"Exchange", a stern wheel gunboat, was built in 1862 at Brownsville, Pennsylvania; purchased by the Navy on 6 April 1863; and early in June 1863 joined the Mississippi Squadron, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant J. S. Kurd in command.Through the summer of 1863, "Exchange" patrolled the Tennessee River, harassing the enemy by destroying boats and sending landing parties ashore, frequently taking prisoners.