APRIL 4TH, 1862: The USS Carondelet, Commander Walke, shrouded by a heavy storm at night, successfully ran past Island No. 10, Mississippi River, and reached Major General John Pope's army at New Madrid. For his heroic dash past flaming Confederate batteries, Walke strengthened the Carondelet with cord-wood piled around the boilers, extra deck planking and anchor chain for added armor protection.
"The passage of the Carondelet," wrote A. T. mahan, "was not only one of the most daring and dramatic events of the war; it was also the death blow to Confederate defense of this position."
With the support of the gunboats, Union troops could now safely plan to cross the river and take the Confederate defenses from the rear.
--Old B-Runner
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