[Illustration: _Battle of Plum Point, May 10, 1862. From a sketch by Rear Adm. Henry Walke._ Battles and Leaders of the Civil War] The Confederate attack was opened on _Cincinnati_, farthest downstream. Three rams, first the _General Bragg_ and then the _Sterling Price_ and the _Sumter_, struck the ironclad, inflicting considerable damage. Other Union vessels came to her rescue as rapidly as they could. The _Cairo_ moved from across the river and had her first chance for battle action. As her bow guns were rapidly fired, a ball from the _Van Dorn_ struck near the center gunport, but glanced off without doing damage. Then she turned her attention to the _Mound City_, a sister ironclad which had been struck by a ram and had had a hole smashed in her starboard forward quarter, accompanying her until she grounded herself. As the furious action ended and the Confederates ran back down under the protection of Fort Pillow, the _Cairo_ assisted in running the _Mound City_ onto a shoal opposite Plum Point, where she sank. The _Cincinnati_ also went down. (Both would be raised and repaired.) The _Cairo’s_ crew at last had something to talk about. They had taken part in what was described as the first strictly “fleet action” of the war, but there was a question as to the glory of the role they played. Some officers were disappointed that the vessel had not participated more prominently. One result of the Battle of Plum Point, which lasted little more than an hour, was further strengthening of the ironclads. To protect against another attack by rams, railroad iron was placed around the ends of the vessels and other points were buttressed with cypress logs. The bombardment of Fort Pillow continued after the action at Plum Point, with two ironclads being assigned daily to guard the mortar boats on duty for the day. May 25 marked the arrival of a fleet of nine rams and two floating batteries under command of Col. Charles Ellet, a civil engineer who had drawn attention to himself by advancing the idea of converting steamboats into rams. At the start, he and Davis disagreed over a plan of joint action, so Ellet, having orders to that effect, prepared to act on his own. He sent men ashore on June 2, and they came back with a report that the Confederates appeared to be evacuating. [Illustration: _Adm. Andrew H. Foote._ Library of Congress] Next day two of the Union vessels ran down toward Fort Pillow and sighted a Confederate gunboat, the _Jeff Thompson_, lying under the guns of the fort, but before they could attack, cannoneers opened from above and drove them back. Later in the day, while the _Cairo_ was helping guard the mortar boats, the Confederate fleet appeared and exchanged a few shots before withdrawing.