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A resource for those interested in the study of America's Civil War
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On The Mississippi River
Three Union Gunboats, The Tyler, Lexington, and Conestoga, arrive at Cairo, IL. The will be the main Union
assets on the Mississippi for several months.
The gunboats, although operated by the Navy, are part the Army's Western Flotilla.
The USS Tyler, originally a merchant ship named A. O. Tyler, is a commercial side-wheel steamboat with twin
stacks and covered paddles positioned aft. Constructed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1857, it was acquired by the
United States Navy, 5 June 1861 for service in the War and converted into the gunboat USS Tyler on 5 June
1861. She is protected with thick wooden bulwarks and therefore called "timberclad".
The USS Lexington was built as a sidewheel steamer at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1861 and was purchased
by the War Department and converted into a gunboat at Cincinnati, Ohio, under the direction of Commander
John Rodgers. This is the third United States ship to hold the title Lexington.
USS Conestoga, a side wheel, steamer also joins the flotilla.
Three Union Gunboats, The Tyler, Lexington, and Conestoga, arrive at Cairo, IL. The will be the main Union
assets on the Mississippi for several months.
The gunboats, although operated by the Navy, are part the Army's Western Flotilla.
The USS Tyler, originally a merchant ship named A. O. Tyler, is a commercial side-wheel steamboat with twin
stacks and covered paddles positioned aft. Constructed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1857, it was acquired by the
United States Navy, 5 June 1861 for service in the War and converted into the gunboat USS Tyler on 5 June
1861. She is protected with thick wooden bulwarks and therefore called "timberclad".
The USS Lexington was built as a sidewheel steamer at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1861 and was purchased
by the War Department and converted into a gunboat at Cincinnati, Ohio, under the direction of Commander
John Rodgers. This is the third United States ship to hold the title Lexington.
USS Conestoga, a side wheel, steamer also joins the flotilla.