CSS Arkansas
A drawing of C. S. S. Arkansas by R. G. Skerrett
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History | |
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Confederate States | |
Name | Arkansas |
Namesake | State of Arkansas |
Ordered | August 24, 1861 |
Builder | John T. Shirley, Memphis, Tennessee |
Cost | CS$76,920 |
Laid down | October 1861 |
Launched | April 1862 |
Commissioned | April 25, 1862 |
Fate | Destroyed by her crew, August 6, 1862 |
General characteristics (1862) | |
Class and type | ironclad |
Displacement | 1,200 long tons (1,200 t) (designed) |
Length | 165 ft (50 m) |
Beam | 35 ft (11 m) |
Draft | 11.5 ft (3.5 m) (designed) |
Speed | 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) |
Complement | 232 officers and men |
Armament |
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Armor |
CSS Arkansas was the
Design and description
At the outset of the
Shirley consulted with
The Arkansas-class ships were equipped with a pointed
The vertical sides of the sisters' casemates were constructed from oak logs two feet (61 cm) thick
Construction
Despite his initial support for the Memphis ironclads,
Union ships captured the incomplete Eastport and the lumber and armor plates already delivered, but not yet installed, on February 7, 1862, after the
The ironclad was apparently launched in early April,
On April 25, the same day that the Union captured New Orleans, McBlair commissioned Arkansas and prepared to transfer his ship to Yazoo City, Mississippi, for completion. One or two days later, the ironclad, as well as a barge containing additional materials, were towed by the Capitol to the mouth of the Yazoo River and thence up that river to Yazoo City.[24] The ships left the city on May 7 for Greenwood, Mississippi, which was further upriver, after being warned by Mississippi governor John J. Pettus that Union ships were coming up the Mississippi River, possibly hunting for Arkansas. The two ships reached Greenwood on May 10, just as the annual spring rise of the river was beginning. Several levees broke and the consequent flooding put the uncompleted Arkansas almost four miles (6.4 km) from shore. To further complicate things, the barge that had accompanied the ship from Memphis also sank during this time, and vital machinery and material had to be recovered from the river bottom using a diving bell. Progress on the ironclad advanced at a snail's pace during these difficulties.[25]
On May 19, Beauregard inquired about Arkansas's status and, displeased by the lack of progress, telegraphed Mallory, requesting new leadership for the ironclad. Three days later Mallory appointed
Brown's appeal for more workers at Yazoo City drew a larger response than he had anticipated, with men volunteering to work on the ship and slave owners volunteering both their field hands and skilled workmen. Brown took advantage of the additional labor by working his men around the clock, every day of the week. Blacksmithing tools were borrowed from local plantation owners and 14 forges were operated at the site to make iron fixtures and machinery parts. With the armor-drilling machinery lost when the barge sank, a makeshift crane was set up on Capitol to hold the newly fabricated drill which was powered by a leather belt driven by the steamboat's hoisting engine.[28] Within five weeks, Arkansas had been mostly completed, although the iron plating on her stern and pilothouse was not yet finished. However, river levels were falling, and further construction was no longer practical. Boiler plate was added to the stern, which was viewed to be less likely to be exposed to enemy fire.[29] Brown described the additional boiler plate as being "for appearance's sake".[4]
The ironclad departed for
Career
Action on the Yazoo
By this time, a
Brown briefly returned to Yazoo City to test his engines, but otherwise remained at Liverpool Landing trying to fix the engines, finishing outfitting the ironclad, and integrating the crews of the destroyed gunboats into his own crew. As his ship became more combat worthy, Brown sent Lieutenant Charles Read to Vicksburg on July 8 to find out what the Confederate commander of the area, Major General Earl Van Dorn, wanted him to do and to scout out the Union fleet between him and the city. Van Dorn ordered him to sortie into the Mississippi to attack the Union ships north of the city and then to proceed south of Vicksburg and destroy the mortar boats there if the condition of his ship allowed him to do so. Around 11 July[34] 60 Missouri artillerymen[35] who had volunteered to serve aboard Arkansas en route to Vicksburg arrived and were given a crash course in operating heavy artillery.[36]
A passage was cut through the raft barrier at Liverpool Landing on July 12, and Arkansas continued downriver to Satartia, Mississippi, accompanied by the tugboat CSS St. Mary. Brown spent all day there on the 13th, exercising his gun crews. Problems occurred on July 14, when the gunpowder in the forward magazine was discovered to have been dampened by steam escaping from her engines. Arkansas had to stop at the riverbank for her crew to allow the powder to dry in the sun. Brown reloaded the dry powder later that day and continued to Haynes Bluff, where he anchored about midnight, intending to surprised the Union ships in the Mississippi at dawn.[37]
Farragut had been alerted by Confederate deserters that Arkansas was on the Yazoo, although the latest Union intelligence was that she was still incomplete and upriver from Liverpool Landing. Nonetheless, Farragut and Davis agreed to send a reconnaissance mission up the Yazoo to search for the ironclad,[38] consisting of the timberclad gunboat Tyler, the ram Queen of the West, and the ironclad Carondelet.[39] Leaving St. Mary behind, Brown departed his anchorage about 03:00 and spotted the Union ships about three hours later a few miles from the mouth of the Yazoo. Brown ordered his pilots to steer for the Carondelet, intending to ram the Union ship, about two miles (3.2 km) astern of Tyler and Queen of the West. He only authorized his forward guns to fire if they bore directly on a target as he did not want to be slowed down by the cannons' recoil. Tyler drew the first blood of the engagement when a Confederate soldier was decapitated by a projectile while leaning out of a gun port. The two unarmored ships reversed course to fall back on Carondelet, but Arkansas was able to close within a range of 150–200 yards (140–180 m) from Tyler. A shell from one of her Columbiads detonated inside Tyler's engine room, killing 9 men and wounding 16, but the gun recoiled off its mount and it took 10 minutes of hard labor to remount the gun. Although Queen of the West was not armed, she attempted to maneuver into a position from which she could ram the Confederate ship, but was dissuaded by a broadside from Arkansas, and turned downstream.[40]
Tyler followed shortly afterward, continuing to engage the ironclad with her single 30-pounder
The July 15 battle between the ironclads caused heavy damage to the Carondelet and inflicted 35 casualties.[45] About 25 of the Arkansas crew had been killed or wounded during the battle.[46]
To Vicksburg
In order to reach Vicksburg, Arkansas needed to force her way through the Union fleet. The crews of Farragut's and Davis' ships had thought that the sound of the guns firing up the Yazoo were from a land engagement and the Queen of the West's captain failed to alert the fleet upon his return. The Confederates had made some repairs to the boiler exhausts and Arkansas able to generate a moderate head of steam by burning oily material by the time she pursued Tyler into the Mississippi at 08:30. Only the ironclad Benton had her boilers lit as there was a shortage of coal at that time, but the continued gunfire between Arkansas and Tyler caused the Union ships prepare for action by attempting to raise steam and manning their guns. For his part Brown initially decided to close all his gun ports[47] and to keep his ship close to the Federal vessels, in order to prevent Union rams from getting much momentum on any ramming attack.[4] The gunboat Pinola opened the fight which prompted Brown to return fire, badly damaging the Union ship. Arkansas was continuously fired upon from all directions with all of her guns replying as they saw targets at a range of about 75 yards (69 m). Brown remained on the casemate roof as his ship approached Farragut's largest ships, the wooden sloops Richmond and Hartford.[48] Before the Arkansas could reach them, the ram Lancaster passed by the ironclad in an attempt to ram her, but was disabled by a shot through the steam drum.[1] Her exact casualties are unknown, but the Union ship was hit many times by friendly fire as she maneuvered into position.[49]
The clouds of smoke produced by all the shooting greatly reduced visibility and the Union ships were additionally handicapped by the presence of Union transports and hospital ships on the other side of the river that might be damaged if they missed Arkansas. Hartford had to wait until the ironclad moved further downstream before she could open fire and was only able to fire a single volley before her guns could no longer bear. One of her shots penetrated the Confederate ship's casemate and killed four men and wounded another. Another shot by the sloop Iroquois killed or wounded the entire 16-man crew of one of the Columbiads and started a small fire that was quickly extinguished. One shot by either the gunboat Wissahickon or her sister Winona penetrated the casemate near a Dahlgren gun, killing three men and wounding three others, travelled through the boiler exhaust to strike the far side of the casemate, killing or injuring 15 men at another gun. By this time the ironclad had little steam available and was mostly drifting with the current. Temperatures in the fire room required the crewmen to be rotated every fifteen minutes so they would not be overcome by heat exhaustion. Brown had thus far spent the entire battle either in the pilothouse or on the casemate's roof and he returned to the latter position to seek relief from the heat. Despite his exposed position, he was only slightly wounded during the battle.[50]
The improved visibility atop the casemate allowed him to see that the only remaining ships that he had to pass were a few of Davis' ironclads, although only two were combat worthy at that time. Benton had steam up and was able to move slowly as Arkansas approached, slowly enough that Brown attempted to ram her. The Union ironclad was able to speed up enough to evade the Confederate ship, although she was lightly damaged when the Arkansas fired a broadside into Benton's stern as she passed by. The ironclad Cincinnati was the last ship barring the way to Vicksburg, but she barely had any speed up and was easily evaded. The two Union ironclads pursued the Arkansas until a brief gun duel with the city's defenses caused them to head back upstream. The mortar boats below the city were warned that the ironclad was passing through the Union fleet and they temporarily withdrew downstream, during which time the schooner Sidney C. Jones ran hard aground and was burned to prevent her capture. The Confederate ship had fired 97 shots during the day, only 24 of which had missed a Union ship.[51]
Arkansas received an enthusiastic welcome at Vicksburg. A crowd formed at the wharf where the ship docked, and Van Dorn embraced Brown. However, several spectators observed the gory carnage within the ironclad and were unnerved. Thirty men had been killed or wounded on the vessel.
The next day, July 16, saw Union ships begin firing at Arkansas with mortars, necessitating the frequent moving of the ship to keep the Union ships from getting the ironclad's range. The Missourians had only joined the ship's crew for duration of the run to Vicksburg, and returned to their commands on July 16.[56] This left Arkansas with a serious crew shortage.[1] Brown had permission from Van Dorn to recruit men from Vicksburg's army garrison, but getting volunteers to serve on the ship was difficult due to the off putting effect of the damage from the ship's fight with the Union fleet.[56]
Under the Vicksburg bluffs
Three days after the fight, Arkansas had been repaired to a more mobile position again, and began posing a threat to the Union fleets, which were forced to keep steam pressure up so they could move if need be. At one point, the vessel attempted to threaten the Union's mortar ships, but its engines failed before it entered range of the Union position; Arkansas returned to its starting position.[57] The reduced crew still caused problems, as there were only enough men onboard to man three cannons at a time.[4] After a conversation, Farragut and Davis decided to attack Arkansas at her position at Vicksburg.[58] The attack fell on July 22, and was conducted by Essex, Queen of the West, and Sumter.[4] Essex was the largest ironclad the Union had available, and Queen of the West was the strongest ram.[58]
Arkansas was not prepared for a battle. The ship's engine was disabled, and the understrength crew was reduced even further with a number of men in hospitals at the time. Brown had only part of his officer corps and 28 crewmen present; only two cannons could be manned with the available crew.[58] The Union vessels did not coordinate well. Essex tried to ram Arkansas, but the Confederate vessel maneuvered out of the way, while its opponent missed and temporarily ran aground.[4] A close-range duel between the two ships followed, in which Essex suffered little damage, but a shot penetrated Arkansas, inflicting casualties.[1][b] That single shot also damaged Arkansas's superstructure. Queen of the West rammed the Confederate vessel, but caused no major damage; it also ran aground. Once the two Union ships freed themselves, Essex continued downriver from Vicksburg, while Queen of the West returned to the north of the city.[58] A parting shot from Arkansas hit Queen of the West in the stern during the retreat; the shot had skipped off the water several times before striking the ship.[60]
After the attack against Arkansas, Farragut decided that remaining in position near Vicksburg was no longer tenable. The expected seasonal drop in river level threatened to strand his ships on the Mississippi, a third of his sailors were sick, and the Navy was unlikely to receive needed help from the Army. The threat caused by the presence of Arkansas did not help the matter.[4] On July 23, orders from United States Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles permitted Farragut to abandon the position and leave for the Gulf of Mexico. The next day, Farragut's ships began the movement downriver, leaving Davis behind to continue bombarding the Confederates. However, Davis, on his own initiative, ordered a withdrawal to Helena, Arkansas, on July 28. His crews had been decimated by disease, and he risked not having enough men to continue to operate his ships if he did not withdraw.[61]
Final fight at Baton Rouge
With the threat of the Union fleets no longer present, Brown was granted four days of leave at Grenada, Mississippi, for recovery from injuries. Before leaving, he ordered Lieutenant Henry K. Stevens that Arkansas should not be moved. Van Dorn was also informed that the ship's engine problems prevented her from being usable without repairs.[4] Brown fell ill, while Van Dorn planned an attack on the Union-held city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Major General John C. Breckinridge was in charge of the Confederate army assault against Baton Rouge, but soon saw almost half of his force stricken by disease. To make up for the loss in manpower, Breckinridge asked for Arkansas to support his attack. Despite the ship still being in a poor state of repair, Van Dorn ordered her to take part in the attack.[1] Stevens objected, citing Brown's orders that the ship should not be moved, and the question went to the Confederate States Department of the Navy, who decided not to intervene. After making final preparations, Stevens was forced to steam the ironclad towards Baton Rouge.[4] Brown learned of the debate, and left his sickbed to prevent Arkansas from leaving Vicksburg, but learned that she had already left when he reached Jackson.[1]
Complicating matters, the ship's regular engineer was too sick to make the journey, and an army volunteer who lacked experience with the type of engines used on the ship served as the engineer.
In 1981, the National Underwater and Marine Agency discovered the wreck of Arkansas under a levee below Free Negro Point, near Mile 233. The site is possibly the location of an old sand and gravel pumping site that reported finding skeletons and projectiles.[65]
Notes
- Master's Mate John Wilson, matched Read's recollection in his contemporaneous diary.[13]
- ^ The number of casualties caused by this single shot varies among sources. Donald Barnhart, writing for the Civil War Times Illustrated, stated that seven men were killed by the shot.[1] The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships says six were killed and six wounded,[4] while Donald L. Miller gives a total figure of 14 casualties.[58] George W. Gift, one of the ship's officers, wrote that seven men were killed and six wounded.[59]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Barnhart
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 33–36.
- ^ Smith 2011, p. 38.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Marcello 2016.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 34–35, 42–43.
- ^ a b c Silverstone 2006, p. 150.
- ^ Bisbee 2018, p. 70.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 52, 69.
- ^ Bisbee 2018, pp. 70–73.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 111–112.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 52, 54, 101–102.
- ^ Gosnell 1949, pp. 106–107.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 101–102.
- ^ Smith 2011, p. 97.
- ^ Smith 2011, p. 52.
- ^ Holcombe 1997, p. 53.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 42, 52, 59–60, 97–100, 103.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 47, 53, 57.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 62–64, 67, 69.
- ^ Smith 2011, p. 71.
- ^ Canney 2015, p. 27.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 71, 74.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 74.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 75, 78–79.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 80–82.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 86–87.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 86–87, 89–92.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 95–99.
- ^ Gosnell 1949, pp. 103–105.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 120, 122–123.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, p. 132.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 127–129.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 183–184.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 135, 137–138.
- ^ McGhee 2008, pp. 36–37.
- ^ Smith 2011, p. 138.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 140–145.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 145–146.
- ^ Miller 2019, pp. 158–159.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 145, 155–160.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 160–164.
- ^ Miller 2019, p. 159.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 165–168.
- ^ Miller 2019, p. 160.
- Naval History Division. 1963.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 175–176, 178.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 178–183.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 183–185.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 185–186.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 186, 190–195.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 195–200.
- ^ Miller 2019, pp. 160–161.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 210–215.
- ^ Smith 2011, pp. 222–223, 226–227.
- ^ Spurgeon, John (26 February 2013). "CSS Arkansas". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- ^ a b Gosnell 1949, p. 126.
- ^ Gosnell 1949, pp. 127–128.
- ^ a b c d e Miller 2019, p. 162.
- ^ Gosnell 1949, p. 129.
- ^ Gosnell 1949, p. 130.
- ^ Miller 2019, pp. 163–164.
- ^ Gosnell 1949, p. 132.
- ^ Gosnell 1949, p. 133.
- ^ a b Gosnell 1949, p. 134.
- ^ "Search for the Ironclads". National Underwater and Marine Agency. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
Sources
- Barnhart, Donald J. (May 2001). "Junkyard Ironclad". The Civil War Times Illustrated. 40 (2). ISSN 0009-8094.
- Bisbee, Saxon T. (2018). Engines of Rebellion: Confederate Ironclads and Steam Engineering in the American Civil War. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. ISBN 978-0-81731-986-1.
- Canney, Donald L. (2015). The Confederate Steam Navy 1861–1865. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7643-4824-2.
- Chatelain, Neil P. (2020). Defending the Arteries of Rebellion: Confederate Naval Operations in the Mississippi River Valley, 1861–1865. El Dorado Hills, California: Savas Beatie. ISBN 978-1-61121-510-6.
- Gosnell, H. Allen (1949). Guns on the Western Waters. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press. OCLC 27132761.
- Holcombe, Robert (1997). "Types of Ships". In Still, William N. Jr. (ed.). The Confederate Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization, 1861–1865. London: Conway Maritime Press. pp. 40–68. ISBN 0-85177-686-8.
- McGhee, James E. (2008). Guide to Missouri Confederate Regiments, 1861–1865. Fayetteville, Arkansas: University of Arkansas Press. ISBN 978-1-55728-870-7.
- Marcello, Paul J. (2 March 2016). "Arkansas (Ironclad Ram)". Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- ISBN 978-1-4516-4139-4.
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. Series I: 27 volumes. Series II: 3 volumes. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894–1922. See particularly Series I, volume 19, pp. 3–75.
- "Search for the Ironclads: The Expedition to Find the Confederate Ironclads Manassas, Louisiana, and Arkansas". National Underwater and Marine Agency. November 1981. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (2006). Civil War Navies 1855–1883. The U.S. Navy Warship Series. New York: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-97870-X.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1984). Directory of the World's Capital Ships. New York: Hippocrene Books. ISBN 0-88254-979-0.
- Smith, Myron J. (2011). The CSS Arkansas: A Confederate Ironclad on Western Waters. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-4726-8.
- ISBN 0-87249-454-3.
Further reading
- Parker, William Harwar (1899). "Chapter VIII: The Ram Arkansas – Her Completion on the Yazoo River – Her Daring Dash Through the Federal Fleet". In Evans, Clement A. (ed.). The Confederate States Navy. Confederate Military History. Vol. XII. Atlanta, Ga.: Confederate Publishing Company. pp. 63–66 – via Internet Archive.
External links
- CSS Arkansas (Vicksburg, Mississippi) at the Historical Marker Database
- CSS Arkansas (Yazoo City, Mississippi) at the Historical Marker Database
- Missourians or Volunteers From Missouri Units on the CSS Arkansas at Internet Archive