Battle of the Head of Passes

29°09′25″N 89°15′14″W / 29.157°N 89.254°W / 29.157; -89.254

Battle of the Head of Passes
DateOctober 12, 1861 (1861-10-12)
Location
Head of Passes, Mississippi River Delta, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana
Result Confederate States victory
Belligerents
United States United States Confederate States of America Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
John Pope Confederate States of America George N. Hollins
Strength
3 sloops-of-war
1 schooner
1 gunboat		 1 ironclad
6 gunboats
3 fire rafts
Casualties and losses
None
2 sloops-of-war damaged
1 schooner damaged		 None
1 ironclad damaged

The Battle of the Head of Passes was a bloodless naval battle of the American Civil War. It was a naval raid made by the Confederate river defense fleet, also known as the “mosquito fleet” in the local media, on ships of the Union blockade squadron anchored at the Head of Passes. The mosquito fleet deployed three fire rafts, which were ignited and followed the ironclad ram CSS Manassas into the action. The attack occurred after moonset in the early hours of October 12, 1861, and routed the Union fleet, which fled in disorder down the Southwest pass of the delta. After sunrise Commodore George N. Hollins, running low on ammunition and fuel, ordered the mosquito fleet to withdraw upriver.[1]: 84–94 

Map depicting the delta of the Mississippi River and approaches to New Orleans, printed by the Government printing office in 1904 as part of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies[2]
Sketch map of the Mississippi River and the Head of Passes of the Louisiana delta[3]
  1. ^ Hearn, Chester G. (1995). The Capture of New Orleans 1862. Louisiana State University Press. ISBN 0-8071-1945-8.
  2. ^ ORN I, v. 18, p. 131.
  3. ^ ORN I, v. 16, p. 636.