USS Prairie Bird, a 171-ton stern-wheel "tinclad" river gunboat, was built in 1862 at Millersport, Ohio, as the civilian steamboat Mary Miller. Purchased by the Navy in December 1862, she was converted to a gunboat and commissioned in January 1863. Assigned to the Mississippi Squadron, Prairie Bird carried out patrol, escort and facilities protection duties on the Mississippi, White, Arkansas, Yazoo and other rivers. In April 1864, she took part in an expedition up the Yazoo River and in August she engaged Confederate batteries at Gaines Landing, Arkansas. USS Prairie Bird was ordered decommissioned in July 1865 and was sold the following month.