Editing CSS Arkansas (section)

==Career==
===Action on the Yazoo===
By this time, a [[Union Navy]] fleet commanded by [[Flag officer#United States|Flag Officer]] [[Charles Henry Davis|Charles H. Davis]], had captured Memphis and occupied the Mississippi River north of [[Vicksburg, Mississippi]], threatening the city.{{sfn|Chatelain|2020|p=132}} Two unarmed Union ships approached Liverpool Landing on 26 June, causing Commander [[Robert Pinckney]] to order his gunboats burned. The Union ships returned to the Mississippi River and ''Arkansas'' arrived at the scene after they had left. Brown ordered his crew to try to put out the flames, but they were unsuccessful. Although nothing could be salvaged from the gunboats, quantities of supplies and material, including cannon, had been off-loaded earlier.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=127–129}} Two days later [[Commodore (United States)|Commodore]] [[David G. Farragut]] passed the defenses of Vicksburg to unite with Davis' ships north of the city.{{sfn|Chatelain|2020|pp=183–184}}

Brown briefly returned to Yazoo City to test his engines, but otherwise remained at Liverpool Landing trying to fix the engines, finishing outfitting the ironclad, and integrating the crews of the destroyed gunboats into his own crew. As his ship became more combat worthy, Brown sent Lieutenant [[Charles Read (naval officer)|Charles Read]] to Vicksburg on July 8 to find out what the Confederate commander of the area, Major General [[Earl Van Dorn]], wanted him to do and to scout out the Union fleet between him and the city. Van Dorn ordered him to [[sortie]] into the Mississippi to attack the Union ships north of the city and then to proceed south of Vicksburg and destroy the [[mortar (weapon)|mortar]] boats there if the condition of his ship allowed him to do so. Around 11 July{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=135, 137–138}} 60 Missouri artillerymen{{sfn|McGhee|2008|pp=36–37}} who had volunteered to serve aboard ''Arkansas'' en route to Vicksburg arrived and were given a crash course in operating heavy artillery.{{sfn|Smith|2011|p=138}}

[[File:Gunboat Tyler, where W.W. Stuart served during the Civil War LCCN2014646296.jpg|thumb|The timberclad ''Tyler'']]
A passage was cut through the raft barrier at Liverpool Landing on July 12, and ''Arkansas'' continued downriver to [[Satartia, Mississippi]], accompanied by the [[tugboat]] {{ship|CSS|St. Mary}}. Brown spent all day there on the 13th, exercising his gun crews. Problems occurred on July 14, when the gunpowder in the forward [[magazine (artillery)|magazine]] was discovered to have been dampened by steam escaping from her engines. ''Arkansas'' had to stop at the riverbank for her crew to allow the powder to dry in the sun. Brown reloaded the dry powder later that day and continued to Haynes Bluff, where he anchored about midnight, intending to surprised the Union ships in the Mississippi at dawn.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=140–145}}

[[File:USSCarondelet.jpg|thumb|The ironclad ''Carondelet'', circa 1862]]
Farragut had been alerted by Confederate deserters that ''Arkansas'' was on the Yazoo, although the latest Union intelligence was that she was still incomplete and upriver from Liverpool Landing. Nonetheless, Farragut and Davis agreed to send a reconnaissance mission up the Yazoo to search for the ironclad,{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=145–146}} consisting of the [[timberclad warship|timberclad]] gunboat {{USS|Tyler||2}}, the ram {{USS|Queen of the West||2}}, and the ironclad {{USS|Carondelet|1861|2}}.{{sfn|Miller|2019|pp=158{{en dash}}159}} Leaving ''St. Mary'' behind, Brown departed his anchorage about 03:00 and spotted the Union ships about three hours later a few miles from the mouth of the Yazoo. Brown ordered his pilots to steer for the ''Carondelet'', intending to ram the Union ship, about {{convert|2|mi|km|spell=in}} astern of ''Tyler'' and ''Queen of the West''. He only authorized his forward guns to fire if they bore directly on a target as he did not want to be slowed down by the cannons' [[recoil]]. ''Tyler'' drew the first blood of the engagement when a Confederate soldier was decapitated by a projectile while leaning out of a gun port. The two unarmored ships reversed course to fall back on ''Carondelet'', but ''Arkansas'' was able to close within a range of {{convert|150|–|200|yd|m}} from ''Tyler''. A [[shell (projectile)|shell]] from one of her Columbiads detonated inside ''Tyler''{{'}}s engine room, killing 9 men and wounding 16, but the gun recoiled off its mount and it took 10 minutes of hard labor to remount the gun. Although ''Queen of the West'' was not armed, she attempted to maneuver into a position from which she could ram the Confederate ship, but was dissuaded by a broadside from ''Arkansas'', and turned downstream.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=145, 155–160}}
[[File:Arkansas vs. Carondelet, Yazoo river action July 15.jpg|left|thumb|385x385px|Desperate naval combat between the confederate Ironclad ram Arkansas and a group of Union ships at the mouth of the Yazoo river, 15th July 1863.]]
''Tyler'' followed shortly afterward, continuing to engage the ironclad with her single 30-pounder [[Parrott rifle]] [[stern chaser]] from a range of {{convert|200|–|300|yd|m}}. As ''Carondelet'' and ''Arkansas'' closed the range, the former's shells bounced off the Confederate ship's armor while the latter's shells began to penetrate the Union ironclad's thinner frontal armor. Commander [[Henry A. Walke]], ''Carondelet'''s captain, then ordered his ship to reverse course so that the ''Arkansas'' could not ram him, even though the maneuver exposed his unarmored stern with its pair of 32-pounder smoothbore [[Stern chaser|stern chasers]]. ''Arkansas'' was able to close within {{convert|50|yd|m}} of the retreating Union ironclad, but could not get any closer. Within a half hour after the start of the battle, ''Carondelet''{{'}}s armor had been pierced by at least eight 64-pounder shells, although one of ''Tyler''{{'}}s shots had struck her pilothouse, wounding both pilots familiar with the Yazoo river. Around this time the [[sharpshooter]]s aboard ''Tyler'' opened fire, shooting at ''Arkansas''{{'}}s smokestack, gun ports and Brown himself, who had been commanding his ship from the top of the casemate. One [[Minié ball]] grazed his head as he was about to descend into the casemate,{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=160–164}} but only temporarily knocked him unconscious.{{sfn|Miller|2019|p=159}} ''Arkansas''{{'}}s fire had cut ''Carondelet''{{'}}s steering ropes and she ran aground in a bend of the river. Brown ordered a broadside fired into the Union ship as ''Arkansas'' passed by at [[point-blank range]], intent on reaching the Mississippi.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=165–168}} By this time ''Arkansas''{{'}}s smokestack had been riddled with holes by Union fire and the weakened [[draft (boiler)|draft]] for the boilers had gradually reduced their efficiency and the ship's speed during the battle,{{sfn|Miller|2019|p=160}} so much so that she was only capable of about {{convert|3|mph|kph}} with the current. Other damage to her steam piping and the connection between the funnel and the boilers raised the temperature in her [[fire room]] up to {{convert|130|F|C}} and {{convert|120|F|C}} in the casemate as a result.

The July 15 battle between the ironclads caused heavy damage to the ''Carondelet'' and inflicted 35 casualties.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/ | archive-url=https://archive.today/20011005083318/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 | url-status=dead | archive-date=October 5, 2001 | title=Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships | publisher=[[Naval Historical Center|Naval History Division]] | year=1963}}</ref> About 25 of the ''Arkansas'' crew had been killed or wounded during the battle.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=175–176, 178}}

===To Vicksburg===
[[File:CSS Arkansas h73378.jpg|thumb|''Arkansas'' running through the Federal fleet above Vicksburg, Mississippi, on 15 July 1862]]
In order to reach Vicksburg, ''Arkansas'' needed to force her way through the Union fleet. The crews of Farragut's and Davis' ships had thought that the sound of the guns firing up the Yazoo were from a land engagement and the ''Queen of the West''{{'}}s captain failed to alert the fleet upon his return. The Confederates had made some repairs to the boiler exhausts and  ''Arkansas'' able to generate a moderate head of steam by burning oily material by the time she pursued ''Tyler'' into the Mississippi at 08:30. Only the ironclad {{USS|Benton||2}} had her boilers lit as there was a shortage of coal at that time, but the continued gunfire between ''Arkansas'' and ''Tyler'' caused the Union ships prepare for action by attempting to raise steam and manning their guns. For his part Brown initially decided to close all his gun ports{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=178–183}} and to keep his ship close to the Federal vessels, in order to prevent Union rams from getting much momentum on any ramming attack.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}} The gunboat {{USS|Pinola|1861|2}} opened the fight which prompted Brown to return fire, badly damaging the Union ship. ''Arkansas'' was continuously fired upon from all directions with all of her guns replying as they saw targets at a range of about {{convert|75|yd|m}}. Brown remained on the casemate roof as his ship approached Farragut's largest ships, the wooden [[sloop-of-war|sloops]] {{USS|Richmond|1860|2}} and {{USS|Hartford|1858|2}}.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=183–185}} Before the ''Arkansas'' could reach them, the ram {{USS|Lancaster|1855|2}} passed by the ironclad in an attempt to ram her, but was disabled by a shot through the [[steam drum]].<ref name="Barnhart" /> Her exact casualties are unknown, but the Union ship was hit many times by friendly fire as she maneuvered into position.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=185–186}}

[[File:Steamer Richmond.jpg|thumb|''Richmond'' anchored at [[Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]], 1863]]
The clouds of smoke produced by all the shooting greatly reduced visibility and the Union ships were additionally handicapped by the presence of Union transports and [[hospital ship]]s on the other side of the river that might be damaged if they missed ''Arkansas''. ''Hartford'' had to wait until the ironclad moved further downstream before she could open fire and was only able to fire a single [[volley fire|volley]] before her guns could no longer bear. One of her shots penetrated the Confederate ship's casemate and killed four men and wounded another. Another shot by the sloop {{USS|Iroquois|1859|2}} killed or wounded the entire 16-man crew of one of the Columbiads and started a small fire that was quickly extinguished. One shot by either the gunboat {{USS|Wissahickon|1861|2}} or her sister {{USS|Winona|1861|2}} penetrated the casemate near a Dahlgren gun, killing three men and wounding three others, travelled through the boiler exhaust to strike the far side of the casemate, killing or injuring 15 men at another gun. By this time the ironclad had little steam available and was mostly drifting with the current. Temperatures in the fire room required the crewmen  to be rotated every fifteen minutes so they would not be overcome by [[heat exhaustion]]. Brown had thus far spent the entire battle either in the pilothouse or on the casemate's roof and he returned to the latter position to seek relief from the heat. Despite his exposed position, he was only slightly wounded during the battle.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=186, 190–195}}

The improved visibility atop the casemate allowed him to see that the only remaining ships that he had to pass were a few of Davis' ironclads, although only two were combat worthy at that time. ''Benton'' had steam up and was able to move slowly as ''Arkansas'' approached, slowly enough that Brown attempted to ram her. The Union ironclad was able to speed up enough to evade the Confederate ship, although she was lightly damaged when the ''Arkansas'' fired a broadside into ''Benton''{{'}}s stern as she passed by. The ironclad {{USS|Cincinnati|1861|2}} was the last ship barring the way to Vicksburg, but she barely had any speed up and was easily evaded. The two Union ironclads pursued the ''Arkansas'' until a brief gun duel with the city's defenses caused them to head back upstream. The mortar boats below the city were warned that the ironclad was passing through the Union fleet and they temporarily withdrew downstream, during which time the [[schooner]] {{USS|Sidney C. Jones|1861|2}} ran hard aground and was burned to prevent her capture. The Confederate ship had fired 97 shots during the day, only 24 of which had missed a Union ship.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=195–200}}

''Arkansas'' received an enthusiastic welcome at Vicksburg. A crowd formed at the wharf where the ship docked, and Van Dorn embraced Brown. However, several spectators observed the gory carnage within the ironclad and were unnerved.  Thirty men had been killed or wounded on the vessel.{{sfn|Miller|2019|pp=160–161}} Brown and his crew spent the rest of the day taking care of the dead and wounded, replenishing the ship's supply of coal and making temporary repairs. An unknown number of volunteers from the city's garrison were received to at least partially replace the day's losses. During this time, the ironclad was ineffectually fired upon by the mortar boats and Union artillery and infantry units across the river.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=210–215}} Farragut decided to run his fleet past the Vicksburg batteries and destroy ''Arkansas'' that evening. He had originally planned for the movement to begin at 16:00, but a storm came up, delaying the advance until 21:00. By then, it was getting dark. The ''Arkansas'' was rust-colored and was docked against a red riverbank, which made her much less visible and significantly degraded the accuracy of the Union guns.<ref name="Barnhart" /> The fire from Farragut's ships was generally ineffectual, although a shot from the sloop {{USS|Oneida|1861|6}} destroyed ''Arkansas''{{'}}s [[sickbay]], damaged her machinery and killed three crewmen and wounded three others. While the effect of the ironclad's fire upon the Union ships is generally unknown, the shot that disabled the gunboat ''Winona''{{'}}s engines is attributed to the ''Arkansas''.{{sfn|Smith|2011|pp=222–223, 226–227}} While Farragut's fleet made it downriver past Vicksburg, it had been unsuccessful in destroying its target and the Confederate guns were similarly ineffective.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}} The Union fleet had suffered 92 casualties during the day's actions.<ref name="encylo of arkansas">{{cite web |last1=Spurgeon |first1=John |title=CSS Arkansas |url=https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/css-arkansas-2854/ |publisher=Encyclopedia of Arkansas |access-date=March 5, 2021 |date=February 26, 2013}}</ref>

The next day, July 16, saw Union ships begin firing at ''Arkansas'' with mortars, necessitating the frequent moving of the ship to keep the Union ships from getting the ironclad's range. The Missourians had only joined the ship's crew for duration of the run to Vicksburg, and returned to their commands on July 16.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=126}}  This left ''Arkansas'' with a serious crew shortage.<ref name="Barnhart" /> Brown had permission from Van Dorn to recruit men from Vicksburg's army garrison, but getting volunteers to serve on the ship was difficult due to the off putting effect of the damage from the ship's fight with the Union fleet.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=126}}

===Under the Vicksburg bluffs===
[[File:GunboatArkansasIllustrNewYorkTribune07311862.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|''Arkansas'', as the vessel appeared to readers of the [[New York Tribune]], July 31, 1862]]

Three days after the fight, ''Arkansas'' had been repaired to a more mobile position again, and began posing a threat to the Union fleets, which were forced to keep steam pressure up so they could move if need be. At one point, the vessel attempted to threaten the Union's mortar ships, but its engines failed before it entered range of the Union position; ''Arkansas'' returned to its starting position.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|pp=127{{en dash}}128}} The reduced crew still caused problems, as there were only enough men onboard to man three cannons at a time.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}}  After a conversation, Farragut and Davis decided to attack ''Arkansas'' at her position at Vicksburg.{{sfn|Miller|2019|p=162}}  The attack fell on July 22, and was conducted by {{USS|Essex|1856|2}}, ''Queen of the West'', and {{USS|Sumter|1863|2}}.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}} ''Essex'' was the largest ironclad the Union had available, and ''Queen of the West'' was the strongest ram.{{sfn|Miller|2019|p=162}}

''Arkansas'' was not prepared for a battle. The ship's engine was disabled, and the understrength crew was reduced even further with a number of men in hospitals at the time. Brown had only part of his officer corps and 28 crewmen present; only two cannons could be manned with the available crew.{{sfn|Miller|2019|p=162}} The Union vessels did not coordinate well. ''Essex'' tried to ram ''Arkansas'', but the Confederate vessel maneuvered out of the way, while its opponent missed and temporarily ran aground.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}} A close-range duel between the two ships followed, in which ''Essex'' suffered little damage, but a shot penetrated ''Arkansas'', inflicting casualties.<ref name="Barnhart" />{{efn|The number of casualties caused by this single shot varies among sources.  Donald Barnhart, writing for the [[Civil War Times|''Civil War Times Illustrated'']], stated that seven men were killed by the shot.<ref name="Barnhart" /> The ''[[Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]]'' says six were killed and six wounded,{{sfn|Marcello|2016}} while [[Donald L. Miller]] gives a total figure of 14 casualties.{{sfn|Miller|2019|p=162}} George W. Gift, one of the ship's officers, wrote that seven men were killed and six wounded.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=129}}}} That single shot also damaged ''Arkansas''{{'}}s [[superstructure]]. ''Queen of the West'' rammed the Confederate vessel, but caused no major damage; it also ran aground. Once the two Union ships freed themselves, ''Essex'' continued downriver from Vicksburg, while ''Queen of the West'' returned to the north of the city.{{sfn|Miller|2019|p=162}} A parting shot from ''Arkansas'' hit ''Queen of the West'' in the stern during the retreat; the shot had skipped off the water several times before striking the ship.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=130}}

After the attack against ''Arkansas'', Farragut decided that remaining in position near Vicksburg was no longer tenable. The expected seasonal drop in river level threatened to strand his ships on the Mississippi, a third of his sailors were sick, and the Navy was unlikely to receive needed help from the Army. The threat caused by the presence of ''Arkansas'' did not help the matter.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}} On July 23, orders from [[United States Secretary of the Navy]] [[Gideon Welles]] permitted Farragut to abandon the position and leave for the Gulf of Mexico. The next day, Farragut's ships began the movement downriver, leaving Davis behind to continue bombarding the Confederates. However, Davis, on his own initiative, ordered a withdrawal to [[Helena, Arkansas]], on July 28. His crews had been decimated by disease, and he risked not having enough men to continue to operate his ships if he did not withdraw.{{Sfn|Miller|2019|pp=163{{en dash}}164}}

===Final fight at Baton Rouge===
{{Main|Battle of Baton Rouge (1862)}}
[[File:Essex Arkansas.jpg|thumb|Illustration of the ''Arkansas'' burning while under fire from {{USS|Essex|1856|6}}, ''[[Harper's Weekly]]'', 5 September 1862]]

With the threat of the Union fleets no longer present, Brown was granted four days of leave at [[Grenada, Mississippi]], for recovery from injuries. Before leaving, he ordered [[Lieutenant (navy)|Lieutenant]] Henry K. Stevens that ''Arkansas'' should not be moved.  Van Dorn was also informed that the ship's engine problems prevented her from being usable without repairs.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}}  Brown fell ill, while Van Dorn planned an attack on the Union-held city of [[Baton Rouge, Louisiana]]. Major General [[John C. Breckinridge]] was in charge of the Confederate army assault against Baton Rouge, but soon saw almost half of his force stricken by disease. To make up for the loss in manpower, Breckinridge asked for ''Arkansas'' to support his attack.  Despite the ship still being in a poor state of repair, Van Dorn ordered her to take part in the attack.<ref name="Barnhart" />  Stevens objected, citing Brown's orders that the ship should not be moved, and the question went to the [[Confederate States Department of the Navy]], who decided not to intervene. After making final preparations, Stevens was forced to steam the ironclad towards Baton Rouge.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}}  Brown learned of the debate, and left his sickbed to prevent ''Arkansas'' from leaving Vicksburg, but learned that she had already left when he reached Jackson.<ref name="Barnhart" />

Complicating matters, the ship's regular engineer was too sick to make the journey, and an army volunteer who lacked experience with the type of engines used on the ship served as the engineer.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=132}}  Engine troubles occurred during the journey, causing the ship to spin.<ref name="Barnhart" /> ''Essex'' was one of the Union ships at Baton Rouge, and her fire helped repulse Breckinridge's attack in the [[Battle of Baton Rouge (1862)|Battle of Baton Rouge]].  After reaching a point close enough to see Baton Rouge, Stevens and the ship's pilot decided upon a plan of attack: to ram and sink ''Essex'' and then move downstream in order to block the retreat of the smaller Union vessels present.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=133}} During the movement, ''Arkansas'' suffered another engine failure, which caused her to run aground on some [[cypress]] stumps. It took several hours to repair the engines, and some iron that had been covering the deck was thrown overboard to lighten the ship.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=134}} ''Arkansas'' was able to free herself, but the strain on the engines caused a [[crank pin]] to break. A forge was constructed to create a new pin,<ref name="Barnhart" /> and an engineer on board the ship with blacksmithing experience created a new one.{{sfn|Gosnell|1949|p=134}} Fixing the engine took all night, and when the ship attempted to move downstream again on August 6, the other engine broke down, rendering her immobile. ''Essex'' approached, and Stevens ordered the [[scuttling]] of his ship.<ref name="Barnhart" />{{sfn|Marcello|2016}} Burning, ''Arkansas'' floated downstream before blowing up and sinking around noon.{{sfn|Marcello|2016}}

In 1981, the [[National Underwater and Marine Agency]] discovered the wreck of ''Arkansas'' under a levee below Free Negro Point, near Mile 233.  The site is possibly the location of an old sand and gravel pumping site that reported finding skeletons and projectiles.<ref name="numa">{{cite web |title=Search for the Ironclads |url=https://numa.net/expeditions/november-1981/ |publisher=National Underwater and Marine Agency |access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref>