OCTOBER 30, 1864:
General Nathan Bedford Forrest C.S.A., generally
famed for his cavalry exploits, and known for his brilliant tactics, captures
several Union gunboats and troop transports, including the U.S.S. UNDINE, on
the Tennessee River in order to assist the Army of Tennessee in crossing its
namesake river. With his usual martial elan, Forrest fools the gunboats into
thinking that there is an engagement along the riverbank (by firing his
artillery at nothing), and when the ships come into range they are blasted to a
stop and then raided by Confederate marines. This marks one of the very few
times in history that naval forces are overcome by land troops. Forrest makes use of the former U.S.S. UNDINE
in several subsequent actions, but scuttles her on November 4th in
order to keep her from falling back into Yankee hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment