alternatehistory.com

24 May

Slocum's division (screening Lexington and bolstered by fugutives from the Cumberland Gap) engages Smith's army some miles south of Hall's Gap. The engagement is small and indecisive, but prevents Smith from route-marching his way to Lexington - he must now lean on Cleburne's rifle companies to slowly work his way forwards.
Slocum's men are galled by the accurate (though light) rifle fire, and he begins to have the men from Morgan's division prepare a series of fall-back positions. Unfortunately, the fall line is not far to their north, and once they are forced to abandon this higher ground they will need to retreat some miles or come under artillery fire from the top of the bluffs.

25 May

Great Eastern arrives at Quebec. She unloads her supplies over the course of the day (and the next few) including three entire battalions of infantry. These men will be sent south to reinforce the position on Lake Champlain, while the supplies are destined for all over Canada.

26 May

An engagement between the Capricorn and the Louisville develops, some way west of Grand Rapids.
Unfortunately for the American vessel, it proves to be critically underarmoured compared to the British-built ironclad. Not only is the armour thinner, but it is more poorly laid out and of lower quality - and Capricorn carries 68-lber guns, well above the firepower required to pierce.
Despite this poor armour - compounded by substandard armament, with only one 8" rifle that can be really described as an armour piercing gun - the Louisville nevertheless fights herself gallantly. Her speed is higher than that of her opponent, which she uses repeatedly to attempt to engage from the fore or aft (areas with no guns) and her armour does mean the British ironclad cannot simply use shell. While those rounds which do hit penetrate with ease, they are deflected by the casemate armour - and, as such, Louisville does not suffer from a boiler penetration as might have otherwise been the case. In effect she is about as vulnerable as a wooden ship was in the days before armour or shell.

After an engagement lasting half an hour, however, the Eads boat runs out of luck. Capricorn's latest salvo penetrates her waterline, and Louisville already has too many compartments open to the lake - as such her heel, already bad, worsens to the point one of her open gunports begins letting in water. Once this begins, she quickly founders, and a total of about sixty of her crew do not make it out (whether due to injuries or due to the rapid flooding).

Perhaps strangely, the Louisville becomes a major part of the Union national psyche in the following months and years. Her endurance against what is recognized as a superior vessel is inspirational, and - though ultimately defeated - she becomes known as the Louisville Slugger.


(...sorry.)