DELIBERATE GENERAL ACTIONS.
Gun-boat Flotillas in the Mississippi,
June 5, 1862.
FEDERAL.
| IRON-CLAD GUN-BOATS. | |
| Guns. | |
| Benton | 13 |
| Louisville | 13 |
| Carondelet | 13 |
| Cairo | 13 |
| St. Louis | 13 |
| RAMS. | |
| Queen of the West | 2 |
| Monarch | 2 |
CONFEDERATE.
| IRON-CLAD GUN-BOATS. | |
| Guns. | |
| Lovell | |
| Beauregard | |
| Price | |
| Thompson | |
| Little Rebel | |
| Sumter | |
| Bragg | |
| Van Dorn | |
On the morning of June 5th, the Federal flotilla descending the river discovered the Confederate flotilla moored at the city of Memphis. The latter formed in double line abreast below the city, and received the attack. The Queen of the West, dashing from the Federal line, rammed the Lovell and sank her at once. In getting clear she was rammed by the Beauregard and seriously injured, though not disabled. The Beauregard was rammed by the Monarch, and at the same time received a shot through her boilers which disabled her; she drifted near the bank of the river and sank. The Price was accidentally rammed and sunk by one of her own flotilla. The Little Rebel was disabled by shot, run ashore and abandoned. The Thompson was set on fire by shells and blown up. The Sumter was captured. The Bragg was rammed and sunk. The Van Dorn escaped down the river. Result: one Federal ram partially disabled; no killed, no wounded. Four Confederate gun-boats sunk, one captured, one blown up, one deserted, and one escaped. Killed and wounded unknown, but many lost by drowning and scalding. Duration of action, twenty minutes.
In this fight the Federal fleet had the advantage of fighting down stream, being the ones to make the onset, and having the heavier vessels and batteries. The Confederates took no advantage of the weak steaming powers of the Federal gun-boats. Had they passed up stream, re-formed, and forced the Federals to act on the defensive and fight up stream, the result might have been different. Decisive action.
Battle of Helgoland,
May 9, 1864.
DANISH SQUADRON.
| Guns. | |
| Niels Juel | 42 |
| Jylland | 44 |
| Heimdal | 16 |
AUSTRIAN SQUADRON.
| Guns. | |
| Schwartzenburg | 48 |
| Radetzky | 31 |
| Three Prussian gun-boats. | |
The two squadrons advanced in line ahead, the Danes coming up on the beam of the Austrians. The Niels Juel joined action with the Schwartzenburg, and the Jylland with the Radetzky, the Heimdal attempting to reach the gun-boats, which steamed up on the unengaged side of the frigates, causing the latter to steam in a circle. The action was fought in this manner, steaming in a circle of which the gun-boats were the centre and the Danes 600 yards outside the Austrians, the Heimdal joining in the attack on the Radetzky. After three hours, the Schwartzenburg was set on fire and the Austrians ran for Helgoland, the Danes hauling off at the neutral-ground limit. Indecisive action.
Battle of Lissa,
July 20, 1866.
AUSTRIAN FLEET.
| IRON-CLAD FRIGATES. | |
| Ferdinand Max. | |
| Hapsburg. | |
| Don Juan d’Austria. | |
| Kaiser Max. | |
| Prinz Eugen. | |
| Salamander. | |
| Drache. | |
| WOODEN SQUADRON. | |
| Five frigates. | |
| One corvette. | |
| Fourteen gun-boats. | |
ITALIAN IRON-CLAD FLEET.
| Re d’Italia. | |
| Re di Portugalo. | |
| Principe di Carignano. | |
| Ancona. | |
| Castelfidardo. | |
| Maria Pia. | |
| San Martino. | |
| Affondatore. | |
| Palestro. | |
| Varese, Terribile, and | |
| Formidabile not in action. | |
| Wooden fleet did not come up. | |
The Austrians advanced in three echelonned lines ahead, the Ferdinand Max (flag-ship) leading the right and advanced iron-clad line. The wooden frigates formed the centre line, and the gun-boats the left and rear. All in close order. The Italians on sighting the Austrian fleet formed in single line ahead, open order, covering a distance of over five miles. The head of the Italian line opened fire on coming within gunshot. The Austrians, turning together eight points to port, sent a broadside into the head of the Italian line and, resuming the former course, immediately pierced the Italian line astern of the third ship (between the Ancona and the Re d’Italia), half of his iron-clads passing through this interval and the other half between the Re d’Italia and the Palestro. The leading Italian division turned to starboard to attack the Austrian wooden fleet, and Tegethoff to foil this manœuvre turned and passed back through the same intervals. The rest of the Italian fleet closing up on the broken Austrian line, and the smoke concealing signals, the action became a mêlée. The Ferdinand Max made two attempts to ram two different vessels, both being avoided by the helm. A third attempt on the Re d’Italia was successful, striking her under the counter and sinking her. At the time, the Re was engaged with three Austrians on his bow and beam. The Italians state that his steering-gear was shot away; the Austrians, that he was backing.
Three Austrians (two iron-clads and one wooden frigate) concentrated on the Palestro and set her on fire; she drew out of action and blew up in about an hour. The San Martino, fighting in company with the Re d’Italia, hauled out of action when the latter was sunk. The Affondatore (flag-ship) made two ineffectual attempts to ram, but her clumsy steering-gear and slow speed made the attempts abortive. The Re di Portugalo made a fine attempt to ram the Kaiser Max, which the latter avoided by turning towards the Portugalo and going full speed, the ships rubbing sides, bringing down the Kaiser’s fore-mast, which fell on the smoke-stack and caught fire but was extinguished. The Portugalo then ran the gauntlet of the two iron-clad divisions, reaching her own line, and the Italian fleet hauled out of action, the Austrians not chasing. The Italian loss was two iron-clads; killed, 650; wounded, 40. Austrians, 136 killed and wounded, of whom three quarters belonged to the Kaiser Max. Partial success.