e was at
this time commanded by Commander Isaac N. Brown, formerly of the
United States Navy, and had a complement of trained officers.

Notwithstanding the reports of her power, but little apprehension had
been felt in the Union fleet, but still a reconnoissance was ordered
for the 15th of July. The vessels sent were the Carondelet, Commander
Walke, the Tyler, Lieutenant-Commander Gwin, and the Queen of the West
of the ram fleet; they carried with them a number of sharpshooters
from the army.

The Yazoo having been entered early in the morning, the Arkansas was
met unexpectedly about six miles from the mouth. At this time the ram
and the Tyler were over a mile ahead of the Carondelet, the Tyler
leading. The latter, having no prow and being unarmored, was wholly
unfit to contend with the approaching enemy; she therefore retreated
down stream toward the Carondelet.

The latter also turned and began a running fight down stream. The move
was not judicious, for she thus exposed her weakest part, the
unarmored stern, to the fire of the enemy, and directed her own
weakest battery, two 32-pounders, against him. Besides, when two
vessels are approaching on parallel courses, the one that wishes to
avoid the ram may perhaps do so by a movement of the helm, as the
Pensacola avoided the Manassas at the forts; but when the slower ship,
as the Carondelet was, has presented her stern to the enemy, she has
thrown up the game, barring some fortunate accident. The aggregate
weight of metal discharged by each ironclad from all its guns was
nearly the same,[12] but the Arkansas had a decided advantage in
penetrative power by her four 6.4-inch rifles. Her sides, and probably
her bow, were decidedly stronger than those of her opponent; but
whatever the relative advantages or disadvantages under other
circumstances, the Carondelet had now to fight her fight with two
32-pounders opposed to two VIII-inch shell-guns, throwing shell of 53
pounds and solid shot of 64, and with her unarmored stern opposed to
the armored bow of the ram. The Tyler took and kept her place on the
port bow of the Carondelet; as for the Queen of the West, she had fled
out of sight. "We had an exceedingly good thing," wrote one of the
Arkansas' officers, and for a long time, Walke's report says one hour,
they kept it. During that time, however, a shot entered the
pilot-house, injuring Commander Brown, mortally wounding one pilot and
disabling another. The loss of the