In April 1864, the Mercedita was attached to the West Indies Squadron to escort California steamers from New York to Aspinwall, Panama. Later in the year it joined the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron and operated out of Beaufort, N.C.. It did not take part in the attacks on Fort Fisher.
It then joined the West Gulf Blockading Squadron in March 1865. In May it joined the search for the Susquehanna.
With the war over, the U.S. Navy resumed its duties of protecting American lives and property, The Mercedita was sent to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on 11 August and found the country unsettled (as I wrote about last week) But there was no sign of a Spanish warship in the vicinity as reported, so departed on 14 August.
It was decommissioned 14 October 1865 and sold at auction in New York 25 October and redocumented for merchant service on 9 November.
On 16 June 1879, it was converted in a brigantine.
--Old B-R'er
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