As another Lame Cherry exclusive in matter anti matter.
There is always too much to remember in history, so too much is forgotten. In the Civil War, all know the Confederates of General Lee and Jackson, but if you were to mention the Confederate Navy, people would shrug in wonder there was such a thing.
Mention that the Union and Confederates both had freshwater Navies in gunboats patrolling various inland rivers in actual combat, they would be stunned, and yet that is the case of the real history. The Mississippi River was a war front and Naval battles took place on that river.
In that, I introduce Flag Officer, Admiral George N. Hollis, of the Confederate freshwater Navy who contended with Admiral A. H. Foote of the Union.
I make record of the Confederate ships as no one bothers to note nor remember them, when they should be as they did fine service to these United States of America. These United States never did cease, the Confederates had their own Union of States Rights, while the Union had it's own union of Federal Rights.
The Confederate Navy of the Mississippi was comprised of the ships, McRea, Polk, Jackson, Calhoun, Ivy, Ponchartrain, Maurepas and Livingston. These were names of Heroes which the Confederate Union idolized and they numbered two American Presidents and one American Vice President.
The Confederate Government seized at New Orleans 14 riverboats which were refitted to be rams, or boats with iron bows and a huge spike, designed to ram other boats to sink them, as the ship was the torpedo.
The gunboats were heavy and slow and the Confederates knew of their limitations, and sought to overset these problems by iron plating steamships and using them as rams due to their rapid speed.
General Lovell of the Confederates was behind this operation, and it is interesting to note, that the Confederate Naval Officers were forbidden to become involved in this as this was Lovell's operation.
Lovell took great interest and delight in his fleet of ships. He watched it with great care and amusement.
Eight ships were sent north under the command of Captain Montgomery and six ships were left under the guns of Fort Pillow to deal with Admiral Farragut of the Union forces.
Lovell would remark that, "get 14 Mississippi pilots and captains together and they will never agree on anything", as he feared the pilots had been given far too much latitude in command of their own ships.
According to Captain A. H. Mahan, Naval Historian, the Union Fleet was commanded and stationed as such in this part of the war, when their Admiral, A.H. Foote took leave from a months old seeping war wound he had received.
Arkansas Shore.
Mound City, Commander A.H. Kilty. Cincinnati, Commander R.N. Stembel. St. Louis, Lieutenant Henry Erben. Cairo, Lieutenant N.C. Bryant.
Tennessee Shore. Benton (flag-ship), Lieutenant S.L. Phelps. Carondelet, Commander Henry Walke. Pittsburg, Lieutenant Egbert Thompson.
The first great battle was at Fort Pillow, where it was the custom of the Union to send a gunboat down with a mortar boat or raft and fire upon the city.
In this instance, the Cincinnati was dispatched at 5 AM with mortar No. 16, which began shelling the Fort.
The Confederates immediately launched their fleet but came in irregular formation. The Cincinnati slipped her ropes and came round to face them, and checked them with her forward guns, but the General Bragg steamed alone on the Arkansas shore, turned round on the starboard quarter of the Cincinnati and rammed her under full speed as the Cincinnati fired full broadside.
The Bragg drew off, as the General Price and Sumter now closed for the attack. One of the Confederates rammed in the same location as the Bragg, and at this moment the Union Captain, Stembel was shot in the throat as he was attempting to board the enemy ship.
At this point the Union gunboat, Benton was on station and fired into one of the Confederate ship, hitting her boiler. She drifted downstream and exploded.
Meanwhile the Cincinnati assisted by the gunboat Pittsburg and a tug boat, was towed off, to the Tennessee shore where she sank in 11 feet of water.
The other Union gunboats had gotten underway in the Carondelet and the Mound City. The Carondelet opened fire on the retreating Bragg and the engaged Price and Sumter, cutting the steam pipe of one.
A fourth Confederate ship, the General Van Dorn, drove by the Cincinnati and the Sumter and Price and steamed directly for the Mound City. She opened with her guns on all the Confederates, while the Van Dorn maneuvered to ram, but delivered a glancing starboard blow.
It disabled the Mound City, who ran to the Arkansas shore to avoid sinking.
Two Union gunboats and three Confederate rams were now disabled, and the battle continued on with the Carondelet and the Benton, with the St. Louis now coming up under steam to join the battle.
The Confederates began a retreat then, claiming the Union boats were in too shallow of water to utilize the rams.
The first flotilla battle of the Civil War on freshwater, taught lessons to both sides which were game for a good fight. The Union boats anchored in shoals where they could use their guns and the Confederates only pressed their advantage when they had one.
In one month's time, all the ships were again in battle at Memphis, in all had been raised and restored. Even plucky Mortar No. 16 was heavy in the fight, firing as best it could in leveling her implement, with her officer promoted.
Mistakes were made, in the Union boats arrived singly into the battle and the Cincinnati was engaged for half an hour alone facing the Confederate flotilla. The Confederates attacked in disorder and out of formation which lessened their effectiveness.
It was though a Naval battle, between two flotillas, operating on different principles. The submersibles in the Monitor and Merrimack, were built interestingly on the exact principles of the Union and Confederate freshwater fleets. The Union was heavy armour with cannon and the Confederate was heavy armour with ram.
I delight in these ships, as they are fantastic implements of war. My affection is for the turtles or the Union gunboats as I have an appreciation for heavy armour, but it was proven that the faster Confederate rams could accomplish as much damage.
The key in both was coordinated attacks, which did not take place. Even with speed, the Confederates should have been checked if the Union boats had formed suitable defense.
It is though the forgotten fleet, and not forgotten here, in these flotilla warriors of the American inland waters carried on warfare with great pluck and zeal, as much as any ocean squadron.
agtG
