Queen of the West Epilogue

From Wikipedia.

After the CSS Queen of the West and CSS Webb forced the surrender of the USS Indianola on the Mississippi River below Vicksburg on February 24, 1863, her Confederate career did not end.

On April 11, 1863,  she was attacked on the Atchafalaya River in Louisiana by the Union ships USS Estrella, USS Calhoun and USS Arizona.

A shell from the Calhoun set fire to the Queen of the West's cotton and her burning wreck drifted down the river for several hours before she grounded and exploded.

Ninety members of the Confederate crew were captured and 26 killed.

--Old B-R'er

CSS J.A. Cotton-- Part 1: Some Confusion As to the Name

This is the Confederate ship that fought the USS Calhoun, Diana, Estrella and Kinsman several times over a three month period 1862-1863.

There seems to be a lot of confusion as to particulars concerning the ship.

From the Civil War Navies Message Board Forum.

There was quite a long thread of discussion about the ship.  Here are some of the comments:

**  The CSS Cotten, Cotton, was sunk Janaury 14, 1863 on the Teche Bayou in Louisiana.

**  Most often referred to as the J.A. Cottom.

**  Possibly the mine that exploded and damaged the USS Kinsman was an electric one.  It shivered the ship's stern.  CS Torpedo operators did it.  The ORN reports that a set of wires and an operators' pit were found shortly after the incident.

--Old B-R'er

Action At Bayou Teche-- Part 4: Second Battle

The second engagement at Bayou Teche took place 14 January 1863.  It involved the same ships as the first fight.

Union General Godfrey Weitzel (later at Fort Fisher) learned that the J.A. Cotton was planning an attack on his force at Bertwick Bay.  Once again, the four ships from the previous fight steamed into the bayou followed by Union transports.  They passed the debris that obstructed the bayou and engaged the Cotton.  The Kinsman hit a mine and unshipped its anchor.

The CSS J.A. Cotton was badly damaged and set on fire by her crew to prevent capture.

The Union was unable to hold Bayou Teche and eventually had to invade it again in 1863 and 1864.

--Old B-Runner

November 3, 1862: Action At Bayou Teche-- Part 3: Between the CSS Cotton and Union Ships in Louisiana.

Actually, there had been an engagement a month earlier between the same ships.

NOVEMBER 3RD, 1862:  The CSS Cotton, Lt. Edward W. Fuller, and shore batteries engaged the USS Calhoun, Kinsman, Estrella and Diana in Berwick Bay, Louisiana.  In this close and spirited action against heavy odds, Captain Fuller caused considerable damage to the Union squadron until exhaustion of cartridges forced the Cotton to retire.

Captain Fuller reported that the legs of the men's pants were cut off to use as improvised cartridge bags to fire parting shots as he withdrew.

--Old B-Runner

Action at Bayou Teche, Louisiana, November 3-5, 1862-- Part 1

From Wikipedia.

Bayou Teche is a 125-mile long waterway in Louisiana which was originally the course of the Mississippi River.

During the Civil War, two gunboat engagements took place here.  I wrote about one on Wednesday regarding the USS Diana.

The first occurred November 3-5, 1862, when the USS Kinsman, Calhoun, Estrella and Diana, mounting 24 cannons, passed obstructions placed by Confederate General Alfred Mouton and engaged the CSS J.A. Cotton near Cornay's Bridge for one and a half hours.

The CSS Cotton, a wooden steamboat modified with a casemate of timber and cotton bales and a small amount of railroad iron along its sides was struck several times, but managed to escape.

--Old B-Runner