Battle of Plum Point Bend facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Plum Point Bend |
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| Part of American Civil War | |||||||
 Battle of Plum Point Bend, Tennessee, 10 May 1862. Confederate ships, seen at right, include (from left to right): General Earl Van Dorn, General Sterling Price, General Bragg, General Sumter and Little Rebel. The Federal ironclads, in the center and left, are (from left to right): Mound City, Carondelet and Cincinnati. A Federal mortar boat is by the river bank in the lower right. |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States of America |
 Confederate States of America |
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| Units involved | |||||||
| Mound City, Carondelet, Cincinnati, Benton, Pittsburgh, Cairo, and St. Louis | General Earl Van Dorn, General Sterling Price, General Bragg, General Sumter, Little Rebel, General M. Jeff Thompson, Colonel Lovell, and General Beauregard | ||||||
The Battle of Plum Point Bend was a naval fight during the American Civil War. It happened on May 10, 1862, on the Mississippi River. This battle was between ships from the Confederate side and the Union side.
The Confederate ships were mostly wooden paddleboats. They were changed into "rams," which means they were designed to crash into enemy ships. The Union ships were "ironclads," which were strong ships covered in iron armor. The battle took place about four miles north of Fort Pillow, Tennessee.
What Happened at Plum Point Bend?
The battle began early on May 10, 1862. The Union navy had been moving down the Mississippi River. They had just won battles at places like Island No. 10. Their goal was to attack Fort Pillow with special "mortar boats" that fired large shells.
A Surprise Attack
The Confederate River Defense Fleet surprised the Union ships. The Union ships had moved closer to support the mortar boat attacks. The Confederate ships quickly attacked. They used their ramming tactic against the Union ironclads.
Ships Get Damaged
During the fight, two Union ships were hit hard. The Cincinnati and the Mound City were both rammed. They were badly damaged and started to sink. The Union ships then moved away to shallower water.
The Confederate ships could not follow them into the shallow water. Their ships needed deeper water to move. After the Union ships pulled back, the Confederate ships also left the area.
After the Battle
Only one Confederate ship, the General Earl Van Dorn, managed to avoid serious damage. The Union's powerful guns damaged many other Confederate ships. Even though two Union ships sank, they were later pulled up from the river. Both the Cincinnati and Mound City were repaired and put back into service.
This battle was important because the Union fleet was able to continue its journey down the river. They later fought the Confederate fleet again. This next big battle was the Battle of Memphis, which happened the following month.
