Battle of Island Number Ten
Island No. 10, Mississippi River, near New Madrid, Missouri, USA
What happened
The Union army of John Pope and gunboats under Andrew H. Foote faced Confederate defenders under John P. McCown, later William W. Mackall. Confederate guns on an island in the Mississippi River blocked Union boats from going south. Union troops took the nearby town of New Madrid, and two gunboats, Carondelet and Pittsburg, slipped past the island's guns. Pope's army then crossed the river and cut off the defenders, who surrendered.
Why it matters
It was the first time the Confederate Army lost a position on the Mississippi River in battle. The river was now open to Union boats as far south as Fort Pillow.
What came next
About three weeks later New Orleans fell to a Union fleet under David G. Farragut, though the Battle of Shiloh, fought on 6–7 April, drew most of the attention.
Did you know?
The island got its name because it was once the tenth island in the Mississippi south of where the Ohio River joins it.
Timeline
- 28 Feb 1862The Union campaign against Island No. 10 begins.
- 4 Apr 1862The gunboat Carondelet runs past the island's guns.
- 6–7 Apr 1862Battle of Shiloh is fought in Tennessee.
- 8 Apr 1862The Confederate defenders surrender.