Confederate Navy Yard(Yazoo) Contents: Information about the Confederate Navy Yard in Yazoo City. Location: Vertical Files at B.S. Ricks Memorial Library of the Yazoo Library Association| 310 N. Main Street, Yazoo City, Mississippi 39194 Architecture-Confederate Navy Yard Contents: Documents featuring the Confederate Navy Yard In Yazoo City during the U.S. Civil War 1. Undated-A postcard featuring an historical marker for the Confederate Navy Yard in Yazoo City, Mississippi 2. Undated-Yazoo County Chamber of Commerce-"The Battle for Yazoo: 1862-1864" 3.1958- Yazoo County Story by University Supply and Equipment Company-The Mighty Arkansas 4.1962-03-Southern Natural News-Cover Story: The Battle for Yazoo:1862-1864 5.1965-05-25-The Yazoo City Herald-Rebel Shipyard Located Here 6.1965-05-25-The Yazoo City Herald- 24 Days of Hell 7.1974-09-19-The Yazoo City Herald-Proposed Navy Yard Park 8.1976-Yazoo: Its Legends and Legacies by Harriet DeCell and JoAnne Prichard- Civil War and Reconstruction Location: Vertical Files at B.S. Ricks Memorial Library of the Yazoo Library Association 310 N. Main Street, Yazoo City, Mississippi 39194 YAZOO CONFEDERATE NAVY YARD Here in 1862. Confederates set up navy yard, where was built the ironclad ram, the "Arkansas," which i-i: victoriously engaged four US. fleets on the Miss. R. , & lifted Vicksburg siege. place CONFEDERATE NAVY YARD MARKER, iX YAZOO CITY MISSISSIPPI . This marker stamp located at corner of Jefferson and Broadway here Streets commemorates the Confederate Navy Yard established in 1852. Here v/as built the ironclad ram, "Arkansas," which victoriously en gaged four U.S. fleets on the Mississippi River and V J lifted Vicksburg Siege m PUB. BY DEEP SOUTH SPECIALTIES. INC.. P.O. BOX 1S02, JACKSON. MISS. DS-824 COLOR PHOTO BY WALTER R. AVERETT jf*jHE £I BATTLE fohY iS62>"1864 _S(6^ff ' ffllw'.'SSTv'ilW ■ w-a^'ife"-' ■ • - • •i-.r.iu .*u •••--i-itt-wanjm,. BATTLE forYAZOO Y AZOO CITY and the Yazoo River, if given a and two old mismatched engines were salvaged little more time, might have turned the tide of from wrecks. victory in the Western Campaigns toward the Con Greenwood offered comparative safety for com federacy. pleting the vessel, but there was no skilled help President Lincoln, in 1862—his gentleman gen and no necessary materials available. In Yazoo BLAlR'S nECHAVICSBURG EXPEDTHOr^ Y/aoo OTV erals on the eastern seaboard frustrated by de City both men and materials were in readiness, but rtAY aL-31,Wt3 tl/Tcw feats—had sent the more rugged Generals Grant the whole Union fleet was practically on top of 5CALE and Sherman to subdue Vicksburg. Formidable Vicksburg—less than 50 miles away. Because of USCVR the plight of Vicksburg Lieutenant Brown had the RWCRS —— FtcnncAnoMs uuu. fortress Vicksburg, key to control of the Mississippi MlUtOKU TOWNS • River, held out for 14 months after the Union river steamer Capitol tow the hull 150 miles down RDMBS «=» TRMf noVtniMTS Navy under Commodore Farragut made its initial stream to the shipyard at Yazoo City. RBcmL tumsfam assault on the city. There was excitement among the workers as the O «=>t=> - ■ ■ CaiWAMBS During a large part of the long campaign, the big gray shape was berthed. The Arkansas, even (SB ARKY brooding Yazoo River and the Confederate Naval at this stage, was an imposing sight. She stretched mmtt •Mnemii tLABMU ROUTE TO flBi coivs AMO F«0« ItSOIANICSBORfc Works at Yazoo City remained dangerously like a 110 feet long and at her bow was a massive ram OKlTCHABDa dagger hung on a thread over the heads of the ming beak. Her sides, soon to be covered with four CRDU Federal forces. inches of iron, sloped inward 45 degrees to help ts enMBE CAt^l haul j.; Yazoo City became a key naval bastion almost deflect cannon balls and there were gun ports ail KiOSC^ FESm by accident and its one great contribution to naval around. When fully armored, she would draw 14 VEKNOW warfare was probably the most incredible vessel feet of water. Her pilot house which stuck up 12 inches from the armored gun housing would be UVlWMTe*' JoKWSRNl ever to engage an enemy fleet. LPIWR APftlM&S The ironclad ram Arkansas was a child of mis only six feet above the water line. fortune from the beginning. She was one of several Soon 200 men were working around the clock to ships being built at Memphis when Union forces get the ship ready. Crews of workmen systemati threatened that city. Of all the vessels in the yards, cally scavenged the countryside for metal and only the Arkansas was saved. Her unfinished hull parts. Any likely item, and some not so likely, was towed to near Greenwood and abandoned. wound up in the makeup of the ship that—after On the morning of May 28, 1862, Lieutenant her destruction—the enemy dubbed "a floating Isaac N. Brown, a native of Grenada and a 27-year junkyard." veteran of the United States Navy who had com After five weeks the stern and some portions of manded the Confederate navy yards at Memphis the ship were still unprotected by armor, but the and Nashville, received a telegram from Stephen Yazoo River was falling. Pilots warned that if the Mallory, Secretary of the Confederate Navy, in Arkansas did not get into the deeper Mississippi structing him to "finish and equip that vessel (the River soon, the great ironclad would be landbound .Arkansas) without regard to expenditure of men for the summer. or money." So on July 2, 1862 the Arkansas steamed away At Greenwood, where the vessel was supposed on her first self-powered voyage. Never a more un to be, he was told the Arkansas was up river "nigh likely vessel headed for combat. Her armor was to four miles from dry land, but we will try to row skimpy in spots and boiler plate had been "tacked" you to her." Upon reaching the hulk. Brown found over the unprotected stern to hide its weakness. that she had no engines, no armor and no deck Her mismatched engines were totally inadequate house. She was loaded down with ten enormous for a ship of her size and would push her along at guns, but there were no carriages on which to only eight knots—far too slow for any ramming. mount them. Her armor plate lay on the river bot Her crew of a hundred men was composed princi tom in a sunken barge. pally of landsmen with no experience in either op With the help of soldiers from a nearby Army erating or fighting a ship. camp, the barge was raised, the armor retrieved Lieutenant Brown, recognizing his vessel's weak- a surprise attack, and coal was scarce. Commodore Eight months after the sinking of the Cairo, the nesses, explained to the crew that they would have When the battle ended the Carondelet was badly Farragut's deep-water vessels were in danger of U.S.S. Baron De Kalb was sunk by torpedoes at to meet the enemy head on. Said he; "No ram, no damaged and had run ashore, the Tyler limped off being stranded as the low-water season approached, Yazoo City, but descendants of the men who touch run, just fight." in bad shape and the Queen of the West decided so he ordered his fleet back to New Orleans. The ed off those torpedos are still living in Yazoo City to retire and fight another day. And fight they did, but not before one more "bucket of bolts" had almost single-handedly lifted and they say that this ship was sunk by jugs filled piece of bad luck plagued the ship. Ten miles below the seige of Vicksburg. with explosives and pulled against the ships by Yazoo City a steam pipe broke and soaked all the The Federals did not know the damage they had strong cord. gunpowder. Luckily it was a hot, dry day and the inflicted on the brave vessel. One point-blank shell powder was dried on tarpaulins spread over warm During the early stages of the Vicksburg seige. from the Essex had penetrated Arkansas' armor beds of sawdust at a sawmill where the broken a Confederate fortification at Snyder's Bluff on General Earl Van Dom killing eight men. Many of the crew had to be steam pipe was repaired. the Yazoo River blocked passage to Yazoo City, .. urdvred Arkansas to sail transferred to the hospital, including the able en On July 13, the Arkansas rounded a bend about for Baton Rouge, wJiere where the navy yard was still building ironclad she was destroyed. gineer who seemed the only man capable of keep a mile and a half upstream from the Mississippi vessels. Union Rear Admiral David D. Porter sent ing the ancient engines operating. Lieutenant River. Ahead were the Union gunboats 0. A. Tyler. five ironclads to try to bypass the Snyder's Bluff Brown had iieen ordered home to Grenada to re Carondelet, and the Queen of the West. Although defenses. And he almost succeeded in becoming cuperate from his wounds and Executive Officer this was a formidable fleet, the Arkansas—which one of the first admirals to have his naval fleet had already been affectionately named "the ram Stevens, a fine officer, was in command. captured by land forces. ming bucket of bolts" by its crew—must have look The vessels ascended Steele's Bayou, passed The Arkansas had taken the fire of all three Although Arkansas had been in heavy battle and ed to the enemy like the world's best fighting ship through Black Bayou and entered Deer Creek.