re is plenty of evidence to the same effect. It was
impossible to do anything with them.

[9] Quarterly Return of the ordnance officer of the post, June 30,
1862.

[10] The writer is inclined to think these were not ready on June 28th,
but were the _new_ battery mentioned in Union and Confederate reports
of July 15th.

[11] This, known to the fleet as the hospital battery, was commanded by
Captain Todd, a brother-in-law of President Lincoln.

CHAPTER IV.

THE RECOIL FROM VICKSBURG.

The position now occupied by the combined fleets of Farragut and Davis
was from three to four miles below the mouth of the Yazoo River, near
the neck of the long tongue of land opposite Vicksburg. The armed
vessels were anchored on the east side, the transports tied up to the
opposite bank. It was known that up the Yazoo was an ironclad ram,
similar to one that had been building at Memphis when the capture of
that city led to its destruction. The one now in the Yazoo, called the
Arkansas, had been taken away barely in time to escape the same fate,
and, being yet unfinished, had been towed to her present position. She
was about 180 feet long by 30 feet beam, of from 800 to 1,000 tons
burden, with a casemate resembling that of other river ironclads,
excepting that the ends only were inclined, the sides being in
continuation of the sides of the vessel. The deck carrying the guns
was about six feet above water. The armor was of railroad iron
dovetailed together, the rails running up and down on the inclined
ends and horizontally along the sides. The iron thus arranged formed
nearly a solid mass, about three inches thick, heavily backed with
timber; and in the casemate between the ports there was a further
backing of compressed cotton bales firmly braced. The cotton was
covered within by a light sheathing of wood, as a guard against fire.
Her battery of ten guns was disposed as follows: in the bow, two
heavy VIII-inch columbiads; in the stern, two 6.4-inch rifles; and in
broadside two 6.4-inch rifles, two 32-pounder smooth-bores and two
IX-inch Dahlgren shell-guns. The hull proper was light and poorly
built. She had twin screws, but the engines were too light, and were
moreover badly constructed, and therefore continually breaking down.
Owing to this defect, she sometimes went on shore, and the commanding
officer could not feel sure of her obeying his will at any moment.
Besides her battery she had a formidable ram under water. Sh