The USRC Miami was purchased by the Revenue Cutter Service from Arthur Leary for $25,000 and was formerly the Lady Le Marchant, a 115-foot schooner-rigged steamer with a hull of teak planks over oak frames.[1][2] After outfitting she was stationed briefly in Washington, D.C.
In April, 1862 she transported President Abraham Lincoln and others to Hampton Roads, Virginia, soon after the Battle of Hampton Roads between the ironclads CSS Virginia (ex-USS Merrimac) and the USS Monitor.[1] After a transfer to New York City, she was tasked with escorting the captured Confederate steamer Chesapeake from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to New York City on 15 March 1864.[2] The Miami underwent repairs at Newport, Rhode Island, after being transferred there in November, 1864. Additional repairs were done during 1867 at Staten Island and then she saw service out of Wilmington, Delaware, until being sold to Mason, Hobbs & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for $2,149 on 19 April 1871.[1][2]
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.