| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | Anacostia River |
| Ordered |
|
| Laid down | 1856 |
| Launched | 1856 |
| Acquired | 1859 |
| Commissioned | May 1859 |
| Decommissioned | 12 June 1865 |
| Stricken | 1865 |
| Homeport | Washington Navy Yard |
| Fate | Burned, 22 March 1868 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement | 217 tons |
| Length | 129 ft (39 m) |
| Beam | 23 ft (7.0 m) |
| Draft | 5 ft (1.5 m) |
| Propulsion | steam engine, screw |
| Speed | 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph) |
| Complement | 67 |
| Armament | two 9" Dahlgren smoothbore guns |
USS Anacostia was a steamer, constructed as a tugboat, that was first chartered by the United States Navy for service during the Paraguay crisis of the 1850s and then commissioned as a U.S. Navy ship. She later served prominently in the Union Navy during the American Civil War.