On July 4, 1863, during the Battle of Helena, the U.S.S. Tyler went into action before dawn against Confederate troops near Helena on the Little Rock Road. Two hours later, Lieutenant Commander James M. Pritchett brought the gunboat opposite Battery C, and as Confederates aimed the captured battery's guns at Fort Curtis, the Tyler opened fire. Her broadside guns struck Graveyard Hill and the ravines sheltering sharpshooters, her stern guns pounded the battery below, and her bow guns sent shells into the upper battery. The Tyler's gunners fired 433 rounds with deadly effect, and their last blast toward Graveyard Hill came at 10:30 A.M. as the Confederates retreated and Helena remained in Union hands. General Benjamin Prentiss credited Pritchett's honor, distinction, and full knowledge of the situation with contributing significantly to the Union success. Converted by the U.S. Navy from a freight passenger steamer into a timberclad gunboat in August 1861, the paddle wheeler Tyler was 180 feet long and 52 feet wide, protected by five inches of oak on the upper deck and pilot areas and by barges tied alongside the hull, and armed with three 30-pounders, one 12-pounder, and six 8-inch smooth bore guns.