USS Chickasaw, a 1300-ton Milwaukee class twin-turret ironclad river monitor built at Carondelet, Missouri, was commissioned in May 1864. After brief service on the Mississippi River, in early July she was assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron. She participated in the Battle of Mobile Bay on 5 August 1865, and was largely responsible for the defeat and capture of the Confederate ironclad Tennessee during the later stages of that action.

Following the Battle of Mobile Bay, Chickasaw bombarded the Confederate-held forts in the lower bay. She remained on the bay for the remainder of the Civil War and participated in operations to take the city of Mobile, Alabama, during March and April 1865. In July of that year, she was sent to New Orleans and decommissioned. Briefly renamed Samson in June-August 1869, the monitor saw no further active service and was sold in September 1874. She was converted to a railroad ferry by her civilian owners and later given side-wheel propulsion. Under the name Gouldsboro, she was a fixture on the Mississippi at New Orleans for many decades. Following her replacement by a new railroad bridge, the old ship was broken up in 1944.

This page features or provides links to all our views of USS Chickasaw.

For images related to USS Chickasaw's participation in the Battle of Mobile Bay, see:

USS Chickasaw in the Battle of Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864.

Photo #: NH 51486 USS Chickasaw (1864-1874) Halftone reproduction of an artwork, depicting the ship during the Civil War.
Photo #: NH 95102 "The American Monitors" Engraving published in the English magazine "Engineering", 13 July 1866, page 30. Figure 1 is a depiction of USS Chickasaw (1864-1874). Figures 2 & 3 are inboard profile and interior deck plans of the light draft monitor USS Nausett (1865-1875). See Photo # NH 95102 (extended caption) for the magazine text that accompanied the engraving. The original magazine is held by the Navy Department Library.
Photo #: NH 59155 "The Siege of Mobile--Wreck of the 'Osage' and the Monitor 'Milwaukee.'" Line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 29 April 1865, depicting USS Osage striking a mine and sinking near Spanish Fort on 29 March 1865. The wreck of USS Milwaukee, which had been sunk by a mine on the previous day, is in the center middle distance. The twin-turret monitors at right are two of the following: USS Winnebago, USS Chickasaw and USS Kickapoo. Ships in the right distance are "Double-Ender" and "Tinclad" gunboats also engaged in attacking the Confederate-held Spanish Fort.

For images related to USS Chickasaw's participation in the Battle of Mobile Bay, see:

USS Chickasaw in the Battle of Mobile Bay, 5 August 1864.