Episode 38 MAJ Joseph L. Brent and the Expedition to capture the USS Indianola

First Person Civil War Podcast

On the evening of 24 February 1863, the expedition that captured the USS Indianola involved a Confederate force of four ships: CSS Queen of the West, CSS Webb, CSS Batey and CSS Grand Era, the latter two being support vessels only. MAJ Joseph L. Brent commander of the expedition, caught up with the USS Indianola as it steamed up the Mississippi river to rendezvous with MG Grants army. Though outmatched in terms of firepower, the Queen of the West and the Webb steamed ahead, intent on ramming their Union foe.

Sources used for this episode:

Brent, Joseph Lancaster. The Lugo Case; Capture of the Ironclad, Indianola. New Orleans: Searcy and Pfaff, LTD, 1926. https://www.loc.gov/item/54050193/.

Scott, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. ser. 1, vol. 11, pt. 1: Reports. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1884. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924079609560&view=1up&seq=3.

Scott, Robert N. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. ser. 1, vol. 24, pt. 1: Reports. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1889. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924077699738&view=1up&seq=3.

Fold3. “US, Civil War Service Records (CMSR) Confederate – Officers, 1861-1865, Joseph L. Brent.” Accessed November 16, 2024. https://www.fold3.com/image/65655299/brent-joseph-l-page-4-us-civil-war-service-records-cmsr-confederate-officers-1861-1865.

“Death of Gen. Brent.” Times-Democrat, November 28, 1905. https://www.newspapers.com/image/165685451.