66 



ARMY OPERATIONS. 



stopping further damage from the fleet. The 

 Monarch then looked after her disabled consort, 

 the Queen of the West, and towed her ashore, 

 placing her in a position of security. The gun- 

 boats now increased their fire against the ene- 

 my, when the flag ship, having obtained an ex- 

 cellent range, threw a 50-pound ball from a ri- 

 fled Parrott, striking the Gen. Lovell aft above 

 the water line, tearing a great hole in her, 

 through which the water rushed like a torrent. 

 She began to sink at once, giving few of the 

 officers and crew time to save themselves. In 

 less than four minutes the vessel had sunk in 

 seventy-five feet of water, and passed entirely 

 out of sight. Some of the crew went down 

 with the Lovell, but about fifty of them 

 leaped into the river, and were struggling in 

 the water, when the Benton's crew arrived in 

 advance of several other cutters from the flo- 

 tilla, and just in time to see the chimneys of 

 the hostile gunboat disappear beneath the water. 

 Many of the crew had already begun to 

 swim for the shore. Some six or seven, how- 

 ever, were rescued by the cutter, but the cur- 

 rent was so strong that a large number were 

 carried off and drowned. The engagement still 

 continued warm and desperate. The smoke of 

 the battle so obscured the boats that it was dif- 

 ficult to see them at any distance, yet the 

 levee of Memphis was black with the crowd of 

 human beings. From the time the rams made 

 their appearance, the Confederate gunboats had 

 been steadily falling back, though continuing to 

 fire heavily, before the advance of the Federal 

 gunboats. 



The Jeff. Thompson, Gen. Bragg, Sumter, 

 and Van Dorn were the only vessels remain- 

 ing, and these were so frequently struck and 

 saw so little opportunity of escaping, that they 

 turned their bows ashore. As soon as the 

 Thompson reached the shore her officers and 

 crew leaped off, and ran through the woods ; 

 but a shell exploding on the vessel, she took fire 

 and was burned to the water's edge. The Gen. 

 Bragg reached the shore about half a mile be- 

 low the Thompson, and her officers and crew 

 escaped. The Sumter followed next, and the 

 Gen. Van Dorn, which was a swift vessel, alone 

 escaped down the river. The Federal fleet now 

 came to anchor before the city. The engage- 

 ment had lasted over an hour. No one was kill- 

 ed on the fleet. The loss of the other side could 

 not be stated. About one hundred were made 

 prisoners. The other mortar boats, owing to 

 a misconception of orders, were not engaged. 



The following correspondence then ensued 

 between Com. Davis and the city authorities : 



UNITED STATES FLAG STEAMER BENTON, ) 

 OFF MEMPHIS, June 5, 1862. } 



SIR : I have respectfully to request that you will sur- 

 render the city of Memphis to the authority of the 

 United States, which I have the honor to represent. 

 I am, Mr. Mayor, with high respect, 



C. H. DAVIS, Flag Officer commanding, etc. 

 To His Honor the Mayor of the City of Memphis. 



The answer of the mayor was as follows : 



MATCH'S OFFICE, MEMPHIS, June 6, 1862. 

 SIR : Your note of this date is received, and contents 

 noted. In reply I have only to say that, as the civil 

 authorities have no means of defence, by the force of 

 circumstances the city is in your hands. 



Respectfully, JOHN PARK, Mayor. 

 To C. H. DAVIS, Flag Officer commanding, etc. 



Commander Davis wrote in reply as follows : 



UNITED STATES FLAG STEAMER BENTON, ) 

 OFF MEMPHIS, June 6, 1S62. ) 



SIR : The undersigned, commanding the naval mili- 

 tary forces of the United States in front of Memphis, 

 has the honor to say to the Mayor and the city that 

 Col. Fitch, commanding the Indiana brigade, will take 

 military possession immediately. 



Col. Fitch will be happy to receive the cooperation 

 of His Honor the Mayor and the city authorities in 

 maintaining peace and order. To this end he will be 

 pleased to confer with His Honor the Mayor at the mil- 

 itary headquarters at 3 o'clock this afternoon. 

 Yours, etc., C. H. DAVIS, 



Flag Officer commanding, etc. 

 To the Mayor of the City of Memphis. 



The military occupation of the city followed, 

 and the appointment of a provost marshal. 

 Memphis is the most populous and important 

 town, on the Mississippi river, between St. Louis 

 and New Orleans. Its population in 1860 was 

 22,625. 



About the 10th of June the gunboats St. 

 Louis, Mound City, Lexington, and Conestoga, 

 with the transport New National, having on 

 board the 46th Indiana regiment, Col. Fitch, 

 left Memphis, on an expedition up the White 

 river, to open communication with the army of 

 Gen. Curtis, and to remove the obstructions in 

 that river. The White river is formed by the 

 junction of three small branches, which unite 

 a few miles east of Fayetteville, Arkansas. It 

 flows first northwesterly into Missouri, and 

 after making a circuit of about one hundred 

 miles, returns into Arkansas, and pursues a 

 southeasterly course to the mouth of Black river. 

 Thence its direction is nearly south, until it 

 enters the Arkansas fifteen miles above its 

 mouth. It is navigable by steamboats to the 

 mouth of Black river, three hundred and fifty 

 miles, in all stages of water. 



As the expedition approached St. Charles, 

 the Mound City, being in advance, was fired 

 on from two concealed batteries. This was 

 returned. Meantime the troops were landed 

 below for the purpose of marching in the rear 

 and capturing the batteries. At this juncture 

 a ball from a siege gun on the bluff struck the 

 forward and left side of the Mound City and 

 penetrated the casemate and passed through 

 the steam drum. The vessel was immediately 

 filled with the escaping vapor and nearly 

 every one on board was scalded ; only twenty- 

 three of the officers and crew, numbering one 

 hundred and seventy-five, escaped uninjured. A 

 horrible scene ensued. Many of the crew, 

 frantic with pain, jumped overboard, and some 

 were drowned. The boats from the Conestoga, 

 which was coming up at the time, were sent to ' 

 their relief, but the enemy fired on the men in 

 the water with grape and canister from their 

 field pieces, killing most of those who were 



