- Joined
- Aug 25, 2012
The first thing I notice about this layout from the woodcut is that they seem to have ironed the machinery, but left the gun crews completely exposed. This is surprising as the Confederates often built up pressed cotton bale bulkheads to protect gun crews and sharpshooters on steamers. You wonder if the fore and aft structures are magazines or accomodations, and were they also ironed? I seem to remember that this battery had a permanent river steamer attached to her as a tender - Red Rover before she was captured and turned into a Union hospital ship?The floating battery was CSS New Orleans, abandoned at Island No 10 April 4th 1862, she mounted
17 - 8" sb, 1 -9" sb, 2 -32pdr sb when converted, 8 -8" sb, 1-32pdr mlr when lost. The battery was recovered and in June 1862 is recorded as mounting 5 -8" sb ,1 -32pdr mlr.
The woodcut is from the Philadelphia Enquirer 4th November 1862.
Her "sister" CSS Memphis mounted 18 guns and was lost at New Orleans 24 April 1862. There is some indication that her ordnance would have provided the broadside guns for CSS Mississippi.
The first thing I notice about this layout from the woodcut is that they seem to have ironed the machinery, but left the gun crews completely exposed. This is surprising as the Confederates often built up pressed cotton bale bulkheads to protect gun crews and sharpshooters on steamers. You wonder if the fore and aft structures are magazines or accomodations, and were they also ironed? I seem to remember that this battery had a permanent river steamer attached to her as a tender - Red Rover before she was captured and turned into a Union hospital ship?
Thank you Bil R. My plans of both Mississippi and Louisiana are in separate threads in the "The Naval War" thread.Hello George & Rebel,
My impression of the New Orleans is that the guns were fitted barbette fashion behind the sides of the original drydock such that the crews were not entirely exposed but only partially. I do think the fore and aft structures were for 'ready ammo storage' from magazines below and they or may not have been protected. They appear to be much shorter in height than the machinery bombproof. And I agree that the Red Rover was used as an accommodation vessel for the crew. That is mentioned in several ORN passages.
Speaking of the Memphis sketch it was done by William Waud. He was a wartime sketch artist and would make rapid images of what he saw. These would then be sent with his notes back east and lithographers would 'interpret and embellish' what they received. There are several important sketches done by him of the New Orleans campaign and have been digitized and placed online. Access Google and go to the 'Alfred and William Waud Collection' of the Historic New Orleans Collection to view them.
These are the most significant (given by listed title and object file name - OFN):
'Rebel monitors, New Orleans' OFN - aw 000559
> This shows the Memphis on the left and the burning Mississippi on the right. This arrangement would be reversed in the lithograph. The awash or semi-sunk position is better appreciated in the lithograph and was probably described as such by Waud. This is why it is important to look at both the original sketch and resulting lithograph. Look carefully at the Memphis. It appears that a derrick has been erected to mount a gun and four are lying on the deck. Note the access door on the left hand side of the bombproof and the single funnel. This is not an ironclad ram as there are no gunports cut into this casemate-like bombproof. And remember at this stage of the war the CSN was still building long casemates. This same vessel with derrick, in a semi-sunk position, is seen in the sketch 'New Orleans' OFN aw 000494 on the far right hand side in front of the New Orleans levee. There is a bird's eye lithograph of the city which also shows this vessel. I thought for some time that it was the gunboat Jackson which was burned and sunk in front of the levee. That was until I saw this original Waud sketch from which the lithograph was made.
The Mississippi is interesting as well. Notice the midship location of the single large funnel with jacket. Notice too, the correct number of gunports both broadside and end. In addition it appears that her bow is raked and she had an extended or counter stern. Again, note too the long casemate.
'(i) Mortar boat (ii) Louisiana - Rebel ironclad ram' OFN - aw 005107
> The sketch of the Louisiana shows a very tall, narrow funnel and the proportions of her casemate. What is most interesting are the two wheel wells. Considered with the casemate height and known depth their height allows one to estimate the planned size of the wheels. They also appear to be staggered in formation but side by side. This would be interpreted by the lithographer as being placed at each corner with space between them, but on the same frame (see Louisiana NH 1734 - Naval History website). We know that the wheel well was a specific width. I think that rather than two broad center wheels in tandem, Murray intended to place two narrow, sidewheels side by side but staggered within the wheel well. The starboard wheel or more forward one was probably reduced in width to lessen interference with the aft, port wheel.
Other Waud sketches: 'Blowing up the Louisiana' OFN - aw 000487, 'Rebel torpedo boat' OFN - aw 000558, 'Rebel ironclad Chicora, Charleston' OFN - aw 000528
All the best,
Bil
You beat me to it Kaz !Hi guys,
Bil and John have already seen this one. It's Dean's Stehman's speculative drawing of the New Orleans.
View attachment 38658
Hi Guys,
Kaz deserves all credit for informing me of the Waud site and John, I've read many of your threads on CSN ironclads both built and projected. Your contributions are excellent and well thought out. I do believe there is enough data to create 'reasonable' reconstructions of these vessels. This means that there is some information to support whatever details are found in the drawings.
Getting back to the New Orleans and Memphis, ask yourself 'Why was the Memphis in that location and under those circumstances? In the Waud sketch she is half sunk and adjacent to the riverfront near the French quarter. Gun tubes are aboard and an erecting derrick is positioned. To me this scene suggests that the Memphis was brought over from Algiers and hastily positioned in front of the city as a last ditch effort to protect New Orleans. Obviously they could not get the guns mounted in time and she was scuttled. Even if she had been operational Farragut's forces would have quickly overwhelmed her and done much damage to the city in the process.
The construction and outfitting of the New Orleans in the fall of 1861 raises other questions. This was a large vessel, armed with 20 heavy guns, completed and outfitted in under 3 months. The conversion process was not a small affair. In hindsight I think the CSN would have been better served by outfitting 4 protected wooden gunboats armed with 5 guns each rather than this large battery. Consider a better armed RDF gunboat as a model. Hollins could have made far greater use these vessels than a floating battery.
As a more far-fetched concept, if a heavy vessel was desired, consider adding a bow to the floating drydock and placing 4 tugboat screw engines in the stern. The resulting vessel would have been a slow, but mobile battery capable of independent action. There were 9 large floating drydocks in Algiers that could have formed the basis for these ships. These 'hulls' did not have to built just converted and modified thus saving time. This gets into the realm of alternative history but it does illustrate what could have been done.
All the best,
Bil
I'm sorry that was a tad hurried, I based it on Dean Stehman's drawing ,hence the placing of the gun ports. Di you see my proposal to give Louisiana side wheels ?Hello John,
Beautiful job, thank you very much. This is how I imagined she would appear. A half dozen or so of these batteries would given Farragut, Foote and Porter much difficulty. I have also thought how the Louisiana could have been rebuilt to be a useful vessel. I think the most practical plan would have been to remove her center wheels and wheel well, and then place 4 to 6 screw propellers in the stern much like the New Orleans above. I know it has been discussed before but that ship was flawed from the initial concept.
All the best,
Bil
Hello Bil,Hello John,
Beautiful job, thank you very much. This is how I imagined she would appear. A half dozen or so of these batteries would given Farragut, Foote and Porter much difficulty. I have also thought how the Louisiana could have been rebuilt to be a useful vessel. I think the most practical plan would have been to remove her center wheels and wheel well, and then place 4 to 6 screw propellers in the stern much like the New Orleans above. I know it has been discussed before but that ship was flawed from the initial concept.
All the best,
Bil