I am not quite positive what her fate was, Somewhere in the back of my mind I believe she was captured again after she was cut off in the upper White R. by Steele's advance on Little Rock in Aug. '63.
As for the "Blue Wing" causing the Battle of Arkansas Post, It was certainly a "spark" in the "powder room". But there were much bigger "fish" frying at Arkansas Post that triggered that Battle than the single capturing of a steamboat.
The strategic reason for the building Fort Hindman at Arkansas was to secure the Arkansas and White Rivers, But for what purpose? There was no Confederate Shipping going on the Mississippi R. In Sept to Dec. of 1862. Both Rivers were normally too shallow for the heavy Gunboats to make a foray up either of them for too long. And both of them could have been just as effectively secured by construction of booms, log rafts and obstacles rather than a fort.
Arkansas Post was an exposed outpost devoid of natural terrain features that could be used as a defensive position that could not be defeated by the Union Navy Gunboats simply sailing around them. The one feature that made Arkansas Post suitable for a Fort was that it was at the head of a deep water channel from there to the Mississippi R. Remember what I said about the CSS Ponchartrain and it's draft of 10 foot. It needed deep water. Arkansas Post could not be defended without control of the water. I.E. The Ponchartrain.
That is more of the reason (in my opinion) that McClernand thought it necessary to attack Arkansas Post BEFORE the position became too strong. I.E. higher water and the addition of the Ponchratrain. High water would normally been coming in the spring. The "Blue Wing" incident only highlighted the problem that from Arkansas Post strong parties could intradict the supply boat convoys on the Mississippi to the Union Army and Navy at Vicksburg. The "Blue Wing" was not the only such incident either.
Add the Ponchartrain to the land element and you would have to devote a sizable part of your fleet to just guarding the mouth of the Arkansas River. Commander Selfridge at times had as many as six boats under his command for just such duty even after Arkansas Post was destroyed just on the fear that the Ponchartrain would make a breakout into the Mississippi R..
I know that many of our present day scholars do not give the Ponchartrain much credit, But she could have been another "Arkansas". And they had had plenty of experience with the "Arkansas" and what that kind of vessal could do. She had 20 inch oak casemates. If they were covered with iron rails and properly armed she could have played hell among the convoys and even the gunboats. The Union navy did not know exactly what the Ponchartrain was capable of. They had reports from their spys and runaway slaves but they evidently were not confident in the reliability of those reports.