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46-534: Subsequently, repaired and taken into the Union Navy , she served through the remainder of the war, seeing only limited action. After the war, she was deemed surplus by the Navy Department. Sold, she reentered the merchant service, where she remained until 1874. Little Rebel was built as R. E. and A. N. Watson at Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania , in 1859. She was acquired at New Orleans , Louisiana, by

92-542: A Native American mound on which guests at General Rawlings' hotel would sleep in summer, as the breezes cooled them and dispersed the mosquitoes. During the Civil War , Admiral Andrew Hull Foote made Cairo the naval station for the Mississippi River Squadron of over 200 ironclads, timberclads, hospital ships, transports, and other vessels. Since Cairo had no land available for base facilities,

138-547: A better-paying alternative to being drafted into the Army; this incentive was especially meant to attract professional sailors who could be drafted the same as any other civilian and would rather see combat in an environment they were more familiar with. Union sailors differed from their counterparts on land, soldiers. The sailors were typically unemployed, working-class men from urban areas, including recent immigrants. Unlike soldiers, few were farmers. They seldom enlisted to preserve

184-441: A factor 15, so that at the end the U.S. Navy had 671 vessels. The variety of ship types represented was even more significant than the increase in raw numbers, some of the forms not previously seen in naval war. The nature of the conflict, much of which occurred in the continent's interior or shallow harbors along the coast, meant that vessels designed for use on the open seas were less useful than more specialized ships. To confront

230-574: A native of New Haven, Oswego County New York. Smith passed the log book on to his family, it is currently owned by a 3rd great Grandson, Shawn Doyle. A digital copy is at Half-Shire Historical Society in Richland, New York. Little Rebel decommissioned at Mound City, Illinois , July 24, 1865 and was sold there to Daniel Jacobs on November 29, 1865. Redocumented as Spy on March 4, 1867, she remained in merchant service until 1874. Abbreviations used in these notes: Union Navy The Union Navy

276-438: A separate group of vessels commanded by Col. Charles Ellet, Jr. Montgomery, unable to retreat to Vicksburg because of his shortage of fuel and unwilling to destroy his boats, determined to fight. In the ensuing First Battle of Memphis , Little Rebel attacked the ram USS  Monarch , one of the two rams to participate in the battle. The Confederate vessel was hit in her boilers by fire from USS  Carondelet and then

322-689: A steam-powered fleet, so it was crucial for the emergence of the Navy as equal to the Army in national defense. It also demonstrated the possibility of attacking the Confederacy along the line of the Mississippi River. It thus was an important, even vital, predecessor of the campaign that ultimately split the Confederacy. Finally, it cast doubt on the ability of the Confederacy to defend itself, thus giving European nations reason not to grant diplomatic recognition. The final important naval action of

368-632: 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. Mound City was incorporated in 1857 as a union of two cities: Mound City, founded by Major General Moses Marshal Rawlings, and Emporium City, a project of the Emporium Real Estate and Manufacturing Company, a group of Cincinnati and Cairo businessmen. The city took its name from

414-495: Is located at 37°5′8″N 89°9′47″W  /  37.08556°N 89.16306°W  / 37.08556; -89.16306 (37.085624, -89.163054). According to the 2010 census, Mound City has a total area of 0.729 square miles (1.89 km ), of which 0.67 square miles (1.74 km ) (or 91.91%) is land and 0.059 square miles (0.15 km ) (or 8.09%) is water. The majority of the Native American mounds for which

460-797: Is used to describe the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War , when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used to describe vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior under the control of the Union Army . The primary missions of the Union Navy were: The system of naval bureaus was revised in the summer of 1862. Some of the older bureaus were rearranged or had their names altered. The most radical change

506-621: The Confederate Army in January 1862, and selected by Captain James E. Montgomery, a Mississippi River boatman, to be part of his River Defense Fleet . On January 25, 1862, Montgomery began her conversion to a cotton-clad 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 to protect her engines. On April 11, Little Rebel ' s conversion

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552-685: The City-class gunboats, sometimes also called the Cairo class, and was named for Cairo, Illinois. On December 12, 1862 just north of Vicksburg, Mississippi, the USS Cairo became the first ship sunk by electrically detonated torpedoes during its mission to destroy Confederate batteries and clear the Yazoo River of underwater mines. In 2017, Mound City elected Allison Madison, the city's first African-American and first female mayor. Mound City

598-402: The Confederacy produced its famed CSS Hunley ; the result, USS Alligator , failed primarily because of lack of suitable targets. Building on Confederate designs, the Union Navy produced and used torpedo boats, small vessels that mounted spar torpedoes and were forerunners of both the modern torpedo and destroyer type of warship. Because of haste in their design and construction, most of

644-523: The Confederacy's isolation and hastened its currency's devaluation. For administration of the blockade, the Navy was divided into four squadrons: the North Atlantic , South Atlantic , East Gulf , and West Gulf Blockading Squadrons . (A fifth squadron, the Mississippi River Squadron , was created in late 1862 to operate in the Vicksburg campaign and its consequences; it was not involved with

690-522: The Confederates, but Little Rebel , under Captain J. White Fowler, serving as Montgomery's flagship, was unable to get into the battle except with her guns. Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson , CSA, who witnessed the battle said that Little Rebel , under a shower of enemy missiles, "ran amid the storm as heedlessly as if charmed." Meanwhile, her guns supported Montgomery's other vessels which were ramming Union boats. Later Montgomery's force held off

736-635: The Federal rams and gunboats until Fort Pillow was 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 Charles Henry Davis , USN, commanding the Western Flotilla, pressed on without delay and appeared off Memphis with a superior force on June 6, 1862. The flotilla was accompanied by the Ellet rams ,

782-623: The Mississippi River in April, she patrolled this area for the remainder of the conflict. In May 1865, she and the other Union ships of the Mississippi River Squadron guarded to prevent the escape of Jefferson Davis . On the 28th, she convoyed troops to Red River, remaining at the mouth of the river when the squadron was reduced in June. The Ships log was kept during union service by Acting Assistant Engineer Albert martin Clinton Smith (1834–67),

828-654: The Union, end slavery, or display their courage; instead, many were coerced into joining. According to Michael Bennett: Nevertheless, Union navy sailors and marines were awarded 325 Medals of Honor for Civil War valor, with immigrants receiving 39 percent of the awards: Ireland (50), England (25), and Scotland (13). Before the Civil War, the U.S. Navy had never prohibited African Americans from serving. However, regulations in place since 1840 had required them to be limited to no more than 5% of all enlisted personnel. Thus unlike

874-632: The United States pre-war merchant marine joined the navy, and they were often given higher ratings due to their background and experience. A key part of the Union Navy's recruiting efforts was the offer of higher pay than a volunteer for the Union Army would receive and the promise of greater freedom or the opportunity to see more of the country and world. When the Draft was introduced, the Navy tried to recruit volunteers by offering service at sea as

920-421: The age of 18 living with them, 30.5% were married couples living together, 30.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.12. In the city, the population was spread out, with 32.5% under

966-461: The age of 18, 11.0% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 17.8% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 71.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $ 16,607, and the median income for a family was $ 22,143. Males had a median income of $ 35,469 versus $ 15,583 for females. The per capita income for

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1012-451: The army, the Union navy did not prohibit African Americans from serving at the start of the war and was racially integrated. Approximately 10,000, or around 17%, of Union Navy sailors were black; seven of them were awarded the Medal of Honor. The tension between white and "contraband" (black) sailors was high and remained serious during the war. Bennett argues: The blockade of all ports in

1058-465: The battle. The highest rank available to a U.S. naval officer when the war began was that of Commodore. This created problems when many ships had to operate together with no clearly established chain of command . Even worse, when the Navy worked with the Army in joint operations, the customary rank equivalency between the two services meant that the naval captain, equivalent to an army colonel, would always be inferior to every Army general present. After

1104-465: The beachhead there. Charleston did not fall until the last days of the war. The later capture of Fernandina, Florida , was intended from the start to provide a southern anchor for the Atlantic blockade. It led to the capture of Jacksonville and the southern sounds of Georgia, but this was not part of a larger scheme of conquest. It reflected mostly a decision by the Confederate government to retire from

1150-580: The blockade.) Two early invasions of the South were meant primarily to improve the blockade, leading to further actions. Following the capture of Cape Hatteras, much of eastern North Carolina was soon occupied by the Union Army. The easy success in North Carolina was not repeated after the seizure of Port Royal in South Carolina, as determined resistance prevented the significant expansion of

1196-485: The city was named have been destroyed by development and farming. As of the census of 2010, there were 588 people and 270 households. The racial makeup of the city was 44.39% White , 53.4% African American , a single Asian , three individuals from other races , and eight individuals from two or more races. There were nine people who were Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 692 people, 279 households, and 178 families residing in

1242-463: The city. The population density was 973.5 inhabitants per square mile (375.9/km ). There were 319 housing units at an average density of 448.8 per square mile (173.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 49.57% White , 49.57% African American , 0.14% Asian , 0.14% from other races , and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.16% of the population. There were 279 households, out of which 40.1% had children under

1288-454: The coast, except for a few major ports. Late in the war, Mobile Bay was taken by fleet action, but there was no immediate attempt to take Mobile itself. The capture of New Orleans was only marginally connected with the blockade, as New Orleans was already well sealed off. However, it was important for several other reasons. The passage of the forts below the city by Farragut 's fleet showed that fixed fortifications could not defend against

1334-524: The coasts between ocean-going Union vessels and blockade runners, often in the Caribbean but also in the Atlantic, the Battle of Cherbourg being the most famous example. Not included in this list are several incidents in which the Navy took part more or less incidentally. These include Shiloh and Malvern Hill . They are not on the list because naval personnel were not involved in planning or preparing for

1380-685: The existing arrangement had been used for the first year of the war, the case was made that the nation's interests would be better served by organizing the Navy along lines more like that of the British Royal Navy . A set of officer ranks was established in the summer of 1862 that precisely matched the Army ranks. The most visible change was that some individuals would be designated commodore, rear admiral, vice admiral, and finally admiral, all new formal ranks, and equivalent to, respectively, brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, and general. Chief Petty Officer Master-at-Arms of

1426-487: The forms of combat that came about, the federal government developed a new type of warship, the monitor, based on the original, USS Monitor . The U.S. Navy took over a class of armored river gunboats created for the U.S. Army but designed by naval personnel, the Eads gunboats . So-called double-enders were produced to maneuver in the confined waters of the rivers and harbors. The Union Navy experimented with submarines before

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1472-484: The nature of the conflict soon made whole fleets necessary. Already at the Battle of Port Royal (November 7, 1861), 77 vessels, including 19 warships, were employed. This was the largest naval expedition ever sailed under the U.S. flag, but the record did not last long. Subsequent operations at New Orleans, Mobile, and several positions in the interior confirmed the importance of large fleets in modern naval operations. At

1518-477: The navy yard repair shop machinery was afloat aboard wharf-boats, old steamers, tugs, flat-boats, and rafts. The naval station was moved upstream in 1862 when 10 acres (4.0 ha) of land was purchased in Mound City. The Mound City Naval Station included a shipyard with marine ways, a foundry, marine barracks, supply offices, and a hospital; but many repair facilities remained afloat because the Mound City land

1564-408: The reduction was partially compensated by mounting the guns in rotating turrets or pivoting the gun on a curved deck track so they could be turned to fire in any direction. The institutional changes that were introduced during the war were equally significant. The Bureau of Steam Engineering was added to the bureau system, testimony to the U.S. Navy's conversion from sail to steam. Most important, from

1610-502: The seceded states was proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln on April 19, 1861, one of the first acts of his administration following the bombardment of Fort Sumter . It existed mostly on paper in the early days of the conflict but became increasingly tighter as it continued. Although the blockade was never perfect, Southern exports of cotton fell 95 percent. As a result, the South had to restructure itself to emphasize food and munition production for internal use. This also contributed to

1656-587: The ship he serves in. Petty Officers of the Line Rank and succession to command: Petty Officers of the Staff Rank next after Master-at-Arms: Rank next after Gunner's Mate: Rank next after Captain of the Afterguard: Rank next after Quarter-Gunner: Mound City, Illinois Mound City is a city and the county seat of Pulaski County , Illinois , United States . It

1702-519: The standpoint of Army-Navy cooperation in joint operations, the set of officer ranks was redefined so that each rank in the U.S. Army had its equivalent in the U.S. Navy. Establishing the ranks of admirals also implied a change of naval doctrine, from one favoring single-ship operations to that of employing whole fleets. A doctrinal shift took place at the same time. Before the war, the United States Navy emphasized single-ship operations, but

1748-415: The start of the war, the Union Navy had 42 ships in commission. Another 48 were laid up and listed as available for service as soon as crews could be assembled and trained, but few were appropriate. Most were sailing vessels, some were hopelessly outdated, and one ( USS  Michigan ) served on Lake Erie and could not be moved to the ocean. During the war, the number in commission was increased by more than

1794-677: The vessels taken into the U.S. Navy in this period of rapid expansion incorporated flaws that would make them unsuitable for use in a permanent defense system. Accordingly, at the war's end, most of them were soon stricken from the service rather than mothballed. The number of ships at sea fell back to its prewar level. During the war, the Union Navy had a total of 84,415 personnel. The Union Navy suffered 6,233 casualties, with 4,523 deaths from all causes. 2,112 Union sailors were killed by enemy action, and 2,411 died by disease or injury. The Union Navy suffered at least 1,710 personnel wounded in action, injured, or disabled by disease. The Union Navy started

1840-495: The war was the second assault on Fort Fisher at the mouth of the Cape Fear River in North Carolina. It was one of the few actions of the war on the coast in which the Army and Navy cooperated fully. The capture of the fort sealed off Wilmington , the last Confederate port to remain open. The death of the Confederacy followed in a little more than three months. There were numerous small or one-to-one battles far away from

1886-511: The war with 8,000 men, 7,600 enlisted men of all ratings and some 1,200 commissioned officers. The number of hands in the Union Navy grew five times its original strength at the war's outbreak. As with many pre-war sailors, most of these new hands were volunteers who desired to serve in the navy temporarily rather than make the navy a career. Most of these volunteers were rated as "Land's Men" by recruiters meaning they had little or no experience at sea in their civilian lives. However, many sailors from

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1932-552: Was completed and she steamed from New Orleans to Fort Pillow , Tennessee, where she operated in defense of the river approaches to Memphis . On May 10, 1862, off Fort Pillow, Little Rebel , in company with seven other vessels under Captain Montgomery, attacked the ironclad gunboats of the Federal Western Gunboat Flotilla . The action of Plum Point Bend was marked by successful ramming tactics by

1978-578: Was first assigned to a flotilla of gunboats commanded by Lieutenant Commander LeRoy Fitch , who had to suppress guerrilla activity on the Ohio, Cumberland, and Tennessee Rivers. Her deep draft made her unsuitable for this duty, so she spent much time on guard duty in the vicinity of Cairo . Little Rebel patrolled from Red River to Fort Adams in March 1863, as Union ships captured Fort De Russey and moved to counter Maximilian's threat to Texas . Steaming to

2024-621: Was frequently inundated by flood waters. USS Cairo was built in 1861 by James Eads and Co. of Mound City, under contract to the War Department . She was commissioned in January 1862 as part of the Mississippi River Squadron, U.S. Navy Lieutenant James M. Prichett in command. She was a City-class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was the lead ship of

2070-509: Was struck by Monarch and driven ashore by the blow. Her surviving crew fled to safety, abandoning Little Rebel . The Union squadron captured the abandoned Little Rebel and sent her to Cairo, Illinois , June 11 for repairs and for adjudication before the Illinois Prize Court . Her seizure was judged to be legal, so she was purchased by the U.S. Navy from the prize court. On January 9, 1863, she entered Federal service. She

2116-618: Was the creation of the Bureau of Steam Engineering. To accomplish its wartime missions, the Union Navy had to undergo a profound technical and institutional transformation. During the war, sailing vessels were completely supplanted by ships propelled by steam for combat purposes. Vessels of widely differing character were built from the keel up in response to peculiar problems they would encounter. Wooden hulls were first protected by armor plating and soon replaced by iron or steel throughout. Guns were reduced in number but increased in size and range;

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