Sassacus-class gunboat

	Wash illustration depicting USS Tallapoosa during the Civil War
Class overview
Name	Sassacus-class gunboat
Builders	Varied, see ships in class
Operators	Union Navy; United States Navy;
Preceded by	Octorara class
Succeeded by	Mohongo class
Built	1862–1866
In service	1863–1892
Completed	28
Lost	2
Retired	26
General characteristics
Type	Side-wheel gunboat
Tonnage	1,173 tons
Length	wl: 255 feet (78 m)
Beam	35 feet (11 m)
Draft	9 feet (2.7 m)
Propulsion	2 × boilers; 1 × engine; 2 × side wheels;
Sail plan	Schooner
Speed	12.1 knots (22.4 km/h; 13.9 mph)
Complement	163
Armament	2 × 100 lb (45 kg) pivot guns ; 4 × 9 in (23 cm) Dahlgren guns; 2 × 24 lb (11 kg) howitzers;

The Sassacus-class gunboat was a series of 28 wooden side-wheel gunboats built for the Union Navy during the American Civil War. As double-ended gunboats, the vessels were intended for operations in shallow water throughout the Confederate States and were used to maintain the Union Blockade. They were the most produced class of warships built in the United States at the time. Almost every ship participated in the war, although they were obsolete during peacetime. By 1870, eight years after construction began, almost every ship had been sold off for civilian use.