USS ''Exchange'' was a steamer acquired by the

Union Navy The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were un ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

. She was used by the Union Navy as a

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 Pre-ste ...

in support of the Union Navy blockade of

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

waterways. After the war's end, she was assigned as an ammunition ship, to carry ordnance where needed.

Built in Pennsylvania in 1862

''Exchange'', a stern wheel gunboat, was built in 1862 at

Brownsville, Pennsylvania Brownsville is a borough in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, first settled in 1785 as the site of a trading post a few years after the defeat of the Iroquois enabled a post-Revolutionary war resumption of westward migration. The Tradin ...

; purchased by the Navy on 6 April 1863; and early in June 1863 joined the

Mississippi Squadron The Mississippi River Squadron was the Union brown-water naval squadron that operated on the western rivers during the American Civil War. It was initially created as a part of the Union Army, although it was commanded by naval officers, and was ...

, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant J. S. Kurd in command.

Civil War service

Patrolling the Tennessee and Mississippi Rivers

Through the summer of 1863, ''Exchange'' patrolled the

Tennessee River The Tennessee River is the largest tributary of the Ohio River. It is approximately long and is located in the southeastern United States in the Tennessee Valley. The river was once popularly known as the Cherokee River, among other name ...

, harassing the enemy by destroying boats and sending landing parties ashore, frequently taking prisoners. Early in September, she stood down the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

, and through the remainder of the war, patrolled the Mississippi River and its tributaries, convoying

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

transports, shelling enemy shore batteries, and bringing her firepower to bear in repelling guerrilla attacks on Union camps.

Commended by Admiral Porter for gallant conduct in battle

''Exchange'' joined in the expedition up the

Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before th ...

in February 1864 to facilitate the march on Meridian, Mississippi, and captured 632 bales of cotton belonging to the Confederate Army. On 1 June, during a 45-minute engagement with a masked battery at Columbia, Arkansas, the gunboat was struck 35 times, with 8 shots piercing her hull. One man was killed, and her commanding officer wounded. The gallant conduct of her crew in this action won commendation from Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter.

Post-war service and disposal

''Exchange'' towed and carried ordnance stores to

Jefferson Barracks, Missouri The Jefferson Barracks Military Post is located on the Mississippi River at Lemay, Missouri, south of St. Louis. It was an important and active U.S. Army installation from 1826 through 1946. It is the oldest operating U.S. military installation w ...

, after the war, until decommissioned at

Mound City, Illinois Mound City is a city and the county seat of Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. It 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. History Mound Ci ...

, on 6 August 1865. She was sold on 17 August 1865.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exchange Ships built in Brownsville, Pennsylvania Ships of the Union Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy Steamships of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Ammunition ships of the United States Navy 1862 ships