Please report any broken links or trouble you might come across to the Webmaster. Please take a moment to let us know so that we can correct any problems and make your visit as enjoyable and as informative as possible.

NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Rattler

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal
Sternwheel Steamer (Tinclad #1):
  • Built in 1862 as the wooden side-wheel steamer Florence Miller at Cincinnati, OH.
  • Purchased by the Navy, 11 November 1862, at Cincinnati
  • Renamed Rattler, 5 December 1862
  • Commissioned USS Rattler, 19 December 1862, at Cairo, IL. Acting Master Amos R. Langthorne, in command
  • During the Civil War USS Rattler was assigned to the Mississippi Squadron and participated in the following actions/campaigns:
    Attack of Fort Hindman at Arkansas Post, 10 January 1863
    Yazoo Pass expedition, attacks against Fort Pemberton, 11 to 13 March 1863
    Raids on the Red, Black, Tensas, and Ouachita Rivers, 12 to 20 July 1863 including capture of the Confederate steamer Louisville
    Patrol on the Mississippi River below Natchez
    Driven ashore by gale force winds near Grand Gulf, MS, 30 December 1864, struck a snag and sank
    Subsequently set on fire by Rebel forces and destroyed
    Specifications:
    Displacement 165 t.
    Length unknown
    Beam unknown
    Depth unknown
    Speed unknown
    Complement unknown
    Armament
    two 30-pdr Parrott rifles
    four 24-pdrs
    Propulsion steam
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    Rattler 123k Print of Sternwheel Steamer (Tinclad #1) USS Rattler
    © "Ships of the Civil War 1861-1865: An Illustrated Guide to the Fighting Vessels of the Union and the Confederacy", by Kevin J. Dougherty, September 19, 2013    		 Tommy Trampp
    Rattler 69k USS Rattler ("Tinclad" #1) on the Western Rivers during the Civil War.
    US Navy History and Heritage Command photo # NH 54825.    		 Aryeh Wetherhorn
    Rattler 81k Sepia wash drawing by F. Muller, circa 1900 of USS Rattler ("Tinclad" #1). Courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C.
    US Navy History and Heritage Command photo # NH 55836.    		 Aryeh Wetherhorn
    Baron de Kalb 152k Currier & Ives Lithographed and hand colored Civil War Battle Scene print from 1960. "THE BOMBARDMENT AND CAPTURE OF FORT HINDMAN, ARKANSAS POST, ARK., JAN.11, 1863". Hand colored though silk-screen stencils this Civil War print came from a limited edition in 1960. Ships participating in the bombardment include:
    USS Baron De Kalb
    USS Cincinnati
    USS Louisville
    USS Black Hawk and
    USS Rattler    		 Tommy Trampp
    USS Rattler
    Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
    Commanding Officers
    01Acting Master Langthorne, Amos R.19 December 1862 - 19 January 1863
    02Acting Master Fentress, Walter E. H.19 January 1863 13 September - 1863
    03Acting Vol. LT. Laning, James13 September 1863 - June 1864
    04Acting Master Glenney, Daniel W.June 1864 - 11 September 1864
    05Acting Master Willets, Nicholas B.11 September 1864 - 30 December 1864
    Courtesy Bill Gonyo
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To The Old Navy" Steam and Sail Index
    Comments, Suggestions, E-mail Webmaster.
    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 10 November 2017