June 8, 2011

The 510-ton Union ironclad the USS Mound City, shown here late in the Civil War, was involved in what has been called the “most deadly shot” of the war. While participating in the Engagement at St. Charles on the White River on June 17, 1862, the vessel took a single shot to the steam drum. Escaping steam scalded many of the crew, ultimately resulting in 105 deaths and forty-four injuries. Disabled and towed to safety, the ship was repaired and served until war’s end, when it was sold at auction and salvaged.