The Ironclad Arkansas – Today In Southern History
14 July 1862
14 July 1862
On this date in 1862…
The Confederate ironclad ram C.S.S. Arkansas attacked the federal fleet and severely damaged three ships off Vicksburg, Mississippi. The federal ironclad U.S.S. Carandolet sank in the Yazoo River from damage inflicted by the Arkansas, but was later raised and repaired. Also, a lightly-armored federal ram exploded with a shot through her boiler as the Arkansas ran through the federal fleet of U.S. Admiral David Farragut. Though damage and casualties to her crew were catastrophic, the Arkansas reached the shelter of the Vicksburg batteries and fended off several attacks by the federal fleet over the next fewl days. The Arkansas inspired the federal force to abandon its first attempt to besiege Vicksburg and withdraw down river to the safety of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Other Years:
1798 – The U.S. Congress passed the Sedition Act, making it a federal crime to write, publish, or utter malicious statements about the U.S. government.
1822 – Peter Poyas led an unsuccessful slave revolt in South Carolina.
1850 – Florida physician John Gorrie made the first public demonstration of ice made by artificial refrigeration
1864 – Confederate cavalry commanded by General Nathan Bedford Forrest routed a superior federal force at the Battle of Tupelo, Mississippi.
1865 – The Chickasaw Nation is the last of the Five Civilized Tribes to surrender to Federal authority following the War of Northern Aggression
1912 – Folk singer/song writer Woody Guthrie was born in Okemah, OK
1951 – The George Washington Carver National Monument in Joplin, Missouri became the first national park to honor a black man.
1968 – Hank Aaron while playing for the Atlanta Braves hit his 500th career home run.
1975 – Disney Corporation announced its plan to build the EPCOT Center at Disneyworld in Orlando, Florida.
1976 – The Democratic Convention in NYC nominates former Georgia governor Jimmy Carter for president
1987 – Lt. Col. Oliver North of San Antonio, TX concluded 6 days of Congressional testimony in the Iran-Contra Affair
1988 – WYHY radio of Lebanon, TN offered $1 million to anyone who can prove Elvis is still alive
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