Saint Charles AR002

supportedunresolved Fitch learned on the evening of the 16th that there were two batteries supported by infantry, and says the lower battery's position was first discovered when it fired on his officers. Dunnington says the Union approach was unexpected, so Fry had no time to land his guns, and that Fry sent word during the action that a large force was landing below.

Reported knowledge in interested accounts; no message chain inspected.

supportedunresolved NPS says the expedition aimed to resupply Curtis's army near Jacksonport. Dunnington says the river was blocked so hastily that no ballast could be put in the sunken transports, that two rifled Parrotts had been sent to the rear for want of ammunition and were brought back at daylight, and that the sailors were armed only with single-barreled pistols. Hindman says the obstructions were incomplete. Fitch says the heat and fatigue and the need to move upriver led him to leave Confederate wounded to citizens.

Condition statements; no supply or ordnance return inspected.

supportedunresolved Fitch says a combined attack was arranged with Kilty, the senior gunboat officer. Hindman says he took steps to obstruct the White and Arkansas Rivers against Federal fleets cooperating with Curtis; Dunnington says Fry placed his vessel across the river to resist their progress.

Stated aims; not evaluated.

supportedpost_outcome The frozen and live results are Union victory. Fitch says his men carried the batteries and Fry was wounded and captured; Dunnington says the position was surrounded and the men retreated into the woods; Hindman says the infantry landed and carried the position while the garrison spiked the guns and retired upriver. NPS says the attack left Saint Charles open to Federal occupation.

Retain the original result and engagement interval; later movements and campaign contribution are different measures. No new probabilities or individual causal credit.

disputedpost_outcome Frozen: 290 total (US 135; CS 155). Live: 200 total (US 160; CS 40). NPS says more than 125 Mound City sailors were killed. Fitch says the land troops lost none killed, that nearly all of the Mound City's crew of more than a hundred were disabled and half or more are dead, and that 7 or 8 (June 17) or 8 or 9 (June 19) Confederate dead were buried and about 30 prisoners taken; he reports 8 guns captured. Dunnington does not think his losses exceeded 3 before the retreat. Hindman gives 6 killed, 1 wounded and 8 missing, and over 200 Union, 180 of them on the Mound City.

Original casualty returns were not inspected; preserve totals, categories, cutoffs and differences. No canonical reconciliation or casualty-based opening count; related actions must not be added without resolving population overlap. Naval losses from the Mound City's steam drum are a distinct population from the land action.

supportedunresolved The frozen rows list Fry (Captain, navy) for the Confederates and Fitch (Colonel) and Kilty (Commander, navy) for the Union; Fitch styles Fry colonel. Fitch says Kilty chose to silence the batteries with the gunboats rather than have the infantry storm them, and that after the Mound City was disabled the gunboats were signaled to cease firing so the troops could storm. Hindman says Fry was placed in chief command; Dunnington says Fry personally fought three guns and that he himself reported as senior naval officer in Fry's absence.

Command actions reported by participants; no listed commander receives automatic sole credit.

disputedunresolved Fitch says Confederate sharpshooters on both banks fired on Mound City crewmen in the water and on boats sent to rescue them; a dying prisoner said Fry ordered it, which Fry denied. Dunnington says that when the disabled vessel failed to haul down its flag 'our own men were directed to shoot those in the water attempting to escape', without naming who gave the direction.

Conduct allegations from opposing interested accounts; the direction's author is not established in the inspected passages. Recorded, not adjudicated.

unknownunresolved

No inspected return establishes matched personnel at a common opening boundary. The frozen side-specific numerical strength bounds are blank (missing_numeric_strength). No figure in this pass is adopted as a simultaneous opening force.

disputedunresolved The frozen force field reads the 46th Indiana and Union gunboat against 'fifty men and C.S. boats'; the live field reads zero. NPS names the gunboats Mound City, St. Louis, Lexington and Conestoga with transports. Fitch's June 17 report says the batteries were supported by infantry of unknown numbers. Dunnington says the pickets reported two gunboats, one tug and two transports, and names the guns he placed (two rifled 32-pounders, a rifled Parrott, two rifled 8-pounder Parrotts and a 12-pounder howitzer). Hindman (1863) gives the Union fleet as the Saint Louis and Mound City (thirteen guns each), the Lexington and Conestoga (seven each), a tug and three transports with 1,000 to 1,500 infantry, and his own defence as two rifled 32-pounders and four field pieces manned by 79 sailors, with 35 armed infantry as sharpshooters.

Vessel lists, gun counts and a retrospective Confederate account; Hindman was not present. None is adopted as a matched opening strength. The live zero is not measured absence.

supportedunresolved Hindman chose Saint Charles, about 100 miles above the mouth, where the first bluff appears, to obstruct the river. Fitch says the batteries on the bluff were concealed by thick timber and that his skirmishers could not advance beyond the foot of the bluff without coming under the gunboats' fire. Dunnington says the Maurepas and two transports were sunk across the river in the night; Fitch says the obstruction failed.

Ground and obstructions described by interested accounts; no map verification. The bluff is natural and the obstructions were placed the night before; phase unresolved.