Borderruffian
Captain
- Joined
- Aug 4, 2007
- Location
- Marshfield Missouri
In 1862, the situation for the Confederate States of America is at a crossroads. Confederate political and military leaders are scrambling to find an answer, something to give the Confederacy hope, and something to strike fear into the hearts of the Union . They are building a nation, and Army and a Navy from scratch. They hoped to break the U.S. Navy blockade on the Mississippi Rive and on the coasts, by utilizing two ironclads being built as Rams.
The plans were to build and name them the "Arkansas" and the " Tennessee ".
The two ships were constructed at Memphis , Tennessee . Before these two ships could be completely armed and outfitted to enter into action, Memphis is attacked, falls to Union forces and the " Tennessee " is burned.
The " Arkansas " is saved and she is carried by her commander Captain Charles H. Blair, under tow to Yazoo City , Mississippi on the Yazoo River .
Shortly after arriving on the Yazoo River , Lieutenant Isaac N. Brown assumes command.
Lt. Brown, oversees the outfitting of the ' Arkansas ", and goes to great lengths to find the cannon and equipment needed to make the " Arkansas " a combat ship. She is indifferently armored, but is formidable in her armament. The " Arkansas " boasts of two 8-inch Columbiads, two 9-inch Dahlgrens, four 6-inch Rifles and two 32-Pounder Smoothbores.
She drew only 14 ft of water and had maximum speed of 6 knots.
http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1862arkansas.htm
SOON after the secession of Tennessee, efforts were made to construct vessels for war purposes, and at Memphis were commenced two ironclad rams, the Arkansas and the Tennessee. Upon the fall of Memphis the latter vessel was burned, but the Arkansas was carried by her commander, Capt. Charles H. McBlair, to the Yazoo river. Captain McBlair was relieved of command by Lieut. Isaac N. Brown, who by extraordinary and unparalleled exertions got her ready for service by July, 1862. She was indifferently armored, but had a formidable battery, viz., two 8-inch columbiads, two 9-inch Dahlgren guns, four 6-inch rifles and two smoothbore 32-pounders. She drew 14 feet of water, and had a maximum speed of six knots. She was admirably officered with Lieuts. H. K. Stevens, J. Grimball, A.D. Wharton, C. W. Read, A. Barbot and George W. Gift; Surg. H. Washington, Asst. Surg. C. M. Morfit, Asst. Paymaster Richard Taylor; Engineers City, Covert, Jackson, Brown, Doland, Dupuy and Gettis; Acting Masters Phillips and Milliken; Midshipmen Bacot, Scales and Tyler; Gunner Travers and Master's Mate Wilson, with Messrs. Shacklette, Gilmore, Brady and Hodges as pilots, and a crew of 200 men, principally soldiers and rivermen.
Upon consultation with General Van Dorn, commanding at Vicksburg in the summer of 1862, Captain Brown determined to proceed in the Arkansas to that city, distant by water about fifty miles. To do this he had to pass the vessels of Admiral Farragut and Flag-Officer Davis, and the rams of Colonel Ellet. These vessels were at anchor in the Mississippi, three miles below the mouth of the Yazoo, and among them were six ironclads, seven rams and ten large ships of war. On the morning of July 15, 1862, Captain Brown started in the Arkansas for Vicksburg. About six miles from the mouth of the Yazoo river he was met by the United States ironclad Carondelet, Captain Walker; the gunboat Tyler, Lieutenant Commanding Gwinn, and the ram Queen of the West. All three of these vessels turned, and a running fight ensued. The ram made a straight wake, but the other two fought well. The Tyler was too weak to encounter the Arkansas, though her commander, Gwinn, did all that could be expected of him. The Arkansas bestowed most of her attention to the ironclad Carondelet, killing and wounding many of her men, and finally driving her into shoal water. Captain Brown asserted that she lowered her colors; this Captain Walker denied, but there is no doubt that the Arkansas would have made a prize of her could she have spared the time to stop, which she could not. In the encounter with the Carondelet, Captain Brown was badly wounded and two of his pilots were killed. One was the Yazoo river pilot who, as they were carrying him below, had the courage and devotion to exclaim with his dying breath, "Keep in the middle of the river!" The Arkansas' smokestack was so riddled that she could hardly make more than one knot per hour when she entered the Mississippi; but this, with the current of the river, enabled her to run the gauntlet of Farragut's fleet.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/ramarkansas.htm
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This list is incomplete, as between 50 and 60 soldiers served in the complement commanded by Capt. Samuel S. Harris according to most reports. One Missourian, Richard H. Bacot was regularly enlisted in the C.S. Navy as a Midshipman. Pilot James Brady, formerly navigated Mississippi Riverboats. The "Missouri Volunteers" as Commander Isaac Brown refers to the soldiers from Missouri units that were needed to serve as gunners aboard the ironclad. Note: A few of these men were Arkansas residents that had enlisted in Missouri units.
http://www.missouridivision-scv.org/mounits/cssark.htm
The plans were to build and name them the "Arkansas" and the " Tennessee ".
The two ships were constructed at Memphis , Tennessee . Before these two ships could be completely armed and outfitted to enter into action, Memphis is attacked, falls to Union forces and the " Tennessee " is burned.
The " Arkansas " is saved and she is carried by her commander Captain Charles H. Blair, under tow to Yazoo City , Mississippi on the Yazoo River .
Shortly after arriving on the Yazoo River , Lieutenant Isaac N. Brown assumes command.
Lt. Brown, oversees the outfitting of the ' Arkansas ", and goes to great lengths to find the cannon and equipment needed to make the " Arkansas " a combat ship. She is indifferently armored, but is formidable in her armament. The " Arkansas " boasts of two 8-inch Columbiads, two 9-inch Dahlgrens, four 6-inch Rifles and two 32-Pounder Smoothbores.
She drew only 14 ft of water and had maximum speed of 6 knots.
http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1862arkansas.htm
SOON after the secession of Tennessee, efforts were made to construct vessels for war purposes, and at Memphis were commenced two ironclad rams, the Arkansas and the Tennessee. Upon the fall of Memphis the latter vessel was burned, but the Arkansas was carried by her commander, Capt. Charles H. McBlair, to the Yazoo river. Captain McBlair was relieved of command by Lieut. Isaac N. Brown, who by extraordinary and unparalleled exertions got her ready for service by July, 1862. She was indifferently armored, but had a formidable battery, viz., two 8-inch columbiads, two 9-inch Dahlgren guns, four 6-inch rifles and two smoothbore 32-pounders. She drew 14 feet of water, and had a maximum speed of six knots. She was admirably officered with Lieuts. H. K. Stevens, J. Grimball, A.D. Wharton, C. W. Read, A. Barbot and George W. Gift; Surg. H. Washington, Asst. Surg. C. M. Morfit, Asst. Paymaster Richard Taylor; Engineers City, Covert, Jackson, Brown, Doland, Dupuy and Gettis; Acting Masters Phillips and Milliken; Midshipmen Bacot, Scales and Tyler; Gunner Travers and Master's Mate Wilson, with Messrs. Shacklette, Gilmore, Brady and Hodges as pilots, and a crew of 200 men, principally soldiers and rivermen.
Upon consultation with General Van Dorn, commanding at Vicksburg in the summer of 1862, Captain Brown determined to proceed in the Arkansas to that city, distant by water about fifty miles. To do this he had to pass the vessels of Admiral Farragut and Flag-Officer Davis, and the rams of Colonel Ellet. These vessels were at anchor in the Mississippi, three miles below the mouth of the Yazoo, and among them were six ironclads, seven rams and ten large ships of war. On the morning of July 15, 1862, Captain Brown started in the Arkansas for Vicksburg. About six miles from the mouth of the Yazoo river he was met by the United States ironclad Carondelet, Captain Walker; the gunboat Tyler, Lieutenant Commanding Gwinn, and the ram Queen of the West. All three of these vessels turned, and a running fight ensued. The ram made a straight wake, but the other two fought well. The Tyler was too weak to encounter the Arkansas, though her commander, Gwinn, did all that could be expected of him. The Arkansas bestowed most of her attention to the ironclad Carondelet, killing and wounding many of her men, and finally driving her into shoal water. Captain Brown asserted that she lowered her colors; this Captain Walker denied, but there is no doubt that the Arkansas would have made a prize of her could she have spared the time to stop, which she could not. In the encounter with the Carondelet, Captain Brown was badly wounded and two of his pilots were killed. One was the Yazoo river pilot who, as they were carrying him below, had the courage and devotion to exclaim with his dying breath, "Keep in the middle of the river!" The Arkansas' smokestack was so riddled that she could hardly make more than one knot per hour when she entered the Mississippi; but this, with the current of the river, enabled her to run the gauntlet of Farragut's fleet.
http://www.civilwarhome.com/ramarkansas.htm
Expired Image Removed
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This list is incomplete, as between 50 and 60 soldiers served in the complement commanded by Capt. Samuel S. Harris according to most reports. One Missourian, Richard H. Bacot was regularly enlisted in the C.S. Navy as a Midshipman. Pilot James Brady, formerly navigated Mississippi Riverboats. The "Missouri Volunteers" as Commander Isaac Brown refers to the soldiers from Missouri units that were needed to serve as gunners aboard the ironclad. Note: A few of these men were Arkansas residents that had enlisted in Missouri units.
http://www.missouridivision-scv.org/mounits/cssark.htm
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