Alonzo Child, in The Service of The Confederacy
Childs, A. Child, A. Childs, Child, and Childs — was a large side-wheel "river boat" built in 1857 at Jeffersonville, Indiana. During the next few years, she operated out of St. Louis, Missouri, plying the waters of the Mississippi River and its tributaries. One of her pilots was Samuel Clemens, better known as Mark Twain (also see photo). Early in the Civil War, the ship found herself in waters controlled by Confederate forces and, by the end of 1861, was apparently serving the Confederate Government. In any case, on 18 December of that year, the South's Secretary of the Navy, Stephen R. Mallory, authorized payment of $1,000 to her owners for the performance of some now unknown service.
It seems that at some time during the ensuing 18 months, title to the steamer passed into the hands of the Confederate Government, but no details of the transaction have been discovered.
Read more about this topic: USS Alonzo Child (1857)
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