USS Chippewa, a 691-ton Unadilla class screw steam gunboat built at New York, was commissioned in December 1861. During the next eight months, she served on the blockade off the North Carolina coast, participating in the the capture of Fort Macon, N.C., and of two sailing blockade runners. In October 1862, she was sent to Gibraltar to keep watch on the Confederate Cruiser Sumter and remained in that area until April 1863.
Chippewa's next duty was with the South Atlantic Blockading Squadron, operating along the coast of South Carolina. She bombarded Fort Wagner, near Charleston, in July 1863 and in May 1864 took part in expeditions up South Carolina coastal rivers. In December 1864 and January 1865, the gunboat participated in the capture of Fort Fisher, N.C. Her activities in the Cape Fear area continued until March, when she went to the James River, Virginia, for patrol duties. After a cruise to Havana, Cuba, in May-June 1865, Chippewa was decommissioned. She was sold in November 1865.
