Military River Actions Involving Warships

Steam-powered warships played signficant roles in a number of military actions on rivers in Tennessee during the Civil War.  These actions varied greatly, ranging from a single warship defending a fortication to a substantial naval battle involving many warships of both contending forces.  


Tennessee Battles Involving Warships

At least five of the 38 battles recognized as significant by the Civil War Sites Advisory Commission (CWSAC) involved warships operating on Tennessee's rivers, at the locations shown on the map below and listed in the following table.
 
 


 
 
CWSAC Battles Involving Warships
Name of Battle Date County CWSAC
Ref. # 
CWSAC
Class*
Federal
Warships
Confederate
Warships
Fort Henry 2/6/1862 Stewart
Henry
TN001 B Essex
Cincinatti
Carondelet
St. Louis
Lexington
Tayler
Conestoga
 
Fort Donelson 2/11-16/1862 Stewart TN002 A Carondelet
Taylor
Lexington
St. Louis
Louisville
Pittsburgh
 
Memphis 6/6/1862 Shelby TN004 B Queen of the West
Monarch
Carondelet
Benton
Cairo
Cincinnatti
Mound City
Pittsburgh
St. Louis
General Price
Beauregard
General Lovell
Little Rebel
Jeff Thompson
Sumter
Bragg
Van Dorn
Fort Pillow 4/12/1864 Lauderdale TN030 B New Era  
Johnsonville 11/4-5/1864 Benton TN032 B Undine (captured)
Key West
Tawah
Elfin
Venus?
 

*CWSAC battles may be briefly classified as follows:  A (decisive battles), B (major battles), and C (other principal battles).

NOTES: The naval battle for Island No. 10 (April 1862), although marginally involving Lake County, Tennessee, has been omitted from the table because CWSAC considers it to be primarily associated with Missouri as part of New Madrid/Island No. 10 (MO0012).
 



UNDER CONSTRUCTION




For additional information about Tennessee's military river actions involving warships, see the Civil War River Transportation Bibliography.
 

  Tennessee Civil War River Transportation

Last update:  June 1, 2000