Posted on 04/24/2023 4:42:40 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
NEAR VICKSBURGH, Friday, April 17, 1863.
The quietness that has, for some weeks held undisputed sway over matters in this vicinity, was disturbed last night by an affair of no secondary magnitude -- no less an one than the running of the Vicksburgh batteries by our fleet of iron-clads. The weather was fine and the spectacle was witnessed by a large and appreciative audience, (including many ladies,) and the whole affair "went off" with great credit to the performers, and to the entire satisfaction of the lookers-on.
The idea of running a large force of gunboats below Vicksburgh has been entertained for some time, and its carrying out at present was intended to effect a double object. One of these was, to operate against the smaller batteries below on the Mississippi, Big Black and Red Rivers; the other was, the announcing to Gen. THOMAS that the Army of the Mississippi is alive, well and able to carry on more important operations than digging impracticable canals and exploring useless bayous. It may be stated that in both these respects there has been, so far, a fair success -- the one promises well, and the other has been accomplished.
The present affair has been managed in a manner that deserves considerable credit. Heretofore, either through a too great reliance upon our own strength, or infused with a contempt of the harmful ability of the rebels, we have been decidedly unfortunate in our attempts against the Lower Mississippi. We sent down the Queen of the West -- a boat whose power of resistance to hostile shot was about equal to that of papier mache -- to cope singly with a series of the most powerful batteries on the continent, and to clear the river of steamers, each of which was immeasurably
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
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Important from the Mississippi: How the Vicksburgh Batteries were Passed by Admiral Porter’s Vessels – 2-4
Admiral Porter’s Operations: The Rebel Battery at Warrenton Destroyed – 4
From the Tennessee River: The River Cleared of Rebel Cavalry by the Marine Brigade – 4
The War in Missouri: Movements Against the Rebels in the Vicinity of Pilot Knob – 4
Important Rebel News: Destruction of the Rebel Steamers Queen of the West and Diana – 4
The War in Tennessee: An Important Expedition to McMinnville – 4
From the Army of the Potomac: All Quiet – 4-5
Affairs at Suffolk: The Capture of the Five-Gun Battery – 5
News from Washington: Our Special Washington Dispatches – 5
Editorial: Partyism vs. Patriotism – 5-6
A Paying Expedition – 6
Work in the Southwest – 6
The End of a Famous Gunboat – 6
Ellet’s River Police – 6-7
Debts to the Soldiers All Paid – 7
The Progress of Loyalty – 7
Judge Betts and the Peterhoff’s Mail – 7
Sounds like Musk was there.;-)
Or Jules Verne, maybe.
Niteowl77's ancestor is now quartered on one of the MMB boats and beginning what will be slightly over a year of service in one of the more unique, obscure and controversial of all Civil War military units.
Subsequent events and the passing of years have tended to reflect badly on the MMB, but the official records of the brigade were conveniently lost or deliberately destroyed at the end of the war (there is nothing new under the FedGov sun). The Marine Brigade was an idea ahead of it's time, but was largely squandered by indifference or incompetence; be that as it may, its existence could still pull Confederate resources away and cause as much heartburn in Richmond as it did among some high-ranking Union circles.
Interesting criticism within the longer of the earlier failures to get past the Vicksburg batteries.
If the NYT could write "We sent down the Queen of the West -- a boat whose power of resistance to hostile shot was about equal to that of papier mache --" then pigs could fly as early as 1863... because they were 100% correct in that criticism. It might even be characterized as "pithy."
Charles Ellet's Ram Fleet (which included the "Queen of the West") consisted of converted Mississippi River wood-hulled packet steamboats with reinforced prows and added wooden "armor" that was added to keep musket, pistol and rifle fire from penetrating to the crew and machinery. Alfred Ellet's Marine Brigade boats were equally dismally "armored." Soldiers of the Marine Brigade very quickly found out that artillery rounds fired from the riverbank would handily penetrate the boats as a general rule.
The "City Class" and early Eads ironclads could slug it out with artillery and survive, but none of the Ellett boats was any more cannon-proof than a log cabin. In action, the Ram Fleet boats could try to ram enemy vessels (it worked providentially at Memphis), but the MMB boats' only defense was to either pull into shore and let cavalry/infantry disembark to clean out the battery, or to "skedaddle" for some cover.
Important from the Mississippi: How the Vicksburgh Batteries were Passed by Admiral Porter’s Vessels – 2-4
The Confederate gunners weren’t very good.
The book Jack Hinson’s One man war Provides a guerilla view of this part of the war.
Sad what happened to his kids.
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