Editing CSS Palmetto State (section)

==Construction and career==
[[File:Attack on the U.S. Gunboat Mercedita by the Rebel Ram Palmetto State, off Charleston Harbor - NYIN 1863.jpg|thumb|Attack on the U.S. Gunboat ''Mercedita'' by the Rebel Ram ''Palmetto State'', off Charleston Harbor. New York Illustrated News]]
Named for the nickname of [[South Carolina]],<ref>Silverstone 1984, p. 52</ref> ''Palmetto State'' was [[laid down]] in January 1862 by Cameron & Company at their [[shipyard]] in Charleston, South Carolina.

Before dawn on 31 January 1863 ''Palmetto State'' and her [[sister ship]] {{ship|CSS|Chicora}} crept through thick haze to surprise the [[United States|Union]] blockading force off Charleston. Taking full advantage of her low silhouette in the darkness, the ironclad steamed in under the guns of the Union [[gunboat]] {{USS|Mercedita}}, ramming as well as firing heavy shot [[point-blank]] into her hull. Completely disabled, with cannons that could not be depressed low enough to fire at ''Palmetto State'', the Union ship was forced to surrender. The ram then turned her attention to {{USS|Keystone State|1853|6}}, firing several shells into the blockader. Her steam chests punctured, ''Keystone State'' lost all power and had to be towed to safety. A long-range cannon duel between the Confederate rams and other Union blockaders then took place, but little damage was inflicted by either side before ''Palmetto State'' and ''Chicora'' withdrew to safety within Charleston Harbor. The attack by the Confederate rams caused the temporary withdrawal of the blockaders from their inshore positions and led to the claim by the [[Confederate States|Confederate government]], unsuccessfully advanced, that the blockade of Charleston had been broken.

''Palmetto State'' also joined in the defense of Charleston during [[Admiral]] [[Samuel Francis du Pont]]'s unsuccessful 1–7 April 1863 attack on the harbor forts. Her officers and men were cited for rendering valuable services on the night of 6–7 September 1863 during the removal troops from [[Fort Wagner]] and [[Battery Gregg]].

''Palmetto State'' was later set afire by the Confederates to avoid capture upon the evacuation of Charleston on 18 February 1865.