Exchanging Iron Valentines

Exchanging Iron Valentines (HMPOU)

Location: Dover, TN 37058 Stewart County
Buy Tennessee State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 36° 29.689', W 87° 51.373'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 401 views
Inscription
We awaited with deep anxiety the result of the attack and severe bombardment of the river batteries by our gunboats. Gloom ... ensued upon the news reaching us of their failure and withdrawal from the contest.
H.W. Dudley, Taylor's Battery, McClernand's Division

Before building Fort Donelson, Confederates built two river batteries along the Cumberland River to defend the water approach to the major supply centers of Clarksville and Nashville. One, the Upper River Battery, is located several hundred feet to your right. The other, reconstructed here, was known as the Lower River Battery. Both were armed with heavy seacoast artillery, manned by inexperienced gunners. This battery contained eight 32-pounder cannon and, on the extreme left, one 10-inch Columbiad.

On February 14, 1862, Flag Officer Andrew Hull Foote's Union gunboat flotilla rounded the bend in the distance and steamed up the Cumberland to exchange "iron valentines" with the water batteries. Using the tactics that proved successful at Fort Henry a week earlier, Foote maneuvered his gunboats very close, intending to shell the batteries into submission. The cumbersome vessels, however, moved so slowly that they became excellent targets for the untested Confederate artillerymen and were forced to withdraw.

(Notations on the background illustration, from left to right):
10-inch Columbiad
This impressive weapon could hurl a 128-pound projectile over three miles, but was not as effective as the combined firepower of the 32-pounder smoothbores, or the 6.5-inch rifle in the Upper River Battery.

32-pounder Smoothbores
Arranged in two batteries of four guns each, these cannon, capable of firing a 32-pound shot up to a mile, inflicted most of the damage on the Union gunboats.

Timberclads
The timberclads played no significant part in the attack on the river batteries
Tyler · Conestoga

Lower River Battery

Upper River Battery
6.5-inch Rifle

Union Ironclad Gunboats They weren't invincible
Despite the gunboats' reputation and protective armor, the Confederate river batteries pummeled the Union fleet in a 90-minute battle during which, as Flag Officer Foote put it, they were "all cut up." From a total of just under 400 rounds fired, Confederate gunners hit the St. Louis, Foote's flagship, 59 times, the Carondelet 54 times, the Louisville 36 times, and the Pittsburg 20 times.
St. Louis · Louisville · Pittsburg · Carondelet
Details
HM NumberHMPOU
Tags
Placed ByFort Donelson National Battlefield - National Park Service - Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014 at 3:01pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)16S E 423315 N 4039173
Decimal Degrees36.49481667, -87.85621667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 29.689', W 87° 51.373'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 29' 41.34" N, 87° 51' 22.38" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)931
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 15 Lock D Loop, Dover TN 37058, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?