CSS Pontchartrain
History | |
---|---|
Confederate States | |
Name | Pontchartrain |
Namesake | Lake Pontchartrain |
Launched | 1859 |
Commissioned | March 1862 |
In service | Purchased from civilian service, October 12, 1861 |
Fate | Destroyed by her crew, September 10, 1863 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Side-wheel steamer |
Tonnage | 454 tons |
Length | 204 feet (62 m) |
Beam | 36 feet 6 inches (11.13 m) |
Draft | 10 feet (3.0 m) |
Armament | 7 cannons |
CSS Pontchartrain was a
Construction and characteristics
In 1859, the
Service history
New Madrid and Island Number Ten
After the outbreak of the
On March 6, Union troops occupied Point Pleasant, Missouri, in an attempt to cut off the Confederate defenders of New Madrid, Missouri. Pontchartrain and the gunboat CSS General Polk were sent to investigate the movement. After coming too close to shore, Pontchartrain came under musket fire, which killed or wounded several aboard. The two Confederate vessels fired on the Union position and made several more sorties over the next three days, but were not able to dislodge the Union forces.[8] A week later, Union troops made a demonstration against the Confederate defenses of New Madrid and Pontchartrain joined Confederate land fortifications in firing on the Union troops.[9] The Confederates decided to abandon New Madrid. That night, Pontchartrain, along with McRae, the gunboat CSS Ivy, and several transports, took Confederate troops, supplies, and weapons from one of the forts guarding New Madrid downriver to Tiptonville, Tennessee, past the Union position at Point Pleasant. Pontchartrain was tasked with transporting artillery ammunition and troops during the withdrawal.[10]
With Confederate forces still holding out on Island Number Ten, Union forces established an artillery position across the Mississippi River from Tiptonville, with hopes of cutting the only supply line to Island Number Ten. On March 18, the Union artillery at the new position opened fired on some Confederate transports. Pontchartrain, Maurepas, General Polk, and McRae were sent downriver. During the exchange, Maurepas and General Polk were damaged, and the Confederate vessels withdrew downstream. While the Union guns temporarily withdrew, they later returned and along with the position at Point Pleasant made riverine supply to Island Number Ten difficult.[11] In early April, two Union ironclads ran downriver past Island Number Ten, cutting off the Confederate garrison, which attempted to withdraw but was caught and forced to surrender.[12]
Arkansas
The Confederate vessels withdrew to
Dunnington marched the remaining sailors overland to return to Pontchartrain, which they then took down the Arkansas River to
References
- ^ a b c d Silverstone 1989, p. 245.
- ^ "The Lizzie Simmons". The Louisville Daily Caller. 26 September 1859. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Christ, Mark K. (28 March 2022). "CSS Pontchartrain". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Pontchartrain". Naval History and Heritage Command. Archived from the original on 8 May 2022. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ a b c Chatelain 2020, p. 69.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 66–69.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, p. 76.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 101–102.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 105–106.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 106–108.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 111–113.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 115–117.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 119–122.
- ^ a b Gaines 2008, p. 11.
- ^ Bearss 1962, p. 316 fn. 24.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, pp. 180–181.
- ^ Chatelain 2020, p. 182.
- ^ Christ 2010, p. 40.
- ^ Christ & Davis 2007, p. 460 fn. 20.
- ^ Christ 2010, p. 97.
- ^ Christ 2010, p. 98.
- ^ Christ 2010, pp. 187–190.
- ^ Fellone, Frank (4 April 2015). "Ark. Civil War Markers Briefly Recall Tragedy". The Commercial Appeal. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
Sources
- OCLC 150147194.
- 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.
- Christ, Mark K. (2010). Civil War Arkansas 1863: The Battle for a State. Norman, Oklahoma: ISBN 978-0-8061-4433-7.
- Christ, Mark K.; Davis, Frederic E. (2007). ""Them Dam'd Gunboats": A Union Sailor's Letters from the Arkansas Post Expedition". Arkansas Historical Quarterly. 66 (4): 452–467.
- Gaines, W. Craig (2008). Encyclopedia of Civil War Shipwrecks. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: ISBN 978-0-8071-3274-6.
- Silverstone, Paul H. (1989). Warships of the Civil War Navies. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-783-6.