She carried heavy artillery and became part of the sea blockade of waterways of the breakaway Confederate States of America.

44, an armored wooden side wheel gunboat, was built as Scioto at Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1863; acquired by the Navy there in late December 1863; renamed Meteor on the 21st; formally purchased from Washington Houshell 23 January 1864; and commissioned at New Orleans, Louisiana, 8 March 1864, Acting Master Meletiah Jordan in command.

Assigned to the West Gulf Blockading Squadron, Meteor departed New Orleans 26 March 1864 to take up station as guard vessel between Head of Passes and Pass a l’Outre on the Mississippi River, continuing on this duty in addition to providing support for ground troops in skirmishes at the mouth of the Red River and operating off Port Hudson, Louisiana, until 10 February 1865 when she sailed for Mobile Bay.

On 19 March she steamed to Fort Haines to embark troops and on the 21st and 22d landed them under cover of gunboats on the right bank of the Fish River 17 miles above Mobile Bay.

She was sold at public auction at New Orleans 5 October 1865 to Mitchell, Boardman, and Walden, and renamed De Soto two days later for merchant service in the river.