The first USS Dawn was a steam-operated vessel acquired by the Union Navy during the American Civil War. She was used by the Navy to patrol navigable waterways of the Confederacy to prevent the South from trading with other countries. Dawn — a screw steamer — was built in 1857 by Samuel Sneden, New York City; chartered on 26 April 1861 and purchased on 12 October 1861; outfitted at New York Navy Yard; and commissioned on 9 May 1861, Commander W. Chandler in command.