Terry

The Ponchartrain did accend the White River with the CSS Maurepas in June of 1862 to excape the Union fleet after the Naval Battle of Memphis. The Maurepas was sunk to block the White River at St Charles. After the Battle of St Charles, June 17th 1862, the Ponchartrain decended the White River and came up the Arkansas to Little Rock and remained there until the Confederate evacuated Little Rock as I said in September 1863.

Several dispatched In the Naval OR's of Lt. Commander Thomas O. Selfridge, commander of the USS Conestoga in January to June 1863, and assigned to patrol the mouth of the Arkansas and White Rivers during that time, mentions the Ponchartrains being at Little Rock and it's operational status and proposed several plans to accend the Arkansas R. to Admiral David Porter to destroy her as late as August 1863. The clearest of these dispatches is in Vol 24, Ser 1, page 242. dated February 23 1863.

The Ponchartrain was stripped of her guns, (7 in all) for use elsewhere 3 of them at Fort Hindman/Arkansas Post, and 4 of them at St. Charles, and 2 guns recovered from the well at Arkansas Post were use at Fort Pleasant. 3 of those guns still exist today at St Charles and The Old Arkansas Statehouse museum.

The Ponchartrain was berthed in Little Rock just below the Old State House, Along what is now called River Front park between the present day Old Arkansas Statehouse Museum and the I-30 Interstate Bridge. She was burnt there with at least 6 other boats of various sizes and uses to keep them from falling into Union General Fredrick Steele's army as Little Rock was evacutated.