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USS New Era (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS New Era (1862) was a steamer acquired by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat
in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate
waterways. New Era was also a name initially carried (until 1861) by a timberclad (later ironclad) USS Essex
.
in 1862, operated on the Ohio River
out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, until purchased by the Navy at Cincinnati, Ohio
, 27 October 1862; and commissioned at St. Louis, Missouri
, in December 1862, Acting Master Frank W. F. Flanner in command.
, 24 December 1862 to support the Union army garrison there threatened by a large Confederate force. Confederate possession of Columbus would have seriously disrupted the flow of supplies to the Union fleet and troops then operating against Vicksburg, Mississippi
. When the threat subsided, she returned to Cairo, Illinois
.
in Arkansas
, with Union army
troops under Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
, to capture Fort Hindman
. On the 11th, Rear Adm. David Dixon Porter ordered New Era to take on board, from Baron de Kalb
and Cincinnati
, men wounded during the expedition for transportation to a hospital ship
at the mouth of the White River; then to proceed to Island No. 10
to relieve Carondelet
.
, and other Northern ports to prevent illegal trade with the Confederacy. She captured steamer W. A. Knapp carrying a contraband cargo 4 February and took steamers Rowena and White Cloud
under similar circumstances on the 13th. Curlew became her prize on the 28th.
Acting Lt. Henry A. Glassford relieved Executive Officer
William C. Hansford of command 4 March; and New Era captured steamer Ruth carrying contraband and Confederate mail on the 12th. Besides taking ships, she also made frequent arrests of smugglers, subversive agents, and other lawbreakers. Her duty on the Upper Mississippi River
bore striking resemblance to that of ships on “Operation Market Time
” patrol off Viet Nam over a century later.
On 16 June New Era proceeded to a point above Island No. 10 to destroy 9 boats and barges collected there for a Confederate attack on the island.
, 28 June 1865 and was sold at auction there to W. S. Mepham 17 August 1865.
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 Union Navy as a gunboat
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:...
in support of the Union Navy blockade of Confederate
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...
waterways. New Era was also a name initially carried (until 1861) by a timberclad (later ironclad) USS Essex
USS Essex (1856)
USS Essex was a 1000-ton ironclad river gunboat of the United States Army and later United States Navy during the American Civil War. It was named for Essex County, Massachusetts...
.
Commissioned at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1862
New Era, a wooden stern-wheel steamer built at Wellsville, OhioWellsville, Ohio
Wellsville is a village in Columbiana County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 4,133 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in 1862, operated on the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, until 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...
, 27 October 1862; and commissioned at St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, in December 1862, Acting Master Frank W. F. Flanner in command.
Mississippi River operations
New Era arrived off Columbus, KentuckyColumbus, Kentucky
Columbus is a city in Hickman County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 229 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbus is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
, 24 December 1862 to support the Union army garrison there threatened by a large Confederate force. Confederate possession of Columbus would have seriously disrupted the flow of supplies to the Union fleet and troops then operating against Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Vicksburg is a city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the only city in Warren County. It is located northwest of New Orleans on the Mississippi and Yazoo rivers, and due west of Jackson, the state capital. In 1900, 14,834 people lived in Vicksburg; in 1910, 20,814; in 1920,...
. When the threat subsided, she returned to 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...
.
Supporting the capture of Fort Hindman
On 3 January she headed down stream again and the next day, with ten other Union gunboats, got underway up the White RiverWhite River (Arkansas)
The White River is a 722-mile long river that flows through the U.S. states of Arkansas and Missouri.-Course:The source of the White River is in the Boston Mountains of northwest Arkansas, in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest southeast of Fayetteville...
in Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, with Union army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
troops under Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman was an American soldier, businessman, educator and author. He served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War , for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the "scorched...
, to capture Fort Hindman
Battle of Fort Hindman
The Battle of Fort Hindman, or the Battle of Arkansas Post, was fought January 9–11, 1863, near the mouth of the Arkansas River at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War.-Background:...
. On the 11th, Rear Adm. David Dixon Porter ordered New Era to take on board, from 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....
and Cincinnati
USS Cincinnati (1862)
The City class ironclad USS Cincinnati was a stern-wheel casemate gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War. She was named for Cincinnati, Ohio and was the first ship to bear that name in the United States Navy....
, men wounded during the expedition for transportation to a hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
at the mouth of the White River; then to proceed to Island No. 10
Battle of Island Number Ten
The Battle of Island Number Ten was an engagement at the New Madrid or Kentucky Bend on the Mississippi River during the American Civil War, lasting from February 28 to April 8, 1862. The position, an island at the base of a tight double turn in the course of the river, was held by the Confederates...
to relieve Carondelet
USS Carondelet (1861)
USS Carondelet was a gunboat constructed for the Union Navy by James B. Eads during the American Civil War...
.
Inspecting river boats near Island No. 10
New Era was next stationed near Island No. 10 inspecting river boats out of St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, and other Northern ports to prevent illegal trade with the Confederacy. She captured steamer W. A. Knapp carrying a contraband cargo 4 February and took steamers Rowena and White Cloud
White Cloud
-People:* Wabokieshiek , an important Native American of the Ho-Chunk tribe in 19th century Illinois; often confused with Red Cloud, a Lakota chief...
under similar circumstances on the 13th. Curlew became her prize on the 28th.
Acting Lt. Henry A. Glassford relieved Executive Officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
William C. Hansford of command 4 March; and New Era captured steamer Ruth carrying contraband and Confederate mail on the 12th. Besides taking ships, she also made frequent arrests of smugglers, subversive agents, and other lawbreakers. Her duty on the Upper 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...
bore striking resemblance to that of ships on “Operation Market Time
Operation Market Time
Operation Market Time was the United States Navy’s effort to stop troops and supplies from flowing by sea from North Vietnam to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War...
” patrol off Viet Nam over a century later.
On 16 June New Era proceeded to a point above Island No. 10 to destroy 9 boats and barges collected there for a Confederate attack on the island.
Final river operations of the war
The New Era saw action again on April 12, 1864, when it opened fire on Confederate cavalry under Major General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Forrest's troopers were attempting to capture the small Federal garrison of Fort Pillow. The New Era added its guns to the defense of the fort until fire from Confederate sharpshooters forced the vessel to "button up" its gun ports. Though Fort Pillow was captured by the Confederates and a large portion of its USCT garrison massacred, New Era remained in the area to pick up those who had escaped. Over the next two days the gunboat continued to intermittently shell the woods near Fort Pillow to dissuade the Confederates from establishing a battery or burning a number of barges along the river bank. New Era's crew also assisted in burying many of the dead from Fort Pillow. When Confederate forces left the area on April 14th, the New Era steamed back north toward Island No. 10 with civilian and military survivors of the Fort Pillow Massacre. Through the remainder of the war the steamer operated on the upper Mississippi and its tributaries protecting Union communications on the waterways.Post-war decommissioning and sale
She decommissioned at Mound City, IllinoisMound City, Illinois
Mound City is a city located along the Ohio River in Pulaski County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 692. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Mound City is located at ....
, 28 June 1865 and was sold at auction there to W. S. Mepham 17 August 1865.