USS Winnebago, a 1300-ton Milwaukee class twin-turret ironclad river monitor, was built at Carondelet, Missouri. She was commissioned in April 1864 and served with the Mississippi Squadron during the next few months. On 15 June, she participated in an engagement with Confederate artillery at Ratliff's Landing, Louisiana. Reassigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron in July, Winnebago battled both Fort Morgan and the Confederate ironclad Tennessee during the Battle of Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864.

Winnebago remained in Mobile Bay during the rest of the Civil War, bombarding Fort Morgan prior to its surrender later in August and subsequently supporting operations to blockade and capture the city of Mobile, Alabama. In March 1865, she took part in an attack on Spanish Fort, near Mobile. In April, she convoyed troops to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama, and blockaded the Tombigbee River. Following the war's end, USS Winnebago was decommissioned at New Orleans in September 1865. She was briefly renamed Tornado in June-August 1869, but remained laid up until she was sold in September 1874,. Reportedly, she later became the Peruvian Navy's warship Manco Capac.

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

Photo #: NH 42391 USS Winnebago (1864-1874) Primitive sketch, reproduced as a photograph by T. Lilienthal, New Orleans, circa 1864-65. Courtesy of the Philibrick Collection, Kittery, Maine.
Photo #: NH 59150 Mobile Bay Campaign, August 1864 Line engraving published in "Harper's Weekly", 17 September 1864. Entitled "Admiral Farragut's Fleet Bombarding Fort Morgan, August 22, 1864", it depicts the following U.S. Navy ships (from left to right): Lackawanna, Manhattan, Octorara, Brooklyn, Winnebago and Richmond. Fort Morgan is shown in the right center distance, and a battery is at the far left.
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 Winnebago's participation in the Battle of Mobile Bay, see:

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