The Gulf and Inland Waters: The Navy in the Civil War. Volume 3.

o hover on the banks of the Mississippi, White, Arkansas, Tennessee, and

Cumberland Rivers. The Red River was simply blockaded, not occu-

pied, and much of the Yazoo Valley, having no present importance, had

been abandoned to the enemy. The gunboats scattered throughout those

waters were constantly patrolling and convoying, and often in action. The

main operations of the army being now far east of the Mississippi, the work

and exposure of the boats became greater. Masked batteries of field pieces

were frequently sprung upon them, or upon unarmed steamers passing up

and down; in either case the nearest gunboat must hasten and engage it.

Weak isolated posts were suddenly attacked; a gunboat, usually not far off,

must go to the rescue. Reconnoissances into the enemy's country, as the Ya-

zoo Valley, were to be made, or troops carried in transports from point to

point; gunboats went along with their heavy yet manageable artillery, feeling

doubtful places with their shells and clearing out batteries or sharpshooters

3 A. T. (ALFRED THAYER) MAHAN

when found. The service was not as easy as it sounds. It would be wrong to

infer that their power was always and at once recognized. Often they were

outnumbered in guns, and a chance shot in a boiler or awkward turn of a

wheel, throwing the vessel aground, caused its loss. Even when victorious

they were often hardly used. The limits of this book will permit the telling

of but two or three stories.

In the latter part of June, 1864, General Steele, commanding the Union

troops in Arkansas, wished to move some round in transports from Duval's

Bluff on the White River to the Arkansas, hoping to reach Little Rock in

this way. One attempt was made, but, the enemy being met in force on the

Arkansas, the transports were turned back. Lieutenant Bache assured him

that the trip could not be made, but as the General thought otherwise, he

consented to try again and left the Bluff with a large convoy on the 24th,

having with him of armed vessels the Tyler, his own, the Naumkeag and

Fawn. The two latter were tinclads, the first an unarmored boat. When

about twenty miles down, two men were picked up, part of the crew of

the light-draught Queen City, which had been captured by the Confed-

erates five hours before. It was then nine o'clock. Bache at once turned

the transports back and went ahead fast himself to take or destroy the lost

boat before her guns could be removed. Before reaching Clarendon two re-

ports were heard, which came from the Queen City, blown up by the enemy

when the others were known to be coming. The three boats formed line

ahead, the Tyler leading, Naumkeag second, and Fawn third, their broad-

sides loaded with half-second shrapnel and canister. As they drew near, the

enemy opened with seven field pieces and some two thousand infantry and

put one of their first shots through the pilot-house of the Tyler, the vessels

being then able to reply only with an occasional shell from their bow guns.

As they came nearly abreast they slowed down and steamed by, firing their

guns rapidly. When under the batteries the Fawn received a shot through

her pilot-house, killing the pilot and carrying away the bell gear, at the same

time ringing the engine-room bell, causing the engineers