Early on May 10th the government gunboat Cincinnati towed a mortar boat to its post, and then tied herself to a snag near by. At 5 o’clock the mortar hurled its first shell into Fort Pillow, and thereafter continued its work until 6 o’clock, when a dense smoke was seen rising in the air below Fort Pillow. The Confederate rams were leaving their landing for a dash at the mortar boat and the Cincinnati. The Cincinnati quickly slipped her moorings, and running out into the river, faced the Confederates—faced them alone, although the whole Confederate flotilla was in plain sight of the government flotilla long before they reached the Cincinnati. Apparently Flag Officer Davis overslept that morning.

As the Confederates came in range the Cincinnati opened fire and stood her ground. The Confederates scattered at once, but continued advancing. The leading Confederate boat, the General Bragg, hugged the Arkansas shore, passed above the Cincinnati, and then turning around, drove her bow into the unprotected quarter of the lone government boat. The two boats were alongside each other in a moment, and the Cincinnati gave the Confederate boat a broadside that sent her skurrying down the stream and out of the battle.

Behind the Bragg came two more Confederates, the Price and the Sumter, firing with guns and muskets at the ports of the Cincinnati, while one of them rammed her again in the place where the Bragg had struck her, and at the same moment Captain Stembel fell with a ball through his throat that well-nigh proved mortal, and the executive officer was mortally hurt.

Meantime Flag Officer Davis woke up, while Captain Kilty, of the Mound City, without waiting for orders, started to the aid of the mobbed Cincinnati. Captain Walke, with the Carondelet, was not far behind him, but both were three miles away from the scene of conflict when they started. The Carondelet was the first to open fire, and the first shot raked the fleeing Bragg. Another shell struck the Price at the water-line, cutting a water-supply pipe and causing her to leak so badly that she was thrown out of the fight.

Battle of Fort Pillow.

From a painting by Admiral Walke.

But while aid was coming the Cincinnati was run into shoal water, and there she sank. The Mound City had meantime been firing at the Confederates, and the Van Dorn turned to ram her. She avoided the full strength of the blow by a skilful use of the helm, but she was cut into, nevertheless, and had to be run ashore on the Arkansas side to keep her from sinking. The Pittsburg had been obliged to go to the assistance of the Cincinnati to get her into shoal water, and the Cairo rendered the same service to the Mound City. This left only the flagship Benton, the Carondelet, and the St. Louis to continue the battle with the six remaining Confederate gunboats, though it must be said that the guns of both the Pittsburg and the Cairo were still firing at the Confederates. But the Confederates retreated as soon as the belated Benton and St. Louis got fairly into the fight. Flag Officer Montgomery said he retreated because the government boats all went into water too shoal for his rams, while their guns were far heavier as well as much more numerous than his. As to the guns, he had only thirty-two-pounders, but it is certain that neither the Benton, the Carondelet, or the St. Louis went into shoal water. In fact, the Benton drew more water than any of the Confederate “River Defence Squadron,” as it was called, and the other two government boats quite as much as any.

The fact is, Montgomery’s force was a lot of militia afloat. They made a most brilliant dash at the government forces, sank two gunboats, and then, militia fashion, got out of it when they were really just ready to begin to fight. Not one of their boats was seriously hurt. The Bragg had lost her tiller ropes, and the Price was aleak, but both might have continued the fight after a few minutes devoted to repairs. The whole force was, so far as hurts were concerned, “ready for action at Memphis a month later.” As to the government force, it may be said that Stembel, on the Cincinnati, made a brilliant defence, and Walke and Kilty, of the Carondelet and Mound City, seemed to fully appreciate what was required under the circumstances. The unprotected mortar boat, Acting Master Gregory, kept up a steady fire on the Confederates throughout the conflict, and Gregory was promoted for his bravery.