Confederate Ironclads CSS Louisiana and Mississippi-- Part 1

I have been writing about the Confederate iron foundry in New Orleans named Leeds & Co. in my Saw the Elephant:  The Civil War blog in connection with cannons they made for the Confederacy.  Leeds cannons are quite rare in the artillery world because of the fact that New Orleans fell to Farragut so early in the war.

Yesterday I found out that Leeds also was involved with the iron on two Confederate rams that were built in New Orleans as well as an early submarine named the Pioneer I.  The source did not say what the name of the ironclads were, however.

Today, I learned that they were the CSS Louisiana and CSS Mississippi, two of the largest ironclads built in the Confederacy.  I had thought that perhaps it was the CSS Manassas.

I am not sure if the Leeds Foundry was to have something to do with the iron on the casemates or other materials on the ships.

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From Wikipedia

CSS LOUISIANA

The CSS Louisiana was a casemate ironclad built for the Confederate Navy to defend the lower Mississippi River (New Orleans)  She took part in one major action during the war, the defense of Forts Jackson and St. Philip.  When those forts fell, she was destroyed by her crew to prevent capture.

--Old B-Runner