June 18, 2012

During the Civil War, the Confederate navy’s ironclad vessel bearing the state’s name was the ram CSS Arkansas. It was in use only twenty-three days, yet earned the rage of the Union and the respect of the Confederacy. In an effort to defend the rivers, the Confederate navy ordered the construction of two ironclads; one was christened the CSS Arkansas. Its keel was laid in October 1861. The vessel participated in the Vicksburg Campaign but was later scuttled on August 6, 1862, near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.