USS Clifton (1861)

USS Clifton playing a fire hose on a Confederate fire raft on the lower Mississippi River, 17 April 1862
History
Operator	Union Navy Texas Marine Department (1863)
Launched	1861
Acquired	1861
Commissioned	1862
Fate	Burned to prevent capture, 1864
General characteristics
Displacement	892 tons
Propulsion	Walking beam steam engine side paddle wheels

USS Clifton was a shallow-draft side-wheel paddle steamer, built in 1861 at Brooklyn, as a civilian ferry. The Union Navy bought her early that December, and commissioned her after having her converted into a gunboat. In 1863 she ran aground, was captured and commissioned into the Texas Marine Department. Her career ended in 1864 when she ran aground and her Confederate crew burned her to prevent her recapture.