iPedia Free Information Center

Information about Css Arkansas

Enlarge picture
CSS Arkansas

CSS Arkansas in a period sepia wash drawing by R.G. Skerrett. From the U.S. Naval Historical Center
Career
Ordered:24 August 1861
Laid down:December 1861
Launched:24 April 1862
Commissioned:26 May 1862
Status:scuttled by crew 6 August 1862
General Characteristics
Displacement:approximately 800 tons
Length:165 ft (50.3 m)
Beam:35 ft (10.7 m)
Draft:11.5 ft (3.5 m)
Speed:8 knots
Complement:232 officers and men
Armament:Total of 10 guns (3 on broadside, and 2 forward and 2 aft). Cast Iron Ram at the bow
2 x 8 in (203 mm) Columbiads in bow ports, 2 x 6.4 in (163 mm) Brooke Rifles in stern ports
2 x 6.4 in (163 mm) Brooke Rifles, 2 x 8 in (203 mm) Dahlgren smoothbores and 2 x 32 lb (15 kg) smoothbores in broadside ports.
Armor:Casemate: railroad iron over wood and compressed cotton. Pilothouse: 2 inches (51 mm). Top: 1 inch (25 mm). Stern: boiler iron only


The CSS Arkansas was a Confederate Ironclad warship during the American Civil War. Serving in the Western Theater, the vessel helped repulse a U.S. Navy fleet at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in a celebrated action.

History

Construction

The keel was laid down at Memphis, Tennessee, by J.T. Shirley during the winter of 1861–1862. In April 1862, Arkansas was removed to the Yazoo River in Mississippi to prevent its capture when Memphis fell to the Union Navy. Her sister ship, CSS Tennessee, was burned in her dock because she could not escape.

In May 1862 Capt. Isaac N. Brown of the Confederate States Navy received orders at Vicksburg from the Navy Department in Richmond, Virginia, to proceed to Greenwood, Mississippi, and assumed command of the Arkansas. His orders were to finish and equip the vessel. When Captain Brown arrived, he found a mere hull, without armor, engines in pieces, and guns without carriages. Supplies of railroad iron, intended as armor for the ship, was lying at the bottom of the river. A recovery mission was ordered, and the armor was pulled up out of the mud. Captain Brown then had the Arkansas towed to Yazoo City, where he enlisted the assistance of elements of the Confederate Army as construction crews. After five weeks of extraordinary make-do engineering under the hot summer sun, the ship had to leave due to falling river levels. She had been fully outfitted, except for the curved armor intended to surround her stern and pilot house. Boiler plate was stuck on these areas "for appearances sake".

Breaking through to Vicksburg

During this time, the Federal Navy had undertaken a naval blockade of Vicksburg with a large force made up of a squadron of ships that had come up from the Gulf of Mexico and a flotilla of United States Army rams from upriver. Admiral David Farragut was in overall command of the blockading force, which consisted of at least 10 ships of war, 6 ironclads, and 7 rams.

Soon thereafter, Captain Brown determined that the time had come to take the offensive against the blockading force. He crewed the Arkansas with about 60 Missouri soldiers. These soldiers had never served big guns, and most of them had probably never even served aboard a ship before. Brown stated "The only trouble they ever gave me was to keep them from running the Arkansas into the Union fleet before we were ready for battle." He then set sail for the Union fleet.

After approximately 15 miles (24 km), it was discovered that steam from the boilers had leaked into the forward magazine and rendered the gunpowder wet and useless. Captain Brown and his men found a clearing along the bank of the Yazoo River, landed the wet powder and spread it out on tarpaulins in the sun to dry. With constant stirring and shaking the powder was dry enough to ignite by sundown. Arkansas proceeded on her way.

After sunrise three Federal vessels were sighted steaming towards Arkansas—the ironclad USS Carondelet, the wooden gunboat USS Tyler, and the ram USS Queen of the West. The Federal vessels gave chase, and a running battle ensued. Carondelet was quickly disabled with a shot through her steering mechanism. Attention was turned to Tyler and the ram, which quickly turned away and ran for their fleet with the Arkansas pursuing.

Enlarge picture
CSS Arkansas running through the Union fleet above Vicksburg, Mississippi, 15 July 1862
Soon the massive Federal fleet of 20+ ships came into view around the river bend above Vicksburg, "a forest of masts and smokestacks...". Captain Brown determined to steam directly into the line, staying as close to the enemy vessels as possible in order to prevent his vessel being rammed and to sow confusion among the Federal ships. The Arkansas and its crew of Missouri "sailors" pounded their way through the midst of the enemy fleet and emerged on the other side bound for Vicksburg itself. The stunned Federal fleet did not pursue.

The Arkansas arrived at Vicksburg to the sound of enthusiastic cheering from the citizens and within sight of the lower Federal fleet. That night, the upper fleet that they had bloodied that morning attempted to join up with their compatriots and sink the Arkansas. Before the Arkansas could sally forth, she was struck in the engines by a passing shot that caused considerable damage. The Vicksburg batteries forced the attacking vessels away from the Arkansas, but could not prevent the two fleets from linking up below Vicksburg. The Arkansas lay at Vicksburg the following week, repairing under the less than effective plunging fire of the army's mortar rafts.

Under the Vicksburg bluffs

With repairs completed, the Arkansas again was able to menace its enemies, forcing them to keep up steam 24 hours a day in the hottest part of the summer. This grew quite tiresome, and the Federal commanders resolved to attack and destroy the Arkansas. Attempts were made to ram the Arkansas by the USS Essex and the Queen of the West. The Essex drifted away without power after being struck point-blank by an Arkansas broadside, and the Queen ended up being towed back to the upper fleet after both a broadside and a punch from the Arkansas's deadly bow gun. This battle took place in such close quarters than men from the Arkansas received powder burns from the Federal guns. The crew consisted of only twenty men after the battle.

After this defeat, the Federal commanders decided to end the blockade of Vicksburg for the time being, with the lower fleet heading south towards New Orleans, Louisiana, and the upper fleet back towards St. Louis, Missouri. The Union Navy would not reappear in front of Vicksburg for four welcome months, until after the Arkansas was gone. The greatest naval force ever assembled in the western hemisphere had been dispersed by a hastily built gunboat constructed in a swamp, with scrap metal, and manned by a handful of volunteer soldiers. It was hailed as one of the most incredible feats in naval history.

Final fight at Baton Rouge

With the siege at Vicksburg lifted, General Earl Van Dorn ordered the Arkansas to support a land attack at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Arkansas departed under the command of her first officer, Lt. Charles Read, and without Captain Brown, who was ill at Grenada, Mississippi. Upon hearing this, Brown had himself placed on a train and angrily rushed to Vicksburg, where he found that she had left four hours before, his orders for the Arkansas to stay put had been overruled by Van Dorn with the support of another Navy officer.

The Arkansas broke down within sight of the Federal fleet in front of Baton Rouge. Efforts were made by the crew to repair the cranky engines even as the enemy steamed toward them. The first officer, seeing that he could bring no guns to bear on the approaching enemy, ordered most of his men ashore and with the help of a few other officers, set fire to his vessel. Within minutes she exploded, her colors still flying.

Current Disposition

The Arkansas currently rests, aligned north/south, deep under a levee roughly 1.4 miles south of the auto/rail bridge just below Free Negro Point. The wreck is 690 feet past river mile 233.

Some of the Federal Naval vessels engaged by CSS Arkansas at Vicksburg

US Navy West Gulf Blockading Squadron (Farragut)

US Army Western Gunboat Flotilla (Davis)

(Note: Army vessels are designated here with the designation USS for the sake of consistency).

External links

  •  • [ e] Ironclads of the Confederate States Navy
Albemarle | Arkansas | Baltic | Chicora | Charleston | Columbia | Fredericksburg | Georgia | Louisiana | Manassas | Mississippi | Muscogee | Nashville | Neuse | North Carolina | Palmetto State | Raleigh | Richmond | Savannah | Stonewall | Tennessee I | Tennessee II | Texas | Virginia | Virginia II
List of ships of the Confederate States Navy
DEFAULTSORT:Arkansas}
The Naval Historical Center (NHC) is the official history program of the United States Navy. It is physically located at the Washington Navy Yard, and maintains a website of considerable value.
..... Click the link for more information.
August 24 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events


..... Click the link for more information.
18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1830s  1840s  1850s  - 1860s -  1870s  1880s  1890s
1858 1859 1860 - 1861 - 1862 1863 1864

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1830s  1840s  1850s  - 1860s -  1870s  1880s  1890s
1858 1859 1860 - 1861 - 1862 1863 1864

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
April 24 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events


..... Click the link for more information.
19th century - 20th century
1830s  1840s  1850s  - 1860s -  1870s  1880s  1890s
1859 1860 1861 - 1862 - 1863 1864 1865

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
May 26 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 451 - The Battle of Avarayr between Armenian rebels and the Sassanid Empire takes place.

..... Click the link for more information.
19th century - 20th century
1830s  1840s  1850s  - 1860s -  1870s  1880s  1890s
1859 1860 1861 - 1862 - 1863 1864 1865

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
August 6 is the 1st day of the year (2nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 0 days remaining.

Events

  • 1538 - Bogotá, Colombia, is founded by Gonzalo Jiménez de Quesada.

..... Click the link for more information.
19th century - 20th century
1830s  1840s  1850s  - 1860s -  1870s  1880s  1890s
1859 1860 1861 - 1862 - 1863 1864 1865

:
Subjects:     Archaeology - Architecture -
..... Click the link for more information.
beam of a ship is its width at the widest point, or a point alongside the ship at the mid-point of its length. Generally speaking, the wider a ship (or boat)'s beam, the more initial stability she will have, at expense of reserve stability in the event of a capsize, where more
..... Click the link for more information.
The draft (or draught) of a ship's hull is the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of the hull (keel), with the thickness of the hull included; in the case of not being included the draft outline would be obtained.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) was the government formed by eleven southern states of the United States of America between 1861 and 1865.
..... Click the link for more information.
ironclad was a steam-propelled warship of the later 19th century, protected by iron or steel armor plates.[1]

The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships to explosive or incendiary shells.
..... Click the link for more information.
American Civil War (1861–1865) was a major war between the United States (the "Union") and eleven Southern slave states which declared that they had a right to secession and formed the Confederate States of America, led by President Jefferson Davis.
..... Click the link for more information.
Western Theater of the American Civil War.

Theater of operations

The Western Theater was an area defined by both geography and the sequence of campaigning. It originally represented the area east of the Mississippi River and west of the Appalachian Mountains.
..... Click the link for more information.
United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations. The U.S. Navy currently has over 340,000 personnel on active duty and nearly 128,000 in the Navy Reserve.
..... Click the link for more information.
Vicksburg, Mississippi
Aerial view of Vicksburg Harbor
Location of Vicksburg in Warren County
Coordinates:
Country United States
State Mississippi
County Warren
Founded
..... Click the link for more information.
Memphis, Tennessee

Flag
Seal
Nickname: The River City, The Bluff City
Location in Shelby County and the state of Tennessee
Coordinates:
Country
..... Click the link for more information.
Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Mississippi.

The Yazoo River was named by French explorer La Salle in 1682 in reference to the Yazoo tribe living near the river's mouth. The exact meaning of the term is unclear.
..... Click the link for more information.
State of Mississippi

Flag of Mississippi Seal
Nickname(s): The Magnolia State, The Hospitality State
Motto(s): Virtute et armis (By Valor and Arms)

Official language(s) English

Capital
..... Click the link for more information.
The Union Navy, also known as the United States Navy, was the naval force that fought for the Union in the American Civil War. It had two principal missions:
  • Naval blockade of Southern seaports, interdicting Southern commerce.

..... Click the link for more information.
CSS Tennessee was an ironclad ram, built for the Confederate States Navy.

Tennessee was begun by John T. Shirley and Company, at Memphis, Tennessee, under fixed price contract for $76,920. Chief constructor of the twin-screw ironclad was a Mr. Prime Emerson.
..... Click the link for more information.
Isaac Newton Brown (May 27, 1817 – September 1, 1889) was a naval officer in both the United States Navy and the Confederate States Navy. He received the Confederate Medal of Honor for his distinguished service during the American Civil War.

Isaac N.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the naval branch of the Confederate States armed forces established by an act of the Confederate Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the American Civil War.
..... Click the link for more information.
Richmond, Virginia

Flag
Seal
Nickname: River City, Cap City
Motto: Sic Itur Ad Astra (Thus do we reach the stars)
Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Coordinates:
..... Click the link for more information.
Greenwood, Mississippi

Seal
Nickname: Cotton Capital of the World
Motto:
Location of Greenwood, Mississippi
Coordinates:
Country United States
..... Click the link for more information.
The Confederate States Army (CSA) was organized in February 1861 to defend the newly formed Confederate States of America from military action by the United States government during the American Civil War. As many as 1.4 million men fought in the Army throughout the war.
..... Click the link for more information.
A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies, troops, information or aid from reaching an opposing force. Blockades are the cornerstone to nearly all military campaigns and the tool of choice for economic warfare on an opposing nation.
..... Click the link for more information.
The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. It is an ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and
..... Click the link for more information.


This article is copied from an article on Wikipedia.org - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. The text was not checked or edited by anyone on our staff. Although the vast majority of the wikipedia encyclopedia articles provide accurate and timely information please do not assume the accuracy of any particular article. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License.
Herod_Archelaus


page counter