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
Date October 12, 1861 (1861-10-12) Location Head of Passes, Mississippi River Delta, Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana Result Confederate States victory
Belligerents
United States	Confederate States
Commanders and leaders
John Pope	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}