Wando was built in 1864 as the side-wheel steamer Let Her Rip by Messrs. Kirkpatrick, M'Intyre & Co., Port Glasgow, United Kingdom.

Let Her Rip sailed under British colors until May 1864 when the Chicora Import and Export Company of Charleston, South Carolina, purchased her.

Wando was captured at sea off Cape Romain, South Carolina, by the Union side-wheel steamer USS Fort Jackson on 21 October 1864 as she attempted to slip away from the Confederate coast laden with cotton.

She arrived at Port Royal, South Carolina, on 5 January 1865 and was stationed on blockade duty off Charleston in February.

In March, Wando joined the blockading force off Georgetown, South Carolina, and then returned to Charleston in April 1865.