Officers Appointments and Orders of the U.S.S. Silver Cloud, 1862-1865: Finding Aid

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