Arkansas attacks the Yazoo reconnaissance squadron

Warned by deserters, Union commanders sent Tyler, Queen of the West, and the City-class ironclad Carondelet up the Yazoo River. Brown identified Carondelet as the strongest opponent and steered directly for her, authorizing only guns bearing on the target because recoil cost the underpowered Arkansas speed. Tyler drew first blood before she and Queen of the West repositioned around Carondelet, with the ram manoeuvring for a strike on Arkansas. Arkansas's shells penetrated Carondelet's thinner protection while the Union ironclad's rounds bounced from the Confederate casemate at close range. Carondelet's captain, Henry Walke, reversed to avoid Brown's ram, briefly exposing his unarmoured stern before the ship grounded. The encounter shows aggressive target selection and disciplined fire control overcoming serious mechanical limits rather than an easy technical superiority.