On 29 November, as the Union's Army of the Potomac prepared to resume the offensive with a drive through Fredericksburg, Virginia, "Satellite" departed Washington and headed for the Rappahannock River to help assure the new Northern commander, Major General Ambrose Burnside, control of that river. She remained on the Rappahannock after Lee skillfully parried Burnside's thrust at Fredericksburg in mid-December. On 2 January 1863, "Satellite" and three other Union ships steamed to the Piankatank River seeking a schooner which had run through the blockade and entered that stream. However, the Confederates learned of the expedition and scuttled the schooner before the Northern gunboats could reach her. In mid-January, "Satellite" returned to the Washington Navy Yard for repairs.