CSS General M. Jeff Thompson

On April 11, the modifications to General M. Jeff Thompson were completed, and the ship was sent to Fort Pillow in Tennessee, in order to guard the route to Memphis, Tennessee. On May 10, the ship, as well as seven other Confederate ships, attacked the Union Mississippi Flotilla, which was composed of ironclads, resulting in the Battle of Plum Point Bend. Some of the Confederate ships were able to successfully use their rams, but General M. Jeff Thompson could not get within ramming range, instead using its cannons. On June 1, the Confederates abandoned Fort Pillow, and the ships retreated to Memphis.[1]

The Union flotilla pursued the Confederate vessels, reaching Memphis on June 6. Montgomery, still commanding the Confederate fleet, did not believe that his ships had the ability to make it to Vicksburg due to fuel shortages, and decided against ordering the ships' scuttling. Instead, the Confederates fought the naval Battle of Memphis. During the fighting, Union cannon fire caught the General M. Jeff Thompson on fire. After the ship ran aground, her crew left the vessel. The fires reached the ship's naval magazine, which exploded, shattering the ship. Some of General M. Jeff Thompson's remains were scattered on the shoreline, while other pieces of wreckage remained underwater.[1]