USS Kanawha ( 1861 ) USS " Kanawha " was a built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War . She was used by the navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries . Commissioned at New York City . " Kanawha " was launched on 21 October 1861 by G . B . & W . H . Goodspeed , East Haddam , Connecticut ; and commissioned at New York Navy Yard on 21 January 1862 , Lt . John C . Febiger in command . Civil War service . Assigned to the Gulf Blockade . Assigned to the Gulf Blockading Squadron , the new gunboat arrived off Pass a l ' Outre , Louisiana , on 13 February , and a week later was ordered to take station off Mobile , Alabama , where she soon distinguished herself for vigilance . " Kanawha " proves very efficient at capturing blockade runners . She drew first blood with a vengeance on 10 April by capturing four blockade - running schooners in a single day : " Southern Independence " , " Victoria " , " Charlotte " , and " Cuba " . The first three had attempted to slip to sea laden with cotton and naval stores while the latter had tried to run into Mobile , Alabama , with supplies badly needed by the South . Thereafter , her kills were frequent . She caught schooner " R . C . Files " carrying cotton out of Mobile on 21 April and took British sloop " Annie " on the 29th between Ship Island and Mobile headed for Cuba . On 17 November near Mobile she and chased an unidentified schooner ashore where she was set afire by her crew . Then the guns of the Union ships assured her complete destruction by preventing Confederate coast guards from boarding her to extinguish the flames . On 25 March 1863 " Kanawha " , then commanded by Lieutenant Commander William K . Mayo , took the schooner " Clara " attempting to run the blockade at Mobile . The schooner " Dart " attempted to slip into Mobile from Havana , Cuba , on 1 May but fell prey to this vigilant blockader . A fortnight later the same fate befell British brig " Comet " some 20 miles east of Fort Morgan on Mobile Point . On 17 May " Kanawha " snared schooner " Hunter " , laden with cotton for Havana , running out of Mobile . The next day she caught schooner " Ripple " attempting the same feat . " Kanawha " is hulled by a cannonball from Fort Morgan , and smartly backs off . Dawn of 12 October disclosed the steamer " Alice " aground under the guns of Fort Morgan and an unidentified Confederate tug attempting to pull her free . " Kanawha " , accompanied by the tender , steamed boldly toward the strongly defended Confederate shore to destroy the Southern vessels ; but Fort Morgan ' s batteries , outranging the guns of the Union ships , hulled " Kanawha " , forcing the Union ships to retire . and then headed in to finish the task with their 150 - pounders ; but , before they got in range , the daring tug managed to refloat " Alice " and escaped with her into Mobile Bay . Undermining the South ’ s financial structure . On 29 November " Kanawha " took the schooner " Albert " , also called " Wenona " , attempting to carry cotton , naval stores , and tobacco out of Mobile . The toll collected by relentless Northern blockaders like " Kanawha " in capturing Southern blockade runners steadily drained away the life blood of the Confederacy . The loss of ships carrying the products of Southern fields and forests to foreign markets undermined the South ' s financial structure and increased her difficulty in purchasing war material abroad . The loss of incoming ships deprived Southern armies of a growing proportion of the shrinking supplies and equipment persuasive Confederate agents did manage to procure . Reassigned to patrolling the Texas coast . In the spring of 1864 " Kanawha " was transferred to the Texas coast . On 8 July , now under Lieutenant Commander . Bushrod B . Taylor , she forced steamer " Matagorda " aground near Galveston , Texas . On 9 September , after Union troops had been withdrawn from the area , " Kanawha " reinstituted the blockade of Brownsville , Texas , which had been lifted by Presidential proclamation in mid - February . On 28 December she forced an unidentified sloop ashore near Caney Creek , Texas , and destroyed her . She captured " Mary Ellen " of Montreal , Canada , on 3 January 1865 as the schooner tried to run into Velasco , Texas . She remained on blockade duty until after the end of the war and was ordered north on 27 May . Post - war decommissioning and sale . " Kanawha " was decommissioned on 5 July and was sold at New York on 13 June 1866 .