Butch, Here's a little more on the last days of the Missouri. After she was surrendered to the US Navy in June, 1865, she was sent up the Mississippi to Mound City. By late July, she was leaking so badly that a steam pump had to be kept running around the clock to keep her from sinking. It was recommended that her railroad iron armor be removed to keep her afloat. Her casemate was stripped, and everything taken out of the boat. She was finally sold at auction on November 29, 1865, to John Riley for $2,100. The armor had already been stripped off when she was sold. At one time, her appraised value was $100,000. Don't know if that was when she was in CS service, when she was captured, or when she was sold. At any rate, Riley seems to have gotten a pretty good deal.
It's really pretty sad. By mid-summer of '65, a lot of the major gunboats of the Mississippi Squadron were already being stripped and sold. A lot of history turned into wharf boats.