Cavalry Fight Against Gunboats

Newspaper account of Shelby engaging a fleet of Tinclads

Prepared By Jim McGhee*

Uniontown, Ky., June 30.  I have been reading with a great deal of interest your series of war stories, and will relate the following experience our old brigade had with the gunboats.

Gen. Joe Shelby engages and captures the ironclad, Queen City

In the early part of the summer of 1864 Gen. Joe Shelby was detached, and, with Freeman's, Dobbins', McCrary's and his own brigade, sent north of the Arkansas River to watch the federals, who had been depredating the White River valley, carrying off all the cotton, negroes, work-horses and everything they could confiscate, to the horror and disgust of the people of that valley.

Gen. Shelby accordingly took up his headquarters at Jacksonport, a small town on the north bank of White River, and sent out his scouts over the country to discover the situation of affairs. They soon brought the news that a fleet of gunboats and transports had left Memphis and was then ascending White River.

Leaving Freeman's, McCrary's and Dobbins' brigades to watch the enemy near his base, Shelby took his old brigade and four pieces of Collins' battery and started out with the determination to intercept and drive them back if possible.

Fighting gunboats with cavalry was something new to this brigade, although they had fought everything from a federal outpost picket to an army corps of infantry. Fighting was their business and they made it a business to fight.

Location map of Clarendon, Arkansas at the confluence of the Cache and White rivers where the action took place.

From Jacksonport to Augusta the trip was made in one day (forty-two miles) without incident. Arriving at Cache River about noon the second day, we found that stream bank full from recent rains, also the bottoms and bayous were flooded. After much delay we ferried across this river, swam and waded for twenty more and arrived on high ground back of Clarendon. Twelve miles above this place and on the west bank of White River was situated Duvall's Bluff, a strongly fortified federal garrison. This place was connected with Little Rock by railroad, and it was by boat up White River to this point, and thence by this railroad that the federal army at Little Rock was supplied. Gen. Shelby knew that any interference on this line would be like severing their arteries, so he determined to attack the first boat that passed Clarendon.

Scouts reported that a fleet of boats had passed up that morning, but knowing that he would bag some game before waiting very long, Gen. Shelby put out pickets all around the town and moved cautiously to within sight of the river. Just at dusk the reconnoitering party reported a large ironclad having rounded to and anchoring near the wharf. Well, sure enough, here was some game, rather large to bag, and it looked defiant too. What should we do? Pull up and run or fight? Gen. Shelby resorted to strategy and determined to wait and fight.

Every road leading into the town was well guarded, and every person, going or coming, to or from town, was placed under arrest, and every precaution was taken to conceal our presence. The command waited impatiently until 10 o'clock, when the horses were taken from the battery and a detail of twenty men to the gun was made to haul them into position, the night being a little hazy and a slight fog on the river favored us. We moved the guns along cautiously. It became necessary to pull our coats off and lay them on the bridges for the cannon wheels to roll on to prevent noise. All this was done with the greatest care, until we had four pieces of cannon drawn up in line within fifty yards of this silent, grim monster. We could hear the steam hissing through her machinery and see the blue smoke from the dying embers in her furnace curl above the mist.

The whole brigade drew up in line above and below the battery, with eager eyes bent on the black object riding at anchor out in the stream.

USS Queen City, a 210-ton side-wheel "tinclad" river gunboat, was built in 1863 at Cincinnati, Ohio, as a commercial ferryboat. After acquisition by the Navy and conversion to a gunboat, she was commissioned in April 1863. Part of the Mississippi Squadron, Queen City mainly operated on rivers in the State of Arkansas. On 24 June 1864, while off Clarendon, Arkansas, she was attacked by Shelby's artillery and cavalry, disabled and forced to surrender. Her captors blew Queen City up when USS Tyler and three other tinclads approached to attempt to retake her.

The clear round moon made it appearance late in the night. The "Stars and Stripes" hung lazily at her flagstaff, her black iron sides with her portholes closed rocked slowly in her cradle of blue waves. No sound save the change of guards, and the time bell pealing forth the hour of the night, and the sentinel on his beat responding "all is well", but little realizing the true situation on shore. For there was a brigade of as determined men as ever looked through the sights of a rifle lying flat on the ground, elbows touching, not sixty yards away.

The idea of surprising a gunboat with cavalry is something not recorded in history. A gunboat with an armament capable of sweeping us from the face of the earth lay right under the muzzles of Shelby's guns.

The gray dawn of a bright June morning made its appearance in the east finally. Shelby moved cautiously up and down the column to see that everything was in readiness. The men were waiting eagerly for the word. I was lying flat on the ground between Joe Terry and Mike Roach, and I thought I could hear their hearts beat as the word "ready" was passed along the line. Then came the word "fire". 1000 muskets and carbines and four cannons heavily loaded like a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder broke the long stillness, and sent a shower of iron and lead rattling and crashing upon the decks of this new antagonist - this enemy encased in his iron armor.

This was repeated once, twice, thrice and until she was rent with shot and shell, fore and aft, and lay helpless upon the water. Her crew was so badly disabled that she could not fire a shot. She struck her colors and whistled defeat. At once the firing ceased, and Gen. Shelby took charge of his prize, the Queen City. She proved to be one of the enemy's finest iron clad war vessels. Her armament consisted of thirteen heavy Parrott guns manned by a large crew of "salty tars" that knew their business well.

This was truly one of the most brilliant episodes of the war. A complete surprise. The muffled wheels of the cannon forged up to within fifty yards of one of the enemy's ironclads and the men for five long hours lying on the ground, not permitted to speak above a whisper.

Gen. Shelby knew that the enemy at Duvall's Bluff had heard his guns and that they would know what it meant. The gunboats were soon heard on their way down and we knew the day's work had only commenced.

Taking two of the large Parrott guns from the prize a land battery was improvised. Having disabled the boat so badly that she would be of no further use, and removing everything off that would be of any benefit to the command she was blown up and sunk. The wounded were taken care of by the brigade surgeons and everything was done to relieve them. Capt. Hickey, the commander of the Queen City, and seventy-five soldiers and sailors were sent to the rear as prisoners.

Hasty work arranging the batteries along the bluff, putting out sharpshooters along the river above and securing shelter for the men soon brought everything in readiness, for we knew the final struggle was close at hand.

The long black smoke curled above the river and the puffing and blowing an occasional whistle from the foremost boat to the others to keep well closed up told us in unmistakable terms that we had aroused the "hornet's nest" and that they were upon us.

A long stretch of a mile in the river above gave us time to size up the enemy, who soon came into full view in the shape of four ironclads, their flags floating out against the fresh morning air.

The Tyler, the flagship, was in the lead, and when within 400 or 500 yards of the battery on Clarendon bluffs she fired her bow gun, a 164 pounder, as a challenge to the combat, every man on shore stood ready awaiting the word. The Tyler came on until she was in short range and opened with a full broadside.

The USS Tyler, the flagship of the tinclad Western River Fleet. She had previously seen action at the Battle of Shiloh with her sister ship, the USS Lexington.

Then the word was given to concentrate the fire on her. Capt. Collins, with the two new guns added to his battery (I was detailed as powder boy to one of them), seemed to be in his glory; he gave shot for shot, and handled his guns so skillfully that it seemed to surprise even his iron laced enemy. The men that lined the banks above were firing volley after volley into the boats, killing every man that showed himself on their decks or at their port-holes.

The Tyler and her consorts were pouring in all the time an enfilading fire of grape and canister that plowed the earth and rent the air, making great gaps in our ranks.

But our fire had been so deadly on the Tyler that her decks were running with blood - every officer killed and two thirds of her men dead or wounded. She retired up the river. The Sunbeam, Fawn and Naumkeag closed up and took her place at short range, belching forth forty-two charges of grape and canister per minute. In this trying ordeal I noticed among those of my intimate friends and mess-mates, who displayed unusual coolness and daring bravery, were W. F. Burk, Joe Terry, Cam Bucher, Ike Shelby, Mike Roach, John Edwards, James Gray, Capt. Will Moreman, Capt. Collins and Gen. Shelby himself, and a number of others whose names I have forgotten.

Five bushels of grape and canister shot tearing through per minute is enough to make the heart sick to think of even now, and the wonder is that a man was left to tell the tale.

	USS Fawn was sunk by Shelby's attack and her sister ships the USS Sunbeam and USS Naumkeag were badly damaged by artillery and cavalry fire.

This fusillade was kept up for two long hours. The Fawn drew off and sunk in the bend above half an hour later. The Sunbeam and Naumkeag were literally riddled with shot and shell and hardly men enough left to steer or steam them off up the river. Thus they left Shelby and his cavalry in possession of the field.

The battle was a desperate one, but it showed what flesh and blood could endure against steel.

Shelby, with less than 1,200 men and four pieces of cannon, captured one, sinks one and puts to flight three other ironclad gunboats. They were protected behind their iron-cased armor while there was not a tree, bush or weed to protect Shelby's battery. Hereafter I may have something to say about the second day's fight at Clarendon.

R. W. Crabb

Courier in Shelby's Regiment
Missouri Republican, St. Louis, MO, July 3, 1886.

* WebMaster Note: Jim McGhee is a member of the Mid-Missouri Civil War Round Table and has writen several books and articles on the Civil War. Map and Photographs were provided by the webmaster.