CSS Grand Duke, a steamer built at Jeffersonville, Indiana in 1859, was outfitted as a cotton-clad gunboat for service with the Confederate States Army in February 1863. Grand Duke transported troops to Fort Taylor, Louisiana late in February 1863. On April 14, 1863 she was in company with the steamer Mary T. and ram CSS Queen of the West when they were taken under attack on the Atchafalaya River by Union vessels USS Estrella, USS Calhoun and USS Arizona. Her speed, turning power, and superior piloting allowed Grand Duke to escape up river.