the next day along with Signal and the ironclad USS Carondelet; the three vessels were joined by the timberclad USS Lexington on November 26. The movement down the Mississippi River was conducted only during the daytime due to low water levels. During the movement, Marmora had her first combat, destroying several barges at Lake Providence, Louisiana, and later destroying a flatboat and capturing two skiffs. On November 28, Walke's flotilla reached Milliken's Bend, where he sent part of the crew of Marmora on a tugboat, USS Laurel. The scouting group was fired on by Confederate guerrillas on the shore, and Acting Ensign H. H. Walker of Marmora was wounded. The next day, Walke's ships reached the mouth of the Yazoo, and Marmora and Signal were sent to scout up the river, accompanied by 20 men and a gunner from Carondelet, as the river level was too low for navigation by the larger ships. The scouting force upriver began at about 10:00 am, and around noon, encountered Confederate cavalry and a picket station. The Confederate cavalry fled after firing on the vessels and Marmora destroyed the picket station with cannon fire. A minor skirmish occurred with Confederate forces from the mouth of the Yazoo at a ferry site, but the vessels continued for about another , until they sighted Confederate fortifications on Drumgould's Bluff. The vessels took care to avoid any fighting with the Confederate batteries, and returned to Walke's main force at around 4:00 pm. Sinking of USS Cairo Several Union Navy naval rams arrived at the mouth of the Yazoo in early December, including USS Queen of the West. Marmora helped refloat Queen of the West after the latter vessel ran aground on December 5. Marmora made multiple trips into the Yazoo to perform depth sounding. On December 11, Marmora and Signal were sent back up the Yazoo to scout the Confederate fortifications upriver. Walke had been informed by an escaped slave that the Confederates were erecting a barricade in front of the batteries, and wanted to confirm or deny that information. While in sight of the Confederate fortifications, the two ships noticed naval mines floating in the river. One of the men aboard Marmora shot one with a musket, resulting in an explosion that shook the entire ship, despite Marmora being at least from the mine. While returning to Walke, Marmora and Signal were fired on by Confederate