USS Cayuga attacks the Confederate fleet. The CSS General Polk is the sidewheel steamer that sits alongside the Cayuga.
History
Confederate States
Name
General Polk
Namesake
Leonidas Polk
Builder
New Albany, Indiana
Launched
1862
Commissioned
20 April 1862
Fate
Burned to prevent capture, 26 June 1862
General characteristics
Class and type
paddle steamer
Displacement
1,628 long tons (1,654 t)
Length
285 ft (86.9 m)
Beam
48 ft (14.6 m)
Draught
10 ft (3.0 m)
Propulsion
Side wheels
Speed
4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph)
Complement
154 officers and enlisted men
Armament
2 × 1 - 32-pounder Muzzle-loading rifles
1 × 1 - smoothbore 32-pounder gun
The CSS General Polk (known casually as the Polk) was a vessel of the Confederate navy during the American Civil War. Originally a side-wheel river steamer built in 1852 named either Ed Howard or merely Howard, she was purchased for $8,000 by the Confederacy in 1861 and outfitted for service as a timberclad river gunboat. Under the command of Flag Officer George N. Hollins, she fought at the Battle of Lucas Bend as well as at the Battle of Kentucky Bend shortly after. She also served in defence of Columbus, Kentucky and the Mississippi River. Being given to Lieutenant Jonathan H. Carter thereafter, she served at New Madrid, Missouri before returning to New Orleans. Following Union victory she was burned near Yazoo City on June 26, 1862.[1]
^"General Polk". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 7 July 2010.
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Global Information
Confederate States