USS Linden (1860)
Encyclopedia
USS Linden (1860) was a steamer
acquired by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Linden, a wooden sidewheel steamer, was built in 1860 at Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
; purchased by the Navy at Cincinnati, Ohio
, 20 November 1862; and commissioned at Cairo, Illinois
, 3 January 1863, acting Master Thomas E. Smith in command.
. After convoy
duty up and down the Mississippi River
, Linden was ordered to cooperate with General Ulysses S. Grant
in cutting a canal between the Red
and Black Rivers through Tensas Bayou. The project was pressed vigorously but as Porter later noted
. She remained above the fortress when Admiral David Dixon Porter
and his gunboats dashed under Vickburg’s guns to support Grant’s campaign from below. On 29 April with seven other Union Navy ships, three mortar boats and 10 large Army transports, Linden began a feigned attack on the Confederate batteries at Haynes Bluff on the Yazoo River
above Vicksburg. The movement was designed to prevent southern reinforcement of Grand Gulf where Grant was about to land his troops after crossing the Mississippi River.
That day the expedition proceeded as far as Chickasaw Bayou. On the 30th the task force moved up the Yazoo River, and landed troops who marched up “...the levee, making quite a display, and a threatening one also.” Naval gunfire supported the demonstration until Grant had safely ferried his men across the river and landed at Bruinsburg, Mississippi. Then the diversionary troops withdrew from Haynes Bluff, reembarked, and the expedition returned to the mouth of the Yazoo River.
, and defeated converging Confederate forces in detail in several spectacular victories before turning back toward the river to threaten Vicksburg in reverse. At mid-May, Admiral Porter ordered Linden back up the Yazoo to assist the Army in encircling the southern river stronghold and to supply the Union Army. When Confederate troops were cut off at Snyder’s Bluff, the Union ships pushed on to Haynes Bluff which the South was evacuating. When these heavy works fell, the gunboat again advanced and began to shell the hill batteries at Vicksburg. On 18 May Linden while escorting five Army transports on the Mississippi silenced a masked battery at Island No. 82; then covered troops who landed and destroyed buildings in the area. On 21 May, Linden, Baron De Kalb
, Choctaw
, Forest Rose
, and Petrel
ascended the Yazoo River to Yazoo City, Mississippi
, and forced the Confederate Navy to destroy three “powerful steamers, rams, and a fine Navy Yard” to prevent their capture. On the 20th Linden and Forest Rose reconnoitered Quiver River, Mississippi
, and a boat expedition from the ships captured and burned Dew Drop and Emma Bett.
one of its greatest birthday presents, freedom to navigate the Mississippi River from source to the Gulf of Mexico
.
In the coming months Linden performed valuable but unspectacular service on reconnaissance and convoy missions on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
and sank.
Steamboat
A steamboat or steamship, sometimes called a steamer, is a ship in which the primary method of propulsion is steam power, typically driving propellers or paddlewheels...
acquired by the Union Navy
Union Navy
The Union Navy is the label applied to the United States Navy during the American Civil War, to contrast it from its direct opponent, the Confederate States Navy...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
to prevent the South from trading with other countries.
Linden, a wooden sidewheel steamer, was built in 1860 at Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania
Belle Vernon is a borough located in Fayette County, Pennsylvania along the Monongahela River. The population was 1,211 at the 2000 census. The town is served by the Belle Vernon Area School District, which is actually centered in Rostraver, Westmoreland County.geographical anomaly: The...
; purchased by the Navy at Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, 20 November 1862; and commissioned at Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, 3 January 1863, acting Master Thomas E. Smith in command.
Assigned to Mississippi River operations
Linden departed Cairo 9 January escorting charter steamer Home and five coal barges to Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
. After convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
duty up and down the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
, Linden was ordered to cooperate with General Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
in cutting a canal between the Red
Red River (Mississippi watershed)
The Red River, or sometimes the Red River of the South, is a major tributary of the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers in the southern United States of America. The river gains its name from the red-bed country of its watershed. It is one of several rivers with that name...
and Black Rivers through Tensas Bayou. The project was pressed vigorously but as Porter later noted
- “...there were miles of forest to work through and trees to be cut down. The swift current drove the steamers (Army transports) against the trees and injured them so much that this plan had to be abandoned.”
Supporting the siege of Vicksburg
Throughout the winter and spring of 1863, Linden, continued to support operations against the Confederate river stronghold at VicksburgBattle of Vicksburg
The Siege of Vicksburg was the final major military action in the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War. In a series of maneuvers, Union Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant and his Army of the Tennessee crossed the Mississippi River and drove the Confederate army of Lt. Gen. John C...
. She remained above the fortress when Admiral David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter
David Dixon Porter was a member of one of the most distinguished families in the history of the United States Navy. Promoted as the second man to the rank of admiral, after his adoptive brother David G...
and his gunboats dashed under Vickburg’s guns to support Grant’s campaign from below. On 29 April with seven other Union Navy ships, three mortar boats and 10 large Army transports, Linden began a feigned attack on the Confederate batteries at Haynes Bluff on the Yazoo River
Yazoo River
The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.The Yazoo River was named by French explorer La Salle in 1682 as "Rivière des Yazous" in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth. The exact meaning of the term is unclear...
above Vicksburg. The movement was designed to prevent southern reinforcement of Grand Gulf where Grant was about to land his troops after crossing the Mississippi River.
That day the expedition proceeded as far as Chickasaw Bayou. On the 30th the task force moved up the Yazoo River, and landed troops who marched up “...the levee, making quite a display, and a threatening one also.” Naval gunfire supported the demonstration until Grant had safely ferried his men across the river and landed at Bruinsburg, Mississippi. Then the diversionary troops withdrew from Haynes Bluff, reembarked, and the expedition returned to the mouth of the Yazoo River.
Grant threatens Vicksburg “in reverse”
Grant then daringly abandoned his supply lines, drove deep into MississippiMississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and defeated converging Confederate forces in detail in several spectacular victories before turning back toward the river to threaten Vicksburg in reverse. At mid-May, Admiral Porter ordered Linden back up the Yazoo to assist the Army in encircling the southern river stronghold and to supply the Union Army. When Confederate troops were cut off at Snyder’s Bluff, the Union ships pushed on to Haynes Bluff which the South was evacuating. When these heavy works fell, the gunboat again advanced and began to shell the hill batteries at Vicksburg. On 18 May Linden while escorting five Army transports on the Mississippi silenced a masked battery at Island No. 82; then covered troops who landed and destroyed buildings in the area. On 21 May, Linden, Baron De Kalb
USS Baron DeKalb (1861)
USS Baron DeKalb was a City class ironclad gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War....
, Choctaw
USS Choctaw (1856)
USS Choctaw was a was a large steamer built for the merchant service, but acquired by the Union Navy during the second year of the American Civil War....
, Forest Rose
USS Forest Rose (1862)
USS Forest Rose was a stern wheel steamer in the United States Navy.Forest Rose was built in 1862 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; purchased 15 November 1862; and commissioned 3 December 1862, Acting Master G. W...
, and Petrel
USS Petrel (1862)
The second USS Petrel was a tinclad wooden steamer in the United States Navy. Petrel was purchased as Duchess at Cincinnati, Ohio, 22 December 1862, renamed Petrel, and commissioned with Volunteer Lt...
ascended the Yazoo River to Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City, Mississippi
Yazoo City is a city in Yazoo County, Mississippi, United States. It was named after the Yazoo River, which, in turn was named by the French explorer Robert La Salle. It is the county seat of Yazoo County and the principal city of the Yazoo City Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the...
, and forced the Confederate Navy to destroy three “powerful steamers, rams, and a fine Navy Yard” to prevent their capture. On the 20th Linden and Forest Rose reconnoitered Quiver River, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and a boat expedition from the ships captured and burned Dew Drop and Emma Bett.
Vicksburg surrenders on the Fourth of July
The tireless efforts of both Navy and Army bore fruit when Vicksburg’s dogged defenders finally hauled down the Confederate flag 4 July giving the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
one of its greatest birthday presents, freedom to navigate the Mississippi River from source to the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
.
In the coming months Linden performed valuable but unspectacular service on reconnaissance and convoy missions on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Linden sinks after striking a snag in the river
On 22 February 1864, while attempting to aid transport Ad. Hines, Linden struck a snag 15 miles up the Arkansas RiverArkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
and sank.