Battle of St. Charles 1862
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 17 June 1862 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1862 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | United States | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | North America | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | Confederate States of America, United States | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 34.3781, -91.1261 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of St. Charles was fought on June 17, 1862, at St. Charles, Arkansas, during the American Civil War. Earlier in 1862, a Union Army force commanded by Major General Samuel R. Curtis moved against Little Rock, Arkansas, but became bogged down in the Batesville area due to lack of supplies. The Union leadership decided to send a naval force from Memphis, Tennessee, up the White River to resupply Curtis's men. Major General Thomas C. Hindman, the Confederate commander in Arkansas, had fortifications constructed near St. Charles to stop the Union movement. Two artillery positions were built, and three ships, including CSS Maurepas, were scuttled to obstruct the river.
The Union ships advanced against the Confederate positions on June 17. The 46th Indiana Infantry Regiment was sent ashore to attack the fortifications on land, while two ironclads and two timberclads attacked the fort from the river. During the fighting, a Confederate solid shot struck the ironclad USS Mound City, puncturing one of the ship's steam drums. In what has been referred to as the deadliest shot of the war, scalding steam filled the ship, killing or wounding all but about 25 of the roughly 175 men on the vessel. The 46th Indiana overran the Confederate defenses on land and the position was taken.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of St. Charles (revision 1370274620), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; shortened by selecting paragraphs and trimming at a sentence boundary; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
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- Battle of Helena 1863 · 51 km
- Action at Ashley's Station 1864 · 72 km
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Other battles of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War
- Battle of Carthage, Missouri 1861
- Battle of Wilson's Creek 1861
- Engagement at Fredericktown 1861
- First Battle of Lexington 1861
- First Battle of Springfield 1861
- Battle of Cane Hill 1862
- Battle of Moore's Mill 1862
- First Battle of Newtonia 1862
- Skirmish at Island Mound 1862
- Battle of Cape Girardeau 1863
All 16 battles of the Trans-Mississippi theater of the American Civil War →
Browse more: battles in United States · North America · 19th century battles