Join us for a virtual lecture with author and historian John V. Quarstein, director emeritus of the USS Monitor Center. Quarstein will give a presentation on the first battle of Memphis that was fought on the Mississippi River, and witnessed by many of the citizens of Memphis, Tenn.

About the lecture:
The Confederate River Defense Fleet attempted to block the Federal fleet’s movement down the Mississippi River following the Island No. 10 defeat. As the Federals began to invest in Fort Pillow, the Confederates attacked on May 10, 1862, at Plum Point Bend, sinking two Union City-class ironclads. The victory was short-lived as the Federal fleet of ironclads, rams, and timberclads crushed the Confederate fleet. On June 6, 1862, the citizens of Memphis gathered to watch. Now, only Vicksburg and Port Hudson blocked Federal control of the Mississippi River.