The Michigan was also involved in the Beaver-Mackinac War.
In 1850 James Strang crowned himself the king of Beaver Island, at the head of Lake Michigan.
Eventually he began forcing his radical beliefs on some of his mainstream Mormon followers, known as Strangites.
The commander of the Michigan was ordered to arrest Strang in May 1851, which was done without conflict.
Strang was held in custody for some time and then released, but on Monday, June 16, 1856, he was assassinated at St. James, in front of the Michigan.
Captain Charles H. McBlair, commander of the gunboat, had invited the king aboard the ship.
He was shot in the back with a pistol at close range as he was waiting on the docks.
The assassins, Alexander Wentworth and "Dr. J. Atkyn [sic]", who were said to be blackmailing the Strangites, fled to the Michigan for sanctuary.
They were later released at Mackinac without being charged.
Strang was shot three times, once in the head, but survived for three weeks before dying on July 9 from his injuries.

The Mormons assumed that Captain McBlair knew about the plot beforehand.
Others accused him of being in on it.
On July 5, a large mob from Michigan landed on Beaver Island and forcibly removed nearly 3,000 inhabitants with small steam boats.
Many people were robbed first in what Byron M. Cutcheon later called "the most disgraceful day in Michigan history".
The Mormons were taken to Voree, where some of them stayed while most others dispersed across the country.
Beaver Island was later reoccupied by Irish Americans, who established a colony that flourished in the 1860s and 1870s.
The Michigan was also involved in the Beaver-Mackinac War. In 1850 James Strang crowned himself the king of Beaver Island, at the head of Lake Michigan. Eventually he began forcing his radical beliefs on some of his mainstream Mormon followers, known as Strangites. The commander of the Michigan was ordered to arrest Strang in May 1851, which was done without conflict. Strang was held in custody for some time and then released, but on Monday, June 16, 1856, he was assassinated at St. James, in front of the Michigan. Captain Charles H. McBlair, commander of the gunboat, had invited the king aboard the ship. He was shot in the back with a pistol at close range as he was waiting on the docks. The assassins, Alexander Wentworth and "Dr. J. Atkyn [sic]", who were said to be blackmailing the Strangites, fled to the Michigan for sanctuary. They were later released at Mackinac without being charged. Strang was shot three times, once in the head, but survived for three weeks before dying on July 9 from his injuries.
The Mormons assumed that Captain McBlair knew about the plot beforehand. Others accused him of being in on it. On July 5, a large mob from Michigan landed on Beaver Island and forcibly removed nearly 3,000 inhabitants with small steam boats. Many people were robbed first in what Byron M. Cutcheon later called "the most disgraceful day in Michigan history". The Mormons were taken to Voree, where some of them stayed while most others dispersed across the country. Beaver Island was later reoccupied by Irish Americans, who established a colony that flourished in the 1860s and 1870s.
Great Lakes Patrol