 On 17 June, the Federal flotilla arrived at that point; the soldiers went ashore to attack the batteries from the land side, while the two armored gunboats came up the river, "Mound City" leading.Shots were exchanged between the gunboats and the shore batteries, with nothing exceptional until a chance shot from the upper battery happened to penetrate the casemate of the lead gunboat.The shot killed some men in its passage, but most of the damage it caused occurred when it hit the vessel's steam drum.