USS Silver Lake (1862)
Encyclopedia
USS Silver Lake (1862) was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy
during the American Civil War
.
She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat
assigned to patrol Confederate
waterways.
, was purchased by the Navy on 15 November 1862 at Cincinnati, Ohio
, for service in the Mississippi Squadron and commissioned on 24 December 1862, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Robert K. Riley in command.
were ordered to join three other ships in the Cumberland River
to stop Confederate forces from crossing. The expedition, under the command of Lt. Cpmdr. LeRoy Fitch and consisting of Silver Lake, Lexington, Fairplay
, St. Clair
, Brilliant
, and Robb, proceeded up the Cumberland River
to support Union forces surrounded by Confederate units at Fort Donelson
.
Arriving after dark on the evening of 3 February 1863, the Union ships caught the enemy by surprise. The Confederates besieging the fort had taken positions which exposed them to fire from the gunboats. Heavy casualties were inflicted. Fire was so well directed, that the Confederate force could not even carry off a captured caisson and retreated without firing a shot. The ships were then stationed in the area to prevent the return of the Southern forces.
, on 31 March 1863, destroying the cotton works.
, on 3 April 1863 in retaliation for Confederate guerrilla forces firing upon a Union convoy.
On 6 December, Silver Lake, Moose
, Fairplay, and the ironclad Neosho
engaged enemy batteries near Bell's Mills. Seeing that the lighter armed vessels would be destroyed by enemy fire, Fitch ordered the gunboats to return to Nashville, Tennessee
.
, and sold at public auction
to J. H. Kenniston on 17 August 1865. She was redocumented as Mary Hein and had her rig changed to sidewheel by 28 September 1865. Fire destroyed the ship in the Red River on 27 February 1866.
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:...
assigned to patrol 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.
Built in Pennsylvania is 1862
Silver Lake, a wooden stern-wheel steamer built in 1862 at California, PennsylvaniaCalifornia, Pennsylvania
California is a borough in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, along the Monongahela River. The population was 5,274 as of the 2000 census. California is the home of California University of Pennsylvania. Founded in 1849, the borough was named for the territory of California following...
, was purchased by the Navy on 15 November 1862 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...
, for service in the Mississippi Squadron and commissioned on 24 December 1862, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Robert K. Riley in command.
Ordered to support Union troops at Fort Donelson
On 24 January 1863, Silver Lake and LexingtonUSS Lexington (1861)
The third USS Lexington was a timberclad gunboat in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Purchase and conversion:Lexington was built as a sidewheel steamer at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1861 and was purchased by the War Department and converted into a gunboat at Cincinnati, Ohio,...
were ordered to join three other ships in the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
to stop Confederate forces from crossing. The expedition, under the command of Lt. Cpmdr. LeRoy Fitch and consisting of Silver Lake, Lexington, Fairplay
USS Fairplay
Fairplay was a wooden riverine ship in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.She was originally built in 1859 at New Albany, Indiana, for service on the Mississippi River and other waterways...
, St. Clair
USS St. Clair (1862)
USS St. Clair was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War.She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways.- Built in Pennsylvania in 1862 :...
, Brilliant
USS Brilliant (1862)
USS Brilliant was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways....
, and Robb, proceeded up the Cumberland River
Cumberland River
The Cumberland River is a waterway in the Southern United States. It is long. It starts in Harlan County in far southeastern Kentucky between Pine and Cumberland mountains, flows through southern Kentucky, crosses into northern Tennessee, and then curves back up into western Kentucky before...
to support Union forces surrounded by Confederate units at Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson
Fort Donelson was a fortress built by the Confederacy during the American Civil War to control the Cumberland River leading to the heart of Tennessee, and the heart of the Confederacy.-History:...
.
Arriving after dark on the evening of 3 February 1863, the Union ships caught the enemy by surprise. The Confederates besieging the fort had taken positions which exposed them to fire from the gunboats. Heavy casualties were inflicted. Fire was so well directed, that the Confederate force could not even carry off a captured caisson and retreated without firing a shot. The ships were then stationed in the area to prevent the return of the Southern forces.
Shelling the town of Florence, Alabama
Silver Lake, Lexington, and Robb shelled enemy forces from the town of Florence, AlabamaFlorence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
, on 31 March 1863, destroying the cotton works.
Destroying the town of Palmyra, Tennessee
Still under the command of Lt. Comdr. Fitch, Silver Lake, Lexington, Brilliant, Robb, and Springfield destroyed the city of Palmyra, TennesseePalmyra, Tennessee
Palmyra is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States. It is located along State Route 149 southwest of Clarksville. The town has its own post office with the ZIP Code of 37142. Palmyra has a rich civil war history where MAJ GEN Joseph Wheeler of the Confederate army...
, on 3 April 1863 in retaliation for Confederate guerrilla forces firing upon a Union convoy.
Silencing the Confederate batteries near Bell’s Mills, Tennessee
On the evening of 2 December 1864, an expedition in which Silver Lake was included, surprised Southern batteries near Bell's Mills, Tennessee. On the two following days, the expedition silenced the batteries and recaptured three transports taken by the Confederates on the 2d.On 6 December, Silver Lake, Moose
USS Moose (1863)
USS Moose was a steamer purchased by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Union Navy as a gunboat assigned to patrol Confederate waterways to prevent the South from trading with other countries....
, Fairplay, and the ironclad Neosho
USS Neosho (1863)
USS Neosho was a ironclad river monitor laid down for the Union Navy in the summer of 1862 during the American Civil War. She was named after the Neosho River that flowed through Kansas and Oklahoma. After completion in mid-1863 the ship spent time patrolling the Mississippi River against...
engaged enemy batteries near Bell's Mills. Seeing that the lighter armed vessels would be destroyed by enemy fire, Fitch ordered the gunboats to return to Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
.
Post-war decommissioning, sale, and civilian career
Silver Lake was decommissioned on 11 August 1865 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 ....
, and sold at public auction
Public auction
A public auction is an auction held on behalf of a government in which the property to be auctioned is either property owned by the government, or property which is sold under the authority of a court of law or a government agency with similar authority....
to J. H. Kenniston on 17 August 1865. She was redocumented as Mary Hein and had her rig changed to sidewheel by 28 September 1865. Fire destroyed the ship in the Red River on 27 February 1866.