Terry

I will make one slight clarification to my statement. I know that some of the CSS Ponchartrains crew were captured in Little Rock on September 10th, 1863 and as you know are listed in the Prisoner records from Thomas's 28th Louisiana Infantry.

As to the actual Date of the Ponchartrain being burned I at this time cannot be certain if it was September 9/10, 1863, or October 9, 1863. If it was September 9/10th then it was burned by the evacuating Confederates. If it was October 9 then it was burnt by Federal forces a month after it was captured.

As you know it would have been common practise for the retreating army to destroy such military items as the Ponchartrain. However, the Confederates retreat from Little Rock was disorganized and took many by surprise and the burning of the Ponchartrain may have failed to have taken place during the Confederate retreat. The Ponchartrain althought a strong and fairly new constructed vessel probably would have had little use to the Federals.

In any case there was no way for the Ponchartrain to have excaped the Arkansas River because of low water levels during that year due to drought conditions. Especially in August, September and October which is historically the "Dry season" in Arkansas.

This is one of the main reason that allowed the Confederates to abandon their Lower Arkansas Rivers defences in order to move the troops there to the defence of Little Rock in Late July and August 1863. They had no fear of the Union Navy Gunboats coming up the Arkansas River to assist Gen. Steele in his attack on Little Rock. In fact they were so sure of this that they dismanteled the two heavy guns from the Ponchartrain which had been emplaced at Fort Pleasant, at Pine Bluff, and moved them back to Little Rock for it's defence.

I believe that there is a newspaper article or some other reference to the burning of the Ponchartarin and the other boats at Little Rock on the Arkansas Civil War Message Board. I believe that Mr. Tom Ezell on that board may be able to make comment that may be able to clear up the actual date question.

In fact I believe that one of the other 6 boats burnt with the Ponchartrain was the CSS cottonclad transport Bracelet and I believe the article gives the name of two or the of the other boats but I am reaching for that information from my memory. But you may try to post your query on the Arkansas Board.