The USS Baltimore was a side-wheel steamer constructed in 1848 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally built as a civilian vessel, she was captured on the Potomac River between Aquia Creek and Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Army on April 21, 1861, during the onset of the American Civil War. The Navy then took her over, commissioning her in April 1861 under the command of Lieutenant J. H. Russell. Throughout her service in the Civil War, the USS Baltimore primarily functioned as an ordnance vessel, facilitating the transport of ammunition between the Washington Navy Yard and nearby depots. She also played a role in ferrying Army troops across the Potomac River, supporting Union military logistics and operations. Notably, on May 19, 1861, she ran aground at the mouth of the Potomac River and was attacked by a Confederate Navy ram, resulting in nine casualties. The vessel was subsequently refloated with assistance from the USS Mount Vernon (1859). The USS Baltimore also served as a dispatch and supply vessel with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron. One of her significant moments occurred on May 9, 1862, when she transported President Abraham Lincoln, along with Secretaries Edwin M. Stanton and Salmon P. Chase, from Fort Monroe to Norfolk, Virginia. This voyage was part of an effort to observe the destroyed Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia up close. After the end of the Civil War, the USS Baltimore was turned over to the Norfolk Navy Yard on May 22, 1865. She was sold later that year, on June 24, at Washington, D.C. Her service record highlights her role in logistics, troop movements, and prominent political events during a pivotal period in American history, embodying the versatile utility of side-wheel steamers in Civil War naval operations.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.