CSS ''Stonewall Jackson'' was a

cotton-clad Cottonclads were a classification of steam-powered warships where a wooden ship was protected from enemy fire by bales of cotton lining its sides. Cottonclads were prevalent during the American Civil War, particularly in the Confederate States Navy ...

sidewheel

ram Ram, ram, or RAM may refer to: Animals * A male sheep * Ram cichlid, a freshwater tropical fish People * Ram (given name) * Ram (surname) * Ram (director) (Ramsubramaniam), an Indian Tamil film director * RAM (musician) (born 1974), Dutch * Ra ...

of the

Confederate Navy The Confederate States Navy (CSN) was the Navy, naval branch of the Confederate States Armed Forces, established by an act of the Confederate States Congress on February 21, 1861. It was responsible for Confederate naval operations during the Amer ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. ''Stonewall Jackson'' was selected in January 1862, by Capt. James E. Montgomery to be part of his

River Defense Fleet The River Defense Fleet was a set of fourteen vessels in Confederate service, intended to assist in the defense of New Orleans in the early days of the American Civil War. All were merchant ships or towboats that were seized by order of the War De ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. On 25 January Montgomery began to convert her into a cottonclad ram by placing a oak sheath with iron covering on her bow, and by installing double pine bulkheads fitted with compressed cotton bales. USS Varuna rammed by CSS Stonewall Jackson

USS Varuna rammed by CSS Stonewall Jackson

Service history

''Stonewall Jackson''s conversion was completed on 16 March 1862. Under Capt. G. M. Phillips she was detached from Montgomery's main force and sent to Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the lower Mississippi to cooperate in the Confederate defense of New Orleans. There, with five other vessels of Montgomery's fleet, all under Capt. J. A. Stevenson, she joined the force under Capt. J. K. Mitchell, CSN, commanding Confederate naval forces in the lower Mississippi. On 24 April 1862 a Union fleet under

Flag Officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command. The term is used differently in different countries: *In many countr ...

David Farragut David Glasgow Farragut (; also spelled Glascoe; July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy. Fa ...

, USN, ran past Forts Jackson and St. Philip on its way to capture New Orleans. In the engagement ''Stonewall Jackson'' rammed , which had already been struck by . With ''Varuna''s shot glancing off her bow, ''Stonewall Jackson'' backed off for another blow and struck again in the same place, crushing ''Varuna''s side. The shock of the blow turned the Confederate vessel, and she received five 8-inch shells from ''Varuna'', abaft her armor. ''Varuna'' ran aground in a sinking condition, and ''Stonewall Jackson'', chased by coming to ''Varuna''s rescue, was driven ashore and burned.

References

External links

Battles and Leaders of the Civil War: Being for the Most Part ..., Volume 2 1887 .p.54 drawing of the "Stonewall Jackson"

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stonewall Jackson Cottonclad rams of the Confederate States Navy Shipwrecks of the American Civil War Maritime incidents in April 1862

Service history

See also

References

External links