Battle of Plum Point Bend
Part ofAmerican Civil War
Battle of Plum Point Bend, Tennessee, May 10, 1862. The Confederate vessels are to the right, while the Union ironclads are in the center and left
Date May 10, 1862 Location NearOsceola, Arkansas Result Confederate Victory
Belligerents
United States of America	Confederate States of America
Commanders and leaders
Charles Henry Davis	J. E. Montgomery
Units involved
Western Flotilla	River Defense Fleet
Strength
7ironclad warships and 1mortar boat	8cottonclad rams
Casualties and losses
2 ironclads sunk 4 men killed or wounded	c. 12 men killed or wounded

TheBattle of Plum Point Bend took place inTennessee during theAmerican Civil War on May 10, 1862, on theMississippi River, between ships of theConfederateRiver Defense Fleet and theUnionWestern Flotilla. Fighting for control of the Mississippi had been ongoing since the prior year as Union forces pushed downriver toFort Pillow, about 50 miles (80 km) north ofMemphis. The Union had been usingmortar boats to bombard Fort Pillow, and had settled into a regular routine. The Union's daily tactic was to send a single mortar boat guarded by anironclad warship to a position further downriver to shell the fort, while the rest of the fleet remained upriver. On the morning of May 10, the Confederates attacked in the hope of capturing the guard ironclad and then surprising the rest of the Union fleet.

When the attack came, most of the Union ironclads did not have steam pressure built up and so were unprepared to move. Three of the eight Confederate vessels,CSSGeneral Bragg,CSSGeneral Sterling Price, andCSSGeneral Sumter, rammed the guard ironclad,USSCincinnati; the Union vessel later sank from her damage. Two further ironclads were able to steam from the main group upriver and join the action:USSCarondelet andUSSMound City. In turn,CSSGeneral Earl Van Dorn rammedMound City; the Union vessel was damaged so severely that she was laterrun aground on a shoal, where she sank.

A third Union ironclad,USSBenton, arrived later in the fighting. The Union ironclads had lighterdrafts^[a] than the Confederate vessels and maneuvered into shallower water where they were safe from Confederate ramming attempts. As the Confederate ships' guns were inferior to those of the Union ships, the Confederates withdrew, pursued byBenton andCarondelet. Several of the Confederate ships were damaged during the battle. The loss ofCincinnati andMound City prompted the Union to strengthen thewaterline of their ships. The two ironclads were refloated and returned to service. The battle was a Confederate victory, but with little long-term benefit. The bombardment of Fort Pillow resumed after the battle with altered procedures, and on June 4, the fort was abandoned as the Confederates withdrew fromCorinth, Mississippi. On June 6, the River Defense Fleet was destroyed in theFirst Battle of Memphis, and the Union gained control of the Mississippi River in July 1863. Plum Point Bend was among the fewfleet actions of the war.

When theAmerican Civil War began in April 1861, both the United States andConfederate governments viewed control of theMississippi River as vital.^[1] In September, Confederate forces moved north and captured the town ofColumbus, Kentucky, which was on the Mississippi.^[2] In February 1862,Union forces commanded byMajor GeneralUlysses S. Grant captured Confederate positions atFort Henry andFort Donelson, which had commanded theTennessee River and theCumberland River.^[3] This compelled the Confederates to abandon western Kentucky including Columbus; the next Confederate stronghold was atIsland No. 10 further downriver.^[4] The naval component of the Union effort, known as theWestern Flotilla, was commanded byFlag OfficerAndrew H. Foote.^[5]

Union land forces captured abandoned Confederate defensive works atNew Madrid, Missouri on March 14.^[6] A few Union ships ran past the Island No. 10 defenses on the nights of April 4/5 and April 6/7 and the position was captured on April 8.^[7] The campaign then moved south toFort Pillow, about 50 miles (80 km) north ofMemphis, Tennessee. Foote's Union vessels pursued the retreating Confederates.^[8] On April 12, Union ships moved to within a few miles of the fort and bombarded the position with amortar boat.^[9] The core of this flotilla was a group of sevenironclad warships^[10] – USSBenton,USSCarondelet,USSPittsburgh,USSCincinnati,USSMound City,USSCairo, andUSSSt. Louis^[11] – in addition to a collection of lesser vessels, including the mortar boats.^[12]Cairo,St. Louis,Pittsburgh,Mound City,Carondelet, andCincinnati wereCity-class ironclads,^[13] which were designed to have a shallowdraft, iron armor, and an armament of thirteen cannons.^[14]Benton had been converted from a civiliansnagboat and was armed with sixteen cannons.^[15]

The Union routine was to send a single mortar boat guarded by an ironclad in a position closer to the fort, with the rest of the fleet upriver; the boats would rotate on or off bombardment duty every day.^[16] Foote issued orders for the boats to be in a state of combat readiness at all times.^[17]CaptainCharles Henry Davis took command of the Union squadron on May 9,^[18] as Foote was struggling to recover from a wound.^[19] Bends in the river allowed the Union to take up bombardment positions not directly exposed to Confederate fire from the fort. At Plum Point Bend, the channel of the Mississippi River diverged in two; the channels rejoined and then rounded Craighead Point to pass Fort Pillow; the Union vessels took positions between Plume Point Bend and Craighead Point.^[20]

While several Confederate vessels were sent to other threatened locations, Captain J. E. Montgomery and eightcottoncladrams known as theRiver Defense Fleet, were located off Fort Pillow.^[21][11][b] The cottonclads were converted civilian vessels with strengthened bows and were lightly protected withcotton as a form of armor.^[23] They were faster and more maneuverable than the ironclads,^[24] but most were only armed with one or two cannons each.^[25] Montgomery and the commanders of his ships held acouncil of war on May 9, and decided to attack. The plan was to overwhelm the isolated mortar boat and ironclad. After capturing the ironclad, they expected that the larger Union fleet could be surprised and defeated and that the attack could drive as far upriver asCairo, Illinois andSt. Louis, Missouri.^[26] The crews of the cottonclads were strengthened by men fromM. Jeff Thompson's (aBrigadier General in theMissouri State Guard) land force from the Missouri State Guard.^[27][11] Thompson was present on the cottoncladCSSGeneral Bragg.^[27] The various ships were issued written orders, as Montgomery did not believe that his sailors were capable of accurately usingsignalling methods during battle. The Confederate vessels were arranged with the fastest at the front and the slowest to the rear in order to provide the Union with the minimum amount of reaction time after the ships were spotted.^[28]

On the morning of May 10, the two Union ships on bombardment duty wereMortar Boat No. 16^[c] andCincinnati.^[29][30] Naval historian Neil P. Chatelain states that the Confederate vessels passed through Plum Point Bend and approached the two Union ships at around 6:30 am,^[27] while historianEd Bearss states that the Confederate advance began at 6:00 am, before rounding Plum Point Bend at 7:25 am. The Union ironclads did not have sufficient steam pressure built up to operate effectively, and the rest of Davis's fleet was 3 miles (4.8 km) upstream.^[31]Cincinnati, in particular, was caught by surprise: her crew was performing routine tasks such asholystoning the decks.^[32] The vessel cast off hermoorings, but steam pressure for her engines had not been maintained, and she was not able to maneuver effectively.^[33]General Bragg was the forward Confederate ship, and her commander, Captain W. H. H. Leonard, ordered the ship to be accelerated to ramCincinnati. The ironclad opened fire on the Confederate vessel.^[34] The mortar boat also fired her mortars at the Confederates, although there were no direct hits.^[35]General Bragg was still able to ramCincinnati on thestarboardquarter.^[11][33]

The blow left a hole in the side ofCincinnati.^[36] However, the ram had struck a glancing blow, and the hole was insufficient to sink the vessel.General Bragg's ram was briefly stuck in thehull of the Union vessel, andCincinnati was able to fire another volley into the Confederate ship.^[37] The collision spun the two ships 180 degrees.^[33] More Union fire struckGeneral Bragg while the Confederate vessel was maneuvering back fromCincinnati, and a shot struck thetiller rope ofGeneral Bragg. The damage forced the vessel out of the action^[38] as she could not be maneuvered.^[37] The main Union force had become aware of the attack when Union lookouts spotted the smoke clouds from the Confederate vessels at about 6:00 am^[39] or 6:30 am.^[40][41]Carondelet had steam pressure built up in preparation for movement, andMound City was quickly able to move as well, butPittsburgh,Benton,Cairo, andSt. Louis were unprepared, despite prior orders to keep their steam up.^[42]

BeforeCincinnati could recover from the blow struck byGeneral Bragg,CSSGeneral Sterling Price rammed the ironclad.Cincinnati had hersternpost andrudder destroyed by the blow. The ironclad then swung out of control into an angle that allowed a third Confederate ship,CSSGeneral Sumter, to ram her.^[38] The blow struckCincinnati in thefantail. The commander ofGeneral Sumter offeredCincinnati terms of surrender, but was rejected.^[43] Water rushed intoCincinnati, putting out the fires for her engines and flooding hermagazine.^[37] The crew ofCincinnati was sent to the decks, ready to defend against aboarding attempt.^[44] Sharpshooters onGeneral Sumter fired on the ironclad, severely wounding her commander,CommanderR. N. Stembel.^[45]Mound City andCarondelet had arrived at close range after about 10 or 15 minutes,^[46] but had been unable to fire for fear of hittingCincinnati. The situation onCincinnati had become one of attempting to get her into shallow water before the ship sank.General Sterling Price andGeneral Sumter pulled back fromCincinnati enough thatMound City andCarondelet were able to open fire, andBenton had entered range for supporting fire.^[47]

A shot fromCarondelet struckGeneral Sterling Price, damaging the supply pipes for her boiler, knocking the Confederate ship out of the fight.^[48]CSSGeneral Earl Van Dorn advanced towardsMound City, intending to ram her, all the while firing at the mortar boat, which was hit by two shots.^[49] No one aboard the mortar boat was injured.Mound City fired onGeneral Earl Van Dorn, but did little damage.^[50]Mound City unsuccessfully moved to avoid getting rammed, butGeneral Earl Van Dorn struck the Union ship. The blow badly damaged the ironclad's bow, almost tearing it off. As a result of the collision,Mound City was pushed aside whileGeneral Earl Van Dorn kept going forward; the Confederate vessel brieflyran aground.^[51]Mound City was ordered to the west bank of the Mississippi River by her commanding officer, CommanderAugustus Kilty.^[49] The commander ofGeneral Earl Van Dorn, Captain Isaac Fulkerson,^[52] was wounded during the action.^[49] Fulkerson noticed that his vessel was further upriver than the other Confederate ships and was isolated, so he ordered his vessel to withdraw. Bearss reportsCSSLittle Rebel attempted to ramMound City, but was damaged by a shot fromBenton and withdrew,^[52] but historian Edward B. McCaul argues that no second Confederate ship attempted to ramMound City and thatBenton's commander's account of the incident was not accurate.^[53]

At this point, the fighting was largely down toCarondelet andBenton facing off againstCSSGeneral M. Jeff Thompson,CSSColonel Lovell, andCSSGeneral Beauregard.^[54] The battle was almost over by the time the three trailing Confederate vessels arrived.^[55] The Union vessels had lighterdrafts than the Confederate ones, and they entered shallower water where the Confederates could not ram them. Montgomery was aware that the quantity and quality of his ships' cannons were inferior to the Union ironclads, and ordered a withdrawal.^[56]Carondelet was forward of the other still-functioning Union ships, and came under fire from the Confederate vessels and accidental undershots fromPittsburgh to the rear.^[57]

Benton andCarondelet pursued the retreating Confederate vessels, but broke off before reaching the batteries at Fort Pillow.St. Louis andPittsburgh arrived on the scene. The former andCairo attempted to saveMound City, but the latter vessel was intentionally run aground onto ashoal, where she sank.Pittsburgh was aidingCincinnati in reaching the eastern shore, but before she could do soCincinnati sank in 11 feet (3.4 m) of water. By the timeSt. Louis reached the site of the battle, the Confederates had withdrawn.^[58] According to Bearss, the fighting lasted about 70 minutes,^[59] while McCaul argues for a time frame of 30 to 60 minutes.^[60] Of the Union ironclads, onlyCincinnati,Mound City, andCarondelet had been involved in close-range fighting, and sailors in the Union fleet criticizedCairo,Pittsburgh, andSt. Louis for their minimal roles in the action.^[58]

On the Union side, one sailor was killed and three suffered significant injuries, in addition to some less badly injured men.^[61] The Confederates had about a dozen casualties, of whom three were killed.^[62] McCaul notes that these losses were very light given the amount of expended ordnance, and suggests that inaccuratesmoothbore cannons and projectiles passing through the Confederate ships, instead of exploding within them, caused the low casualty rate.^[63] The Union incorrectly believed they had inflicted heavy losses on the Confederates,^[30] and their claims about the damage inflicted on opposing ships were greatly overstated.^[64] Davis's reporting to theUnited States Navy Department mentioned these inaccurate claims, although the naval historian Stephen R. Taaffe concludes that Davis was presenting events "in the most positive light" rather than intentionally lying.^[65] The Confederate ships were repaired at Fort Pillow after the battle; Thompson compared the appearance of the River Defense Fleet's smokestacks after the battle tonutmeg graters due to the damage they had received. While thesuperstructures and smokestacks of the Confederate vessels had been damaged, the cotton cladding had protected the ships' machinery.^[66]Mound City andCincinnati were later refloated and repaired, with the former returning to service less than two weeks later, and the latter returning in June.^[11]

The loss of two ships led to the Union ironclads being strengthened at thewaterline,^[67] and Davis changed the operation procedures for the bombardment to increase security.^[68] The failure of several of the Union captains to keep their ships at combat readiness was not mentioned in any official reports of the action to avoid impinging any officer's honor.^[64] Both sides claimed victory; Bearss describes the action as "sharp but not decisive".^[59] HistorianJames M. McPherson states that the battle was "a definite Confederate victory",^[36] historian Mark K. Christ considers the action a Confederate victory,^[11] and Chatelain notes that the action was a Confederatetactical victory without long-range strategic benefits.^[62] Bearss notes that the battle was one of very fewfleet actions during the war, and states that "it was the only one in which the Confederates felt that they were sufficiently prepared to take the offensive".^[59] Historians Paul Calore and Myron J. Smith refer to the battle as the first fleet action of the war.^[69][70]

The fighting at Plum Point Bend did not stop the bombardment of Fort Pillow, although no Union land forces were available to assist in the campaign against the fort. On May 30, Confederate forces abandonedCorinth, Mississippi, in the face of a Union army, making the position at Fort Pillow untenable as it was supplied through Corinth. Fort Pillow was abandoned on June 4, with the land garrison withdrawing toVicksburg, Mississippi, andGrenada, Mississippi. The River Defense Fleet fell back to Memphis.^[71] Reinforced by theUnited States Ram Fleet, Davis moved his fleet towards Memphis in pursuit.^[72] With his ships low on fuel, Montgomery held a council of war that decided to fight the Union fleet.^[73] In the followingFirst Battle of Memphis, all of the ships of the River Defense Fleet exceptGeneral Earl Van Dorn were sunk or captured.^[74] Union forces took control of the entire course of the river in July 1863, after the ends of theSiege of Vicksburg andSiege of Port Hudson.^[75] The course of the Mississippi River has changed since the battle, and the old river channel where the battle took place is now a lake nearFort Pillow State Historic Park.^[76] It is near the site of modernOsceola, Arkansas.^[11]

• Bearss, Edwin C. (1980) [1966].Hardluck Ironclad: The Sinking and Salvage of the Cairo. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press.ISBN 0-8071-0684-4.
• Calore, Paul (2002).Naval Campaigns of the Civil War. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company.ISBN 978-0-7864-1217-4.
• Chatelain, Neil P. (2020).Defending the Arteries of Rebellion: Confederate Naval Operations in the Mississippi River Valley, 1861–1865. El Dorado Hills, California: Savas Beatie.ISBN 978-1-61121-510-6.
• Fowler, William M. (1991) [1990].Under Two Flags: The American Navy in the Civil War. New York City: Avon Books.ISBN 0-380-71551-1.
• McCaul, Edward B. Jr (2014).To Retain Command of the Mississippi: The Civil War Naval Campaign for Memphis. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press.ISBN 978-1-62190-135-8.
• McPherson, James M. (2012).War on the Waters: The Union & Confederate Navies, 1861–1865. Chapel Hill, North Carolina: University of North Carolina Press.ISBN 978-0-8078-3588-3.
• Silverstone, Paul H. (1989).Warships of the Civil War Navies. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 0-87021-783-6.
• Smith, Myron J. (2010).The USS Carondelet: A Civil War Ironclad on Western Waters. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company.ISBN 978-0-7864-4524-0.
• Taaffe, Stephen R. (2009).Commanding Lincoln's Navy: Union Naval Leadership During the Civil War. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press.ISBN 978-1-59114-855-5.
• Tomblin, Barbara Brooks (2016).The Civil War on the Mississippi: Union Sailors, Gunboat Captains, and the Campaign to Control the River. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky.ISBN 978-0-8131-6704-6.

35°40′N89°52′W / 35.667°N 89.867°W /35.667; -89.867

• 1862 in Tennessee
• Battles of the American Civil War in Tennessee
• Confederate victories of the American Civil War
• May 1862
• Naval battles of the American Civil War
• Riverine warfare in the American Civil War

• Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Featured articles
• Use American English from May 2023
• All Wikipedia articles written in American English
• Use mdy dates from May 2023
• Coordinates on Wikidata