Elsie at Viamede Part 6

"The forts had one hundred and fifteen guns of various kinds and sizes, mostly smooth-bore thirty-two pounders. Above them lay the Confederate fleet of fifteen vessels, one of them an iron-clad ram, another a large, unfinished floating battery covered with railroad iron. Two hundred Confederate sharp-shooters kept constant watch along the river banks, and several fire-rafts were ready to be sent down among the Federal vessels. Both these and the sharp-shooters were below the forts. Also there were two iron chains stretched across the river, supported upon eight hulks which were anch.o.r.ed abreast.

"Farragut's naval expedition was the largest that had ever sailed under the United States flag, consisting of six sloops of war, twenty-one mortar schooners, sixteen gun-boats, and other vessels, carrying in all two hundred guns.

"But the vessels were built for the sea and were now to work in a much narrower s.p.a.ce--a river with a s.h.i.+fting channel and obstructed by shoals.

"To get the larger vessels over the bar at the southwest pa.s.s was a work of time and great labor. They had to be made as light as possible and then dragged through a foot of mud. Two weeks of such labor was required to get the _Pensacola_ over, and the _Colorado_ could not be taken over at all.

"The mortar vessels were towed up stream and began to take their places.

Porter disguised them with mud and the branches of trees, so that they could not be readily distinguished from the river banks, being moored under cover of the woods on the bank just below Fort Jackson. The stratagem was successful; his vessels were moored where he wished to have them, the nearest being two thousand eight hundred and fifty yards from Fort Jackson, and three thousand six hundred and eighty from Fort St. Philip.

"On the opposite side of the river, and a little farther from the forts, Porter had his six remaining vessels stationed, screening them also with willows and reeds, and mooring them under cover of the woods to conceal their true character.

"On the 18th of April, before nine o'clock in the morning, the attack was begun by a shot from Fort Jackson, then, as soon as Porter was ready, the _Owasco_ opened fire, and the fourteen mortar boats concealed by the woods, also the six in full sight of the forts, began their bombardment.

"The gun-boats took part in the conflict by running up and firing heavy sh.e.l.ls when the mortars needed relief. Porter was on the _Harriet Lane_, in a position to see what was the effect of the sh.e.l.ls, and direct their aim accordingly.

"The fight went on for several days, then Farragut, deeming there was small prospect of reducing the forts, prepared to carry out another part of his instructions by running past them. He called a council of the captains in the cabin of the _Hartford_, and it was then and there decided that the attempt should be made.

"It was an intensely dark night, the wind blowing fiercely from the north, but Commander Bell with the _Winona_, the _Itasca_, _Kennebec_, _Iroquois_, and the _Pinola_ ran up to the boom. The _Pinola_ ran to the hulk under the guns of Fort Jackson, and an effort was made to destroy it with a petard, but failed. The _Itasca_ was lashed to the next hulk, but a rocket sent up from the fort showed her to the foe, who immediately opened a heavy fire upon her. But half an hour of active work with chisels, saws, and sledges parted the boom of chains and logs, and the hulk to which she was attached swung round and grounded her in the mud in shallow water. But the _Pinola_ rescued her.

"Two hours later an immense fire-raft came roaring down the stream, but, like those sent before, it was caught by our men and rendered harmless.

They would catch such things with grappling-irons, tow them to the sh.o.r.e, and leave them there to burn out harmlessly.

"Day after day the bombardment went on, fire-rafts coming down the river every night, but Fort Jackson still held out, though its citadel had been set on fire by the sh.e.l.ls from the mortar boats, and all the commissary stores and the clothing of the men destroyed; also the levee had been broken in scores of places by the exploding sh.e.l.ls, so that the waters of the river flooded the parade ground and casemates.

"By sunset on the 23d, Farragut was ready for his forward movement, but Porter, with his mortar boats, was to stay and cover the advance with his fire. Farragut, on board his flag-s.h.i.+p, the _Hartford_, was to lead the way with it, the _Brooklyn_, and the _Richmond_.

"These vessels formed the first division, and were to keep near the right bank of the river, fighting Fort Jackson, while Captain Theodorus Bailey was to keep close to the western bank with his (the second) division, to fight Fort St. Philip. His vessels were the _Mississippi_, _Pensacola_, _Varuna_, _Oneida_, _Katahdin_, _Kineo_, _Wissahickon_, _Portsmouth_.

"Captain Bell still commanded the same vessels which I just mentioned as his, and his appointed duty was to attack the Confederate fleet above the forts, to keep the channel of the river, and push right on, paying no attention to the forts themselves.

"In obedience to these orders, the _Itasca_ ran up to the boom, and at eleven o'clock showed a night signal that the channel was clear of obstruction excepting the hulks, which, with care, might be pa.s.sed safely.

"A heavy fog, and the settling of the smoke from the steamers upon the waters, made the night a very dark one. No sound came from the forts, yet active preparations were going on in them for the approaching struggle, and their fleet was stationed near them in readiness to a.s.sist in the effort to prevent the Union vessels from ascending the river.

"At one o'clock every one on the Union s.h.i.+ps was called to action, but the fleet remained stationary until two, and at half past three Farragut's and Bailey's divisions were moving up the river, each on its appointed side, and at the rate of four miles an hour.

"Then Porter's mortars, still at their moorings below the forts, opened upon those forts a terrible storm, sending as many as, if not more than, half a dozen sh.e.l.ls, with their fiery trails, screaming through the air at the same moment.

"But no sound came from the forts until they discovered Captain Bailey's s.h.i.+p, the _Cayuga_, just as she had pa.s.sed the boom, when they brought their heavy guns to bear upon her, and broke the long silence with their roar.

"When she was close under Fort St. Philip she replied with heavy broadsides of grape and canister as she pa.s.sed on up the river.

"The other vessels of Bailey's division followed closely after, each imitating the _Cayuga's_ example in delivering a broadside as she pa.s.sed the forts, which they did almost unharmed, with the exception of the _Portsmouth_, a sailing vessel, which lost her tow, on firing her broadside, and drifted down the river.

"Captain Bell and his division were not quite so fortunate. Three of his vessels pa.s.sed the forts, but the _Itasca_ received a storm of shot, one of which pierced her boiler, and she drifted helplessly down the river.

The _Kennebec_ lost her way among the obstructions and went back to her moorings below; the _Winona_, too, recoiled from the storm.

"In the meantime, Farragut was in the fore rigging of the _Hartford_, watching with intense interest, through his night gla.s.s, the movements of the vessels under the command of Bailey and Bell, while the vessels he commanded in person were slowly nearing Fort Jackson. He was within a mile and a quarter of it when its heavy guns opened upon him. They were well aimed, and the _Hartford_ was struck several times.

"Farragut replied with two guns which he had placed upon his forecastle, while at the same time he pushed on directly for the fort. When within a half mile of it he sheered off and gave them heavy broadsides of grape and canister; so heavy that they were driven from all their barbette guns. But the casemate guns were kept in full play, and the fight became a very severe one.

"The _Richmond_ soon joined in it; the _Brooklyn_ got entangled with some of the hulks that bore up the chain, and so lagged behind. She had just succeeded in freeing herself from them, when the Confederate ram _Mana.s.sas_ came furiously down upon her, and when within about ten feet, fired a heavy bolt at her from its trap-door, aiming for her smoke stack; but fortunately the shot lodged in some sand-bags that protected her steam-drum.

"The next moment the ram b.u.t.ted into the _Brooklyn's_ starboard gangway; but she was so effectually protected by chain armor that the _Mana.s.sas_ glanced off and disappeared in the darkness.

"All this time a raking fire from the fort had been pouring upon the _Brooklyn_, and just as she escaped from the _Mana.s.sas_ a large Confederate steamer attacked her. She pushed slowly on in the darkness, after giving the steamer a broadside that set it on fire and speedily destroyed it, and suddenly found herself abreast of Fort St. Philip.

"She was very close to it, and speedily brought all her guns to bear upon it in a tremendous broadside.

"In his report Captain Craven said, 'I had the satisfaction of completely silencing that work before I left it, my men in the tops witnessing, in the flashes of the shrapnel, the enemy running like sheep for more comfortable quarters.'

"While the _Brooklyn_ was going through all this, Farragut was having what he called 'a rough time of it.' While he was battling with the forts, a huge fire-raft, pushed by the _Mana.s.sas_, came suddenly upon him all ablaze, and in trying to avoid it the _Hartford_ got aground, and the incendiary came cras.h.i.+ng alongside of her.

"In telling of it Farragut said, 'In a moment the s.h.i.+p was one blaze all along the port side, half way up the main and mizzen tops. But thanks to the good organization of the fire department, by Lieutenant Thornton, the flames were extinguished, and at the same time we backed off and got clear of the raft. All this time we were pouring sh.e.l.ls into the forts and they into us; now and then a rebel steamer would get under our fire and receive our salutation of a broadside.' The fleet had not fairly pa.s.sed the forts when the Confederate ram and gun-boats hastened to take part in the battle.

"The scene was now both grand and awful. Just think of two hundred and sixty great guns and twenty mortars constantly firing, and sh.e.l.ls exploding in and around the forts; it 'shook land and water like an earthquake,' Lossing tells us, 'and the surface of the river was strewn with dead and helpless fishes.' Major Bell, of Butler's staff, wrote of it, 'Combine all that you have ever heard of thunder, and add to it all you have ever seen of lightning, and you have, perhaps, a conception of the scene. And,' continues our historian, 'all this destructive energy, the blazing fire-rafts and floating volcanoes sending forth fire and smoke and bolts of death, the thundering forts, and the ponderous rams, were crowded, in the greatest darkness just before dawn, within the s.p.a.ce of a narrow river, "too narrow," said Farragut, "for more than two or three vessels to act to advantage. My greatest fear was that we should fire into each other; and Captain Wainwright and myself were hallooing ourselves hoa.r.s.e at the men not to fire into our s.h.i.+ps."'

"The _Cayuga_ met the flotilla of Confederate rams and gun-boats as soon as she pa.s.sed Fort St. Phillip. For a few minutes there were eighteen Confederate vessels intent upon her destruction."

"Was the _Mana.s.sas_ one of the eighteen, sir?" queried Walter.

"Yes," replied the captain, "and the floating battery _Louisiana_ was another. Captain Mitch.e.l.l was the name of her commander, and he was also commandant of the remaining sixteen vessels of that rebel fleet.

"Captain Bailey could not fight so many at once without some a.s.sistance, so used his skill in avoiding the b.u.t.ting of the rams and the efforts to board his vessel. At the same time he was making such good use of his guns that, while saving his own vessels, he compelled three of the Confederate gun-boats to surrender to him before Captain Boggs and Captain Lee, of the _Varuna_ and the _Oneida_ came to his a.s.sistance.

"The _Cayuga_ had then been struck forty-two times and a good deal damaged in spars and rigging, but, in accordance with Farragut's orders, she moved up the river as leader of the fleet.

"It was upon the _Varuna_ that the enemy next poured out the vials of his wrath. In his report of the fight Captain Boggs, her commander, said that immediately after pa.s.sing the forts he found himself 'amid a nest of rebel steamers.' He rushed into their midst, giving each a broadside as he pa.s.sed. The first of those steamers seemed to be crowded with troops. One of the _Varuna's_ shots exploded her boiler and she drifted ash.o.r.e. Next a gun-boat and three other vessels were driven ash.o.r.e in flames, and presently they blew up, one after another.

"Then the _Varuna_ was furiously attacked by the _Governor Moore_, commanded by Beverly Kennon, one who had left the United States service for that of the rebels. His vessel raked along the _Varuna's_ port, killing four men and wounding nine. Captain Boggs sent a three-inch sh.e.l.l into her, abaft her armor, and several shots from the after rifled gun, which partially disabled her, and she dropped out of action.

"In the meantime, another ram struck the _Varuna_ under water with its iron prow, giving her a heavy blow in the port gangway. The _Varuna_ answered with a shot, but it glanced harmlessly from the armored prow of the rebel ram, and it, backing off a shorting distance, shot forward again, gave the _Varuna_ another blow in the same place, and crushed in her side.

"But the ram had become entangled, and was drawn around to the side of the _Varuna_, and Captain Boggs gave her five eighteen sh.e.l.ls abaft her armor from his port guns. In telling of it afterward he said, 'This settled her and drove her ash.o.r.e in flames.'

"But his own vessel was sinking; so he ran her into the bank, let go her anchor, and tied her bow up to the trees, but all the time kept his guns at work crippling the _Moore_.

"He did not cease firing till the water was over the gun-tracks, but then turned his attention to getting his wounded and the crew out of the vessel.

"Just then, Captain Lee, commander of the _Oneida_, came to his a.s.sistance. But Boggs waved him after the _Moore_, which was then in flames and presently surrendered to the _Oneida_. Kennon, her commander, had done a cowardly deed in setting her on fire and fleeing, leaving his wounded to the horrible fate of peris.h.i.+ng in the flames. The surrender was, therefore, made by her second officer.

"That ended the fight on the Mississippi River; it had been a desperate one, but lasted only an hour and a half, though nearly the whole of the rebel fleet was destroyed. The National loss was thirty killed and not more than one hundred and twenty-five wounded."

CHAPTER IV.