Editing USS Polaris (1871) (section)

== Potomac Flotilla ==
The two-masted, [[schooner]]-rigged, white oak tug joined the [[Potomac Flotilla]] on January 15, 1865, as a gunboat, operating primarily in the [[Rappahannock River]].

In mid-March, a fleet of [[oyster schooners]] operating in the area was threatened by a Confederate enemy force, and ''Periwinkle'' with {{USS|Morse|1861|6}}, blockaded the mouths of the Rappahannock and [[Piankatank]] rivers to protect them. The Flotilla also interrupted contraband business between lower Maryland and Virginia, and cleared the rivers of mines, and fought guerillas ashore.

After the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] ended, ''Periwinkle'' continued to serve with the flotilla until June&nbsp;1865. Next, ordered to [[Norfolk, Virginia]], she operated out of the [[Norfolk Navy Yard]] until placed in ordinary during 1867.