USS Marmora-- Part 4: Guerrilla Action.and Looking for Sterling

The USS Marmora participated in the  attack on Fort Hindman, Arkansas, 4 to 11 January 1863, when it was captured.  Located  80 miles up the Arkansas River it became an important post for Union efforts to control supplies coming to Vicksburg from the west.

In February 1963, the Marmora joined four other ships and Army troops in a new Yazoo River expedition and departed Helena  27 March.  They captured the CSS Fairplay (later the USS Fairplay) and destroyed newly constructed Confederate batteries 20 miles up the Yazoo.

For the next several months the Marmora did patrol duty and supply runs.  She also dealt with guerrilla activity.  In one instance, the Marmora stopped at Gaines' Landing 13-15 June to burn houses.  She then steamed up the White and Little Red rivers on 8 August, looking for information on Confederate General Sterling Price's army.

--Old B-Runner

More Fighting on the Cumberland River in Tennessee

DECEMBER 6TH, 1864:  The USS Neosho, with Lt.-Cmdr. LeRoy Fitch aboard, embarked with three small steamers: USS Fairplay, Silver Lake and Moose and several Army transports and moved down the Cumberland River from Nashville to engage Confederate batteries near Bell's Mills, Tennessee.

The Neosho was an ironclad and took the lead and single-handedly engaged the Confederates.  Fitch sailed to within 20-30 yards to test his ship's strength and to fire canister and grape shot at that distance: "Our fire was slow and deliberate, but soon had the effect to scatter the enemy's sharpshooters and infantry, but owing to the elevated position of the batteries directly over us we could do but little injury.

"The enemy's fire was terrific, and in a very few minutes everything perishable on our decks was completely demolished."

Fitch returned to Nashville with the lighter ships.

--Old B-R'er

USS Fairplay

I was writing about the 76th Ohio Infantry in my Civil War blog, Saw the Elephant, and there was mention of the regiment capturing the Confederate steamer Fairplay in the Mississippi River.  Kind of an interesting thought that a land unit captured a water one, and since I'd never heard of the ship, some further research was in order.

Here it is, thanks to good old Wikipedia.

The Fairplay was a wooden steamer of 156 tons built in 1859 in New Albamy, Indiana, for service on the Mississippi Rivers and others.  It was pressed into Confederate service until it was captured by the 76th Ohio August 18, 1862.  I couldn't find anything about its capture.  There was no mention of it in the Naval Chronology of the Civil War which I have been using for Naval Happenings.
It was then taken into Union Army service in September  and transferred to the Navy in October.  So, we just had the 150th anniversary of its capture and it served in both Confederate and Union navies and both Union services.  Interesting career right there.

It became Tinclad #17, one of 63 shallow draft ships that convoyed troop and supply ships along the rivers in the western theater.

That  Fairplay.  --Old B-Runner