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NavSource Online: "Old Navy" Ship Photo Archive

USS Essex (II)
ex
USS New Era

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Civil War Medal

Ironclad steamer (Tinclad No.7):

Built in 1856 as the steamer New Era at St Louis, MO. for the Wiggins Ferry Co.

Purchased by the War Department, 20 September 1861

Converted into a timberclad gunboat by James B. Eads of St. Louis, MO.

Commissioned USS New Era, 4 October 1861, CDR. William D. Porter in command

USS New Era initially operated on the Ohio, Mississippi and Cumberland rivers in October

Converted to a partial ironclad in November, renamed USS Essex

During the Civil War USS Essex participated in the following engagements:

Engagement of Confederate gunboats at Lucas Bend MO. in the Tennessee River, 7 to 11 January 1862

Capture of Fort Henry, TN., 6 February, suffering 11 KIA and 23 WIA

After extensive overhaul including heavier armor USS Essex participated in the assault on Vicksburg on 13 July 1862

Attacked the Confederate ram, CSS Arkansas below Vicksburg, inflicting considerable damage

Steaming south to Baton Rouge, LA. she joined with the Army in repelling a Confederate attack, 5 August

Again attacked CSS Arkansas on 6 August when Arkansas broke down and drifted ashore where she was destroyed by her crew

Refitted at New Orleans, operational control turned over to the Navy, 1 October 1862

Following refit USS Essex participated in the capture of Port Hudson, LA., 8 May to 8 July 1863

Engagement at Donaldsonville, 9 July and although damaged in the battle, carried out her patrol duty at this point through 6 March 1864

Assisted in the capture of Fort de Russy on 15 and 16 March

USS Essex was assigned on 4 May as guardship at Memphis, TN. for the duration of the war

Decommissioned at Mound City, IL., 20 July 1865

Final Disposition, sold 29 November 1865, fate unknown

Specifications:
Displacement 614 t.
Length 159'
Beam 47' 6"
Draft 6'
Speed unknown
Complement 124

Armament

one 32-pdr

three 9" smoothbore

one 10" smoothbore

Propulsion steam

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By
USS New Era
	501k	The Gunboat USS New Era being built at St. Louis.	Tommy Trampp and Robert Hurst
	163k	USS New Era under way on the Mississippi River.	Tommy Trampp
USS Essex (II)
	179k	"Battle of Fort Henry, 6 February 1862." Line engraving after a drawing by Rear Admiral Henry Walke, published in the "History of the Great Rebellion", by Harper. The print depicts the Federal gunboats USS Saint Louis, USS Carondelet, USS Essex and USS Cincinnati bombarding Fort Henry. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Photo #: NH 42336. Courtesy of Paul H. Silverstone, 1981.	Robert Hurst
	84k	Wash drawing by R.G. Skerrett, 1904, depicting USS Essex with Farragut's fleet on the lower Mississippi River, in 1862-63. The ship in the left background is USS Mississippi. A "90-day" gunboat is in the right distance. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 75621. Courtesy of the Navy Art Collection, Washington, D.C.	Robert Hurst
	48k	Sketches by William M.C. Philbrick, Carpenter's Mate, USS Portsmouth, showing USS Essex as she appeared on the morning of 1 November 1862, on the Mississippi River. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 54284. From the Private Papers of William M.C. Philbrick.	Robert Hurst
	161k	"Recapture of Baton Rouge, La., December 17th, 1862 -- Federal troops under General Grover driving off the Confederates and occupying the city." Line engraving, after a sketch by F. H. Schell, published in "The Soldier in Our Civil War", Volume I. The ironclad gunboat USS Essex is depicted at right, just off shore. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 59043.	Robert Hurst
	109k	USS Essex moored at Memphis, TN. with her awnings up, during the Civil War. Note mortar boats alongside *Essex, also with awnings deployed, and small building atop the bluff, toward the left, marked "Pittsburgh COAL", with the Pittsburgh Coal Company's castle symbol between "CO" and "AL". US Navy photo # NH 54286* from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	Aryeh Wetherhorn
	156k	USS Essex at a Mississippi River area port, circa 1862-65. Note: The original caption identified location and date as Baton Rouge, LA., in July 1862. However, the presence of a mortar boat (at right) indicates that either the date is later or the location is above Vicksburg if the photo was taken in 1862. The original photograph accompanied a claim filed by James A. Payne. US Navy photo # NH 61567 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	Aryeh Wetherhorn
	131k	USS Essex coaling at Baton Rouge, LA., in late July 1862, just after she reached the lower Mississippi. Ships of Farragut's fleet are in the background. The original photograph accompanied a claim filed by James A. Payne. US Navy photo # NH 54289 from the collections of the US Naval History and Heritage Command	Aryeh Wetherhorn
	80k	"Commodore Foote's Gun-boat Flotilla on the Mississippi". Line engraving after a sketch by Alexander Simplot, published in Harper's Weekly, 1862. Ships are identified below the image as (from left to right): USS Mound City, USS Essex, USS Cairo, USS Saint Louis, USS Louisville, *USS Benton,* USS Pittsburgh. and USS Lexington. US Naval History and Heritage Command. Photo #: NH 59002	Robert Hurst
	436k	Line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 1862 depicting the Union gunboat USS Essex, destroying the Rebel Iron-clad Ram CSS Arkansas, on the Mississippi River. *Arkansas* had been run ashore and burned to prevent capture when her engines failed during this encounter with *Essex, 6 August 1862. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 59042*	Robert Hurst
	79k	Post card image of USS Essex moored in front of Vicksburg, MS., date unknown.	Tommy Trampp
	56k	An engraving of USS Essex after a photograph taken in 1864. US Naval History and Heritage Command photo # NH 54285.	Robert Hurst