The Battle of Baton Rouge-- Part 2

During the Battle of Baton Rouge, the Confederates had a secret weapon they were going to use, the ironclad CSS Arkansas which was to assist in the attack.  A force of  2,600 Confederates were to arrive by rail and between the ironclad and those troops they would crush the Union force at Baton Rouge.

The Confederate troops were battle-hardened soldiers from the Battle of Shiloh and they were facing 2,500 inexperienced Union troops.  The battle began at Magnolia Cemetery and hand-to-hand fighting ensued.  The Federals were driven back to the river where their gunboats fired down the city's streets at the advancing Confederates and slowed them down.

Word came that the CSS Arkansas had been scuttled and the Confederates then withdrew.  (I have been writing about John Julius Guthrie, a Confederate naval officer in my Running the Blockade blog these last couple months.  At one time, he was sent to help speed up the construction of the CSS Arkansas.)

The Confederates set up camp at Port Hudson, north of Baton Rouge.

While all this was going on, Union General Grant  was moving against Vicksburg.

--Old Secesh