was recognized also-as late Lieutenant, U.S. Navy. The prize master, Acting Ensign Samuel Harding, Jr., USN, who took GREYHOUND to Boston was persuaded by his charming prisoner to let Captain Bier escape from Boston to Canada; for this Harding was dismissed from the Navy in disgrace but eventually married Belle Boyd in England. GREYHOUND and cargo were assessed at $484,000 in prize money. Some sources indicate this was the GREYHOUND that became General Ben Butler’s floating headquarters on the James in the late fall of 1864 and that on her Butler visited Admiral Porter at Dutch Gap. GREYHOUND being faster than Porter’s MALVERN at this period, Butler gave the admiral a ride to Fortress Monroe to confer with Asst. Secretary Gustavus V. Fox. Admiral Poster mentioned in his memoirs that GREYHOUND “deserved her name, for she was long, lean-looking craft and the fasted steamer on the river.” But not much longer; Porter relives her dramatic last trip: a few miles below Bermuda Hundred, Va., a “torpedo” blew out the engine room and set the ship afire, the admiral, general, their staffs and the crew barely escaping as GREYHOUND was “wrapped in flames from end to another” in a final “grand spectacle.” Some Southern saboteurs had planted one or more torpedoes in the bunkers camouflaged as chunks of coal, which the stokers dutifully shoveled into the fires. GROSS TETE, see MAUREPAS GUNNISON ScTug: t. 54; l. 70”; b. 15’; dph. 7’; cpl. 10; a. 2 6-pdr., 1 spar torpedo Probably built in Philadelphia and first owned in Troy, N.Y., GUNNISON became the Confederate privateer A. C. GUNNISON [See Annex I], commissioned at Mobile, Ala., on 25 May 1861 and commanded by Capt. P. G. Cook, a part owner. Sometime in 1862 she was acquired by the Confederate Navy and fitted out as a dispatch and torpedo boat, carrying 150 pounds of powder on a spar over her bow. Her upperworks were protected by boiler iron sheathing. GUNNISON was commanded first by Acting Master’s Mate F. M. Tucker, CSN, and after 9 November 1863 by Midshipman E. A. Swain, CSN. Plans for her to attack COLORADO, one of the Mobile Bay blockade ships, fell through. She was turned over to the United States Navy in April 1865 and kept in naval rather than army service as a good example, in Rear Adm. H. K. Thatcher’s phrase, “of the heavier class of vessels.”