Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud, 1862-1865: Finding Aid
Published in November 2008
Summary Information
- Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
- Publisher Address:
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
Phone: 410-293-6917
https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php - Call number: MS 395
- Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
- Title: Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud
- Dates: 1865-1865
- Size: 0.04 linear feet
- Container Summary: 2 folders containing 3 items
- Creator: Silver Cloud (Tinclad No. 28)
- Language(s) of material: English
- Abstract: The Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud spans from November 1862 to February 1865. Consisting of copies of appointments and transfer orders, the appointment and order book documents crew changes, promotions and changes of command aboard Silver Cloud. Accompanying the order book are two cartes de visite depicting crew members W. H. Hathorne and Jesse M. Darrah.
History of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud
The U.S.S. Silver Cloud (Tinclad No. 28), a stern wheel steamer, was built in Brownsville, Pennsylvania in 1862. Seized by the Union Navy on April 1, 1863 in Cairo, Illinois, the Silver Cloud was commissioned as a gunboat on May 4, and officially purchased on May 19, 1863.
Assigned to the Mississippi Squadron, the newly commissioned gunboat was tasked with protecting Union shipping interests on the Mississippi River and its tributaries from Confederate and guerilla attack.
Notable actions taken by the Silver Cloud and her crew include the engagement of roughly 200 Confederate troops at Osceola, Arkansas in July 1863, the transport of General William Tecumseh Sherman to Vicksburg in January 1864, and assisting in the purge of Confederate soldiers and cavalry from Fort Pillow, Tennessee on April 14, 1864.
U.S.S. Silver Cloud was decommissioned on July 13, 1865 and was sold at public auction one month later. Six months after her sale, Silver Cloud sank at Buffalo Bayou, Texas, on February 27, 1866.
Description of Contents
The Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud, comprising one volume of 25 leaves and two cartes de visite, spans from November 1862 to February 1865. Consisting of copies of appointments and transfer orders, the appointment and order book documents crew changes, promotions and changes of command aboard Silver Cloud.
The majority of the appointments and orders are issued by Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, Captain Alexander M. Pennock of the Office of the Mississippi Squadron, Cairo, Illinois, and Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter, Commander, Mississippi Squadron. Among the appointments and orders are those transferring command to Acting Master A. F. O'Niel on July 21, 1863, and O'Niel's subsequent promotion to Volunteer Lieutenant.
Included with the appointment and order book are two cartes de visite, depicting Acting Assistant Paymaster W. H. Hathorne and Acting Masters Mate Jesse M. Darrah.
Arrangement
- Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud, 1862 November-1865 February
- Photographs, undated
Access and Use
Access
Access is unrestricted.
Copyright and Permission
The Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud is the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.
It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.
Acquisition and Appraisal
Provenance and Acquisition
Purchased from Charles Apfelbaum Rare Manuscripts and Archives in June 2007. Accession No. 07-06.
Related Materials
Related Archival Material
Additional logbooks of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud may be available in the National Archives and Records Administration's collection of Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, 1801-1940.
Materials Cataloged Separately
No materials have been removed from this collection.
Processing and Other Information
Preferred Citation
Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud, MS 395
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy
Selected Bibliography
Navy Department. Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History Division. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1959-1981.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in November 2008. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in November 2008.
Subject Headings
Name and Subject Terms
- Silver Cloud (Tinclad No. 28)
- United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Naval operations
- United States. Navy. Mississippi Squadron
Genre Terms
- Manuscripts
- Photographs
- Ships' logs