USS Benton (1861)
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USS ''Benton'' was an
ironclad An ironclad is a steam engine, steam-propelled warship protected by Wrought iron, iron or steel iron armor, armor plates, constructed from 1859 to the early 1890s. The ironclad was developed as a result of the vulnerability of wooden warships ...
river gunboat in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
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 ...
. She was named for American senator Thomas Hart Benton. ''Benton'' was a former center-wheel
catamaran A Formula 16 beachable catamaran Powered catamaran passenger ferry at Salem, Massachusetts, United States A catamaran () (informally, a "cat") is a multi-hulled watercraft featuring two parallel hulls of equal size. It is a geometry-stab ...
snagboat and was converted by
James B. Eads Captain James Buchanan Eads (May 23, 1820 – March 8, 1887) was a world-renowned American civil engineer and inventor, holding more than 50 patents. Eads' great Mississippi River Bridge at St. Louis was designated a National Historic Landmar ...
,
St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
, in 1861 and commissioned February 24, 1862 as part of the Army's Western Gunboat Flotilla.


Conversion from snagboat

On April 29, 1861
Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...
Gideon Welles received correspondence from James Eads concerning the viability of converting ''Submarine No. 7'' into a riverine warship for the U.S. military. ''Submarine No. 7'' was a snagboat built by the
US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...
that had been purchased by Eads' Missouri Wrecking Company and modified to raise sunken steamboats on the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. Both hulls of ''Submarine No. 7'' were divided into 7 watertight compartments and Eads argued that the vessel could suffer up to 20 penetrating shot into 4 of these compartments and still stay afloat. (Other sources state she was built with 40 watertight compartments.) He argued that the vessel would be able to support a strong battery of 32-pounder cannons. His initial proposal called converting the vessel into 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 ...
gunboat for a cost of $3,000 in cotton. His letter also described a plan to convert two other, smaller vessels and to create a naval base at
Cairo, Illinois Cairo ( ) is the southernmost city in Illinois and the county seat of Alexander County. The city is located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. Fort Defiance, a Civil War camp, was built here in 1862 by Union General Ulysses ...
. Lacking the resources to undertake the project, Welles forwarded Eads's letter to the Secretary of War Simon Cameron. Cameron was impressed by the proposal and forwarded it to
General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
George McClellan to implement the construction of the base. Instead of the cotton-clad boat however, the US Army wanted a fleet of new ships; this became the ''City''-class ironclad fleet. Eads earned several additional contracts after impressing the authorities with his abilities during the construction of the ''City''-class. One of the vessels involved was ''Submarine No. 7''. Eads widened the lower deck of ''Submarine No. 7'' into a gun deck then added a second tier of accommodations. The large size of the finished vessel and this additional space led to the vessel being well suited to a flagship role.
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
William D. Porter William David Porter (10 March 1808 – 1 May 1864) was a flag officer of the United States Navy. He was the son of Commodore David Porter (1780–1843) and brother of Admiral David Dixon Porter (1813–1891) as well as foster brother of Ad ...
complained that the finished vessel was too slow, and history has recorded that Eads replied that she was still fast enough to fight in. Now as the ''Benton'', she would serve as a flagship for most of the war.


Armament

Like many of the Mississippi theater ironclads, the ''Benton'' had her armament changed multiple times. Like the ''City''-class, the ''Benton'' was fitted with a mixture of modern and antiquated weapons, then had her weapons upgraded as new pieces became available. Though the smoothbore guns were modern, most of the other original armaments were antiquated, such as the 32-pounders, or modified, such as the 42-pounder "rifles" that were in fact old smoothbores that had been gouged out to give them rifling. These modified weapons were of particular concern to military commanders because they were structurally weaker and more prone to exploding than purpose-built rifled guns. Additionally, the close confines of riverine combat greatly increased the threat of boarding parties. The 12-pounder howitzer was equipped to address that concern and was not used in regular combat. By the end of the war, the Benton was one of the heaviest armed vessels in the Mississippi theater.


Commanding officers

In addition to intermittently hosting both Admirals Andrew Foote and David Porter, the ''Benton'' had several commanding officers over the duration of her service.


Service history

As part of
Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Andrew Foote's command, she participated in the Battle of Island Number Ten in March–April. On 10 May, she was present for the Battle of Plum Point Bend where a
Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between ...
ram flotilla ambushed the fleet, sinking the ''Cincinnati'' and the ''Mound City'' before being driven off. On June 6, ''Benton'' and the fleet, now supported by a flotilla of Union rams under the command of
Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...
Charles Ellet, Jr. engaged the Confederate rams in the Battle of Memphis where the Confederate flotilla was completely routed. In July the ''Benton'' led the fleet into an attempted engagement with the CSS ''Arkansas'' near
Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...
. The attempt was a failure and ''Benton'' and the fleet were forced to retreat north of the city for the rest of the year. In October, the entire fleet was transferred from Army command to Navy command.DANFS, ''USS Benton (1862-1865)'' ''Benton'' spent the remainder of the year patrolling the
Yazoo River The Yazoo River is a river in the U.S. states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It is considered by some to mark the southern boundary of what is called the Mississippi Delta, a broad floodplain that was cultivated for cotton plantations before the ...
. On April 16, under the direction of Admiral David Porter, the ''Benton'' led a nighttime charge past the guns of Vicksburg. Protecting the ''Ivy'' from cannon fire, the ''Benton'' led a column of ten additional vessels past the heavy artillery batteries. Passing at a range of the ''Benton'' was hit 5 times, including 1 round that split her casemate, injuring several crewmen. on April 29 the ''Benton'' led a 7 ironclad fleet in a bombardment of Grand Gulf, MS's gun batteries. One particularly devastating hit pieced the ''Benton's'' armor, causing 25 casualties. As the battle continued, the speed of the current increased and overwhelmed the ''Benton's'' engines and she was swept downstream before the bombardment's conclusion. In May, ''Benton'' returned to Vickburg to continue bombarding the city until its fall in June. On March 10, the ''Benton'' led a large fleet up the Red River to aid the Army in subduing
Shreveport, LA Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...
. This expedition was a failure. On March 12, according to Admiral Porter's memoirs "Incidents and Anecdotes of the Civil War" the ''Benton'' fired one volley from her bow battery during the Battle of Fort De Russy before that fort's surrender to Union General A.J. Smith. By May, the army was defeated in combat and forced to retreat, and the fleet was stranded on the river after the water levels fell too low to allow the fleet to retreat back to the Mississippi. The fleet was ultimately saved by building dams across low points in the river. Once the water level was high enough, the dams were destroyed and the fleet was able to escape on the rush of high water.Donovan, ''Ironclads of the Civil War'', pp. 130. By the end of the war, most of the action had been resolved in the western theater. Her last significant action was to steam back up the Red River in June to take possession of the surrendered CSS ''Missouri''. ''Benton'' decommissioned July 20, 1865 at Mound City, Illinois. Her armor and armament were removed and she was sold November 29, 1865.


Notes


Bibliography

* Konstam, Angus, New Vanguard 56, ''Union River Ironclad 1861-65'', Osprey Publishing, 2002. * Donovan, Frank, ''Ironclads of the Civil War'', American Heritage, 1964. * (History and some images) * (Additional images) {{DEFAULTSORT:Benton Ships of the Union Navy Steamships of the United States Navy Gunboats of the United States Navy American Civil War patrol vessels of the United States Ships built in St. Louis 1861 ships Riverine warfare