USS Red Rover
A 650-ton side-wheel steamer rose from the waters of Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1859. The Confederate States of America purchased this vessel on the 7th of November 1861 for use as a barracks ship. It served at New Orleans, Louisiana until the 15th of March 1862 when it moved to Island Number Ten near New Madrid, Missouri. Union fire struck the hull during a bombardment before the 25th of March. Confederates abandoned the damaged ship after the island fell to Union forces on April 7.
Engineers began transforming the captured steamer at St. Louis, Missouri and finished work at Cairo, Illinois. The Western Sanitary Commission oversaw these modifications with sanitation and comfort as primary goals. A separate operating room received new equipment while a galley was installed below deck for patient meals. Cabin spaces aft opened wider to improve air circulation throughout the interior. A steam boiler powered laundry operations while an elevator facilitated movement between decks. Nine water closets and numerous bathrooms replaced previous facilities. Gauze window blinds blocked cinders and smoke from entering sick quarters.
Three Sisters of the Order of the Holy Cross joined the medical staff in December 1862 alongside four other women. Five African-American former slaves served as nurses under the title Boys despite their gender. Ann Bradford Stokes, Ellen Campbell, Alice Kennedy, Sarah Kinno and Betsy Young formed this pioneering group. These women predated the official formation of the Navy Nurse Corps by decades. The Western Sanitation Commission donated over $3,000 worth of equipment to support their work. Fleet Surgeon Ninian A. Pinckney later praised their contribution to fleet health standards.
Red Rover accepted her first patient on the 11th of June 1862 when David Sans arrived from gunboat USS Benton. By June 14 she housed 55 patients within her wards. Mound City exploded during combat at St. Charles, Arkansas on June 17 leaving 135 casualties out of 175 crew members. The hospital ship transported extreme burn cases to Memphis, Tennessee before moving them north to Illinois facilities. Later operations took Red Rover above Vicksburg, Mississippi where she treated wounded while Ram Fleet engaged Confederate batteries. Fire broke out near Helena, Arkansas but gunboat Benton helped extinguish the blaze so service could continue.
Typhoid fever, typhus, dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, smallpox, measles and malaria claimed more lives than gunshot wounds by 1865. Vaccination efforts moved slowly while sanitation remained poor across both sides of the conflict. Barges covered with canvas held contagious disease patients in shady river spots away from main fleets. Fleet Surgeon Ninian A. Pinckney implemented strict daily standards that reduced sickness rates significantly. He claimed by 1865 that less sickness existed in his fleet than anywhere else globally. The Western Sanitary Commission coordinated volunteer efforts alongside military medical personnel throughout the war years.
Recruits arriving at Recruit Training Center Great Lakes, Illinois visit BMC Red Rover as their first branch clinic. This modern facility provides inoculations, immunizations and optometry screenings for new sailors. Dental examinations and female health checks occur within these historic walls. The name honors the original hospital ship that served the Mississippi Squadron until Civil War ended. No other American naval vessel carried such a diverse group of nurses or treated so many casualties.
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Common questions
When was the USS Red Rover purchased by the Confederate States of America?
The Confederate States of America purchased the vessel on the 7th of November 1861. It served as a barracks ship before Union forces captured it after the fall of Island Number Ten on April 7.
What modifications did engineers make to the USS Red Rover at St. Louis and Cairo?
Engineers installed a separate operating room, a galley below deck, and nine water closets with numerous bathrooms. They added steam boiler powered laundry operations and an elevator to facilitate movement between decks while improving air circulation in cabin spaces aft.
Who were the first nurses to serve aboard the USS Red Rover during the Civil War?
Three Sisters of the Order of the Holy Cross joined the medical staff in December 1862 alongside five African-American former slaves known as Boys. Ann Bradford Stokes, Ellen Campbell, Alice Kennedy, Sarah Kinno and Betsy Young formed this pioneering group that predated the official formation of the Navy Nurse Corps by decades.
How many patients did the USS Red Rover house by June 14 1862?
The hospital ship housed 55 patients within her wards by the 14th of June 1862. She accepted her first patient David Sans from gunboat USS Benton on the 11th of June 1862 before transporting extreme burn cases to Memphis Tennessee.
Why did Fleet Surgeon Ninian A. Pinckney claim his fleet had less sickness than anywhere else globally by 1865?
Fleet Surgeon Ninian A. Pinckney implemented strict daily standards that reduced sickness rates significantly despite poor sanitation across both sides of the conflict. He claimed by 1865 that less sickness existed in his fleet than anywhere else globally while typhoid fever and other diseases claimed more lives than gunshot wounds.