USS General Grant (1863)
| USS General Grant USS General Grant | |
| Career (US) | Union Navy Jack |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | date unknown |
| Launched: | 1863 |
| Acquired: | July 20, 1864 |
| Commissioned: | July 20, 1864 |
| Decommissioned: | June 2, 1865 |
| Struck: | 1865 (est.) |
| Fate: |
returned to the War Department June 2, 1865 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 201 tons |
| Length: | 171' |
| Beam: | 26' |
| Draught: | depth of hold 4' 9" |
| Propulsion: |
steam engine side wheel-propelled |
| Speed: | not known |
| Complement: | not known |
| Armament: |
two 30-pounder guns two 24-pounder howitzers |
USS General Grant (1863) was a Steamship chartered from the U.S. War Department by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy as a gunboat in waterways of the Confederate South.
Contents
Constructed in Pennsylvania in 1863
General Grant was built in 1863 at Monongahela, Pennsylvania; purchased by the War Department; chartered by the Navy and commissioned at Bridgeport, Alabama, July 20, 1864, Acting Ens. Joseph Watson in command.
Patrolling the Tennessee River
General Grant constantly patrolled the upper Tennessee River from Bridgeport until close of the Civil War, fighting guerrillas and aiding the Union Army in clearing Confederate troops from the region.
River operations under fire
In October 1864 she destroyed 22 small boats off Port Deposit and Crow Island. On November 25 she assisted in taking up pontoon bridges under guns of Confederate sharpshooters at Decatur, Alabama. She hurled 52 shells into that town December 12, 1864 and joined General Thomas January 15, 1865 in the destructive bombardment of Guntersville, Alabama.
Post-war decommissioning, sale, and subsequent career
She decommissioned and was returned to the War Department June 2, 1865. She was lost when stranded in ice March 18, 1866 at Plattsmouth, Nebraska.
References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
