Gunboat support at Shiloh

[major bill]

I read that late on the first day at the Battle of Shiloh that Grant's army fell back to the protection of gunboats Tyler and Lexington.

I do not believe gunboats were designed for this type of support operations. I am sure their cannons were of some support, but how effective were they against the Confederate troops? I take it much of their fire was at longer range. I can see gunboats being usefull as counter battery fire, but am not sure how effective it would be against infantry.

Would gunboats have sufficient fields of fire to be effective against infantry? Did the cannon fire from the Tyler and Lexington have a major impact on the Battle of Shiloh?

 

[Zack]

I read that late on the first day at the Battle of Shiloh that Grant's army fell back to the protection of gunboats Tyler and Lexington.

I do not believe gunboats were designed for this type of support operations. I am sure their cannons were of some support, but how effective were they against the Confederate troops? I take it much of their fire was at longer range. I can see gunboats being usefull as counter battery fire, but am not sure how effective it would be against infantry.

Would gunboats have sufficient fields of fire to be effective against infantry? Did the cannon fire from the Tyler and Lexington have a major impact on the Battle of Shiloh?

I can't speak specifically to Shiloh, but the Tyler was said to have played a very decisive role in the Battle of Helena. The commander reported, "the slaughter of the enemy at this time was terrible and all unite in describing the horrors of that hillside and the ravines after the battle as baffling description, the killed literally torn to pieces by shell, and the avenging fire of the gunboat pursued the enemy 2 or 3 miles to reserve forces creating a panic there which added not a little to the end of victory." In that battle the Tyler fired 413 rounds.

Redirect Notice

Battle of Helena - Encyclopedia of Arkansas

Location: Phillips County Campaign: Grant's Operations against Vicksburg Date: July 4, 1863 Principal Commanders: Major General Benjamin Prentiss (US); ...

encyclopediaofarkansas.net

 

[major bill]

I am reading "Stonewall of the West" by Craig Symonds. The author tells of Patrick Cleburne's men being stopped by field guns and shelling from the gunboats. Cleburne was a ways from the river and I can not see how the gunboats could have possibly seen where their shells hit. Large caliber explosive shells could do more damage to morale than physical damage to the soldiers. The book also states that during the night every 15 minutes or so, the gunboats fired a round or two. There is no way the gunboats would have known what to fire at. The night fire would have been landing indiscriminately and I have to wonder how much physical damage was done.

 

[NeilL]

This web-page has some good info about the role and usefulness of the gunboats:

The Gunboats USS Lexington and USS Tyler at the Battle of Shiloh – Iron Brigader

 

[DixieRifles]

I can't speak specifically to Shiloh, but the Tyler was said to have played a very decisive role in the Battle of Helena.

I visited Helena but didnt visit all the positions so Im not familiar enough about that battle. The bluffs around Helena are much higher than the small hills of Shiloh. But I think the Union occupied the high ground.
I would conclude the shelling at Helena was more deadly than at Shiloh because they were fired during the day and not at night.

 

[redbob]

At Shiloh they were mainly used to add strength to Grant's last line, cover the Confederate lines of advance and fire all night in the general direction of the Confederates to prevent them from resting. While Ruggles Batteries get all of the attention, Grants last line had over 50 pieces of ordnance available for use against the Confederates.

 

[Grant's Tomb]

Both gunboats were part of the Mississippi River squadron under the command of Flag Officer Andrew Foote and they were instrumental in the capture of Fort Henry. Between the assaults on Henry and Fort Donelson, Tyler joined the USS Conestoga and Lexington moving along the Tennessee River, destroying an important railroad bridge and capturing three Confederate gunboats, most notably the CSS Eastport that was converted into an ironclad for Union service.

 

[major bill]

This web-page has some good info about the role and usefulness of the gunboats:

The Gunboats USS Lexington and USS Tyler at the Battle of Shiloh – Iron Brigader

Interesting information. It appears that General Hurlbut "gave directions to fire, that I might do it with no damage to our troops." I take it that Hurlbut gave a general area for the gunboats to hit.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

IIRC, the biggest support the gunboats gave the Union Army was psychological; most of their actual shots were "overs." (However, any Confederates that hypothetically would have exposed themselves on the riverbank would have been in for some large-caliber attention.)

 

[Ole Miss]

My computer is dying again I think but I did a thread on The Role of us gunboats at Shiloh that shares the Official Reports of Confederate officers who were under fire.
Regards
David

 

[major bill]

My computer is dying again I think but I did a thread on The Role of us gunboats at Shiloh that shares the Official Reports of Confederate officers who were under fire.
Regards
David

The Confederate officers had some inexperienced solders and I am not sure how their green soldiers could stand up to large caliber artillery fire. The truth is that the Confederate officers were inexperience themselves and may have over stated the effect of the cannon fire from the gunboats. I have a bit of difficulty believing that experienced Confederate soldiers, lead by experienced officers, would have been stopped by the fire two gunboats could put out. Perhaps the fire from field artillery and two gunboats could have combined to stop an attack.

So perhaps the fire from the two gunboats did have a large impact on the battle. If inexperienced officers had difficulties controlling inexperienced troops, then the gunboats may have played a larger roll than the physical damage the gunboats did.

 

[Ole Miss]

I believe the the effect of naval gunfire was negligible myself. As to the noise factor every 15 minutes I suspect the Union soldiers heard the guns roar as well
Many soldier reminisces mention such fatigue that they laid down with dead to sleep
Never having been in battle, thank God, I can't even imagine what sights, sounds and smells they experienced
Regards
David

 

[major bill]

As to the noise factor every 15 minutes I suspect the Union soldiers heard the guns roar as well

Yes but hearing the guns roar is different when they are not firing at you. I have seen soldiers break down in crying fits over the sounds of things that really have little chance of injuring them, but be brave in tight situations where they could get injured. Fear is an odd and unpredictable thing. Something like a random, uncontrollable shell is more scary than a concrete and very real danger. At times it is the fear of the unknown that plays on a soldiers mind.

 

[Ole Miss]

I will certainly concede to your experience and knowledge
Regards
David

 

[USS ALASKA]

My computer is dying again I think but I did a thread on The Role of us gunboats at Shiloh that shares the Official Reports of Confederate officers who were under fire.
Regards
David

Role of the US Navy at Shiloh | Shiloh / Pittsburg Landing

Like many, I have always read about the role the US Navy played at the Battle of Shiloh, that the 2 gunboats fired every 15 minutes into the Confederate positions all night. Invariably every story or article claims the destructive fire from the USS Lexington and USS Tyler disrupted the...

civilwartalk.com

HTHs,
USS ALASKA

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

I find interesting is that few, if any, of the major modern published books about Shiloh give much attention to the Tyler and Lexington.

I'm not sure where the idea that the gunboats had an important role in the battle started or what led to the modern interpretive narrative marginalizing them. I would guess as more first-person accounts became available over time authors found mentions of the gunboats as conspicuous by their absence or limited reference (namely as harassing night fire).

Given the height of the bluffs at Shiloh the gunboats might have been useless, except for a last-ditch defense of Pittsburg Landing, if not for the rivers being so high at the time.

 

[RodentRevolution]

Just a minor point but the gunboats had 8" shell guns so would be chucking 51lbs shells, might be worth keeping in mind the land soldiers would have regarded the 20 Pounder Parrots stationed at Pittburgh Landing as heavy artillery. So if someone adds in naval shells and likely at a rate the land guns would struggle to match due to advantages in mountings and mechanical fittings attacking troops are likely to decide they want to be somewhere else.