Civil War Tennessee American Civil War June 6, 1862 After the
Confederate River Defense Fleet, commanded by Captain James E.
Montgomery and Brigadier General M. Jeff Thompson (Missouri
State Guard), bested the Union ironclads at Plum Run Bend,
Tennessee, on May 10, 1862, they retired to Memphis. Confederate
General P.G.T. Beauregard ordered troops out of Fort Pillow and
Memphis on June 4, after learning of Union Major General Henry
W. Halleck's occupation of Corinth, Mississippi. Thompson's few
troops, camped outside Memphis, and Montgomery's fleet were the
only force available to meet the Union naval threat to the city.
From Island No. 45, just north of Memphis, Flag-Officer Charles
H. Davis and Colonel Charles Ellet launched a naval attack on
Memphis after 4:00 am on June 6. Arriving off Memphis about 5:30
am, the battle began. In the hour and a half battle, the Union
boats sank or captured all but one of the Confederate vessels;
General Van Dorn escaped. Immediately following the battle,
Colonel Ellet's so