Because she was the Louisiana was tied to the Mississippi River bank, she couldn't fire her stern or port guns. Her exact role in the ensuing firefight between the forts and fleet is not known. Confederate General Duncan stated that she may have fired as few as twelve shots.
Testimony form the Union side says she exchanged shots with at least one of the attacking ships, the USS Brooklyn (misidentified as the USS Hartford in Confederate reports). Three shots from the Louisiana went all the way through the Union ship. The Brooklyn's return broadside bounced harmlessly off the Louisiana's iron sides.
Only three aboard the Louisiana were killed, all in exposed positions, including her commander Charles F McIntosh.
--Old B-Runner
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