USS Lexington (1861) - Yazoo River, Fort Hindman, and Cumberland River Operations

Yazoo River, Fort Hindman, and Cumberland River Operations

Lexington, which transferred to the navy with the other ships of the Western Flotilla on 1 October 1862, participated in the joint expedition up the Yazoo River to attack Vicksburg, Mississippi from the rear. On 27 December while clearing mines from the river the Union gunboats fought off heavy attacks by Confederate batteries. The next day they provided cover fire for General Sherman's troops during an attack on Confederate-held Chickasaw Bayou. "Through these operations," David Dixon Porter wrote, "the Navy did everything that could be done to ensure the success of General Sherman's movement." Though the navy supplied shore bombardment from the squadron and created diversionary movements, the Union troops, hindered by heavy rains and faced by the timely arrival of Confederate reinforcements, were forced to withdraw.

On 4 January 1863 the gunboats and army transports headed up the White River, Arkansas, to attack Fort Hindman. The squadron covered the landing of troops on the 9th by shelling Confederate rifle pits. The next day, though the Army was not in position to press the attack, the Union ships moved to within 60 yards of the staunchly defended fort and began a blistering engagement which softened the works for the next day's assault. When the Union troops charged the position on the 11th, the gunboats resumed their well-directed fire and silenced every southern gun. After this defeat the Confederates evacuated other positions on the White and Saint Charles rivers.

Meanwhile Confederate raiders were threatening to wrest control of the Cumberland Valley from the Union. Answering General William Rosecrans' appeal for naval support, Lexington got underway for the Cumberland River on 25 January. The joint army-navy cooperation kept the upper rivers open to the Union and prevented an effective Confederate counteroffensive. Frequently fighting off attacks from Southern snipers and flying batteries, Lexington escorted transports and destroyed Confederate positions along the banks. On 3 February with five other ships she helped repulse a Confederate attempt to retake Fort Donelson. When they reached the scene of the battle they found the defending troops "out of ammunition and entirely surrounded by the rebels in overwhelming numbers, but still holding them in check." Lexington routed the Confederates in a hurry.