On July 4, 1863, during the Battle of Helena, the U.S.S. Tyler helped keep Helena in Union hands as Confederate forces retreated. Before dawn, the Tyler steamed into action firing on Confederate troops near Helena on the Little Rock Road. Two hours later, Lieutenant Commander James M. Pritchett brought the gunboat opposite Battery C. After Confederates aimed the captured battery's guns on Fort Curtis, the Tyler opened fire with broadside guns onto Graveyard Hill and the ravines sheltering sharpshooters, while stern guns pounded the lower battery and bow guns poured shells into the upper battery. The Tyler's gunners fired 433 rounds of shot and shell. General Benjamin Prentiss credited Pritchett's full knowledge of the situation with contributing significantly to the Union success. The U.S. Navy had converted the Tyler from a freight passenger steamer into a timberclad gunboat in August 1861. She was a side-wheel paddle wheeler 180 feet long and 52 feet wide, protected in the upper deck and pilot areas by five inches of oak against small arms fire, with barges tied alongside to help shield the hull, and she carried three 30-pounders, one 12-pounder, and six 8-inch smooth bore guns.
