Our ironclads and gunboats knocked the fort to pieces

Our ironclads and gunboats knocked the fort to pieces. David D. Porter, rear admiral. , You wouldn't have got us had it not been for your damned gunboats. , John Dunnington, colonel, chief of ordnance, Fort Hindman's cannon fired at the nine gunboats bearing down on them. Confederate gunners had not practiced firing at such short range. Many shells missed or bounced off the gunboats' metal armor coated with greasy tallow. The Union boats held their fire until within 100 feet of the fort, then aimed right into the mouths of the fort's cannon. "The roar of the cannon was awful...it shook the ground for miles." "The [fort's] big square logs flew as if they were fence rails." Soon the fort's guns were shattered. Union gunships continued firing into the enemy line. Three Union gunboats slipped past the demolished fort, blocking the only escape route. The surrounded Confederates surrendered. Here, the Union clearly demonstrated the overwhelming naval power that helped it control the western rivers.