VICKSBURG SURRENDERS, AND THE MISSISSIPPI IS OPENED. -- NAVAL
EVENTS ALONG THE GULF COAST.
The first grand step toward the capture of Vicksburg was made when the
river-flotilla followed Porter down the Mississippi, and past the guns
of the Confederate batteries. Grant, with his army, had followed along
the western bank of the great river; and we now find him ready to
cross the river, and move upon the Vicksburg batteries from the south.
But, before this could be done, the Confederate works at Grand Gulf
must be silenced; and it again happened that the navy was to be the
chief factor in the contest. For this new battle all the blue-jackets
were ready and anxious. Admiral Porter says that "when daylight broke,
after the passage of the fleet, I was besieged by the commanding
officers of the gunboats, who came to tell me of their mishaps; but,
when I intimated that I intended to leave at Carthage any vessel that
could not stand the hammering they would be subject to at Grand Gulf,
they suddenly discovered that no damage had been done to their
vessels, which, if any thing, were better prepared for action than
when they started out!"
The Confederate works at Grand Gulf mounted eighteen guns; and, as
they stood upon high bluffs overlooking the river, they were most
formidable. It was decided by the Federals that the navy alone should
undertake the task of reducing the fortifications,--a decision that
was of benefit to the Confederates, for their strongest position was
along the river-front. Four of the guns held a raking position up and
down the long stretch of muddy water that swirled and eddied by with a
current of seven miles an hour.
While the fort had the advantage of position, the gunboats were much
stronger in their armament; and the contest was looked forward to as
one bound to be desperate. The position of every gun in the batteries,
and the size of the garrison, were well known to every commander of a
Union vessel; and they made the most careful preparations for the
assault.
The Confederates knew that the result of that day's battle would
decide the ownership of Vicksburg, and they were prepared to offer the
most desperate resistance. The orders at every battery were to use
shell alone; and the men were instructed to fire carefully, and only
after taking deadly aim. In a high tree just outside the fort a
lookout was stationed; and at early daylight, on the morning of the
29th of April, 1863, he signalled that the fleet of gunboats was
bearing down upon the works.
Men who were in the fort that morning saw a strange panorama. The
stillness was most profound on the shore and on the river. The boats
moved slowly and grandly down, not a man in sight, and with no sign of
life. The trees up the river were black with Federal spectators; and
the chirp of birds was all about the men who stood waiting beside the
huge cannon.
Porter went at his work with a vim which made the forest tremble and
the river bubble. For the first few minutes the Confederates were
appalled by the fierceness of the fire, which stands on record as the
fastest in the war; but, when the forts did get down to their work,
they went in with a roar that almost deafened the Federal soldiers
three miles away. Great shells burst over the gunboats, or, falling
into the water close by their sides, threw up columns of water that
deluged the decks. The vessels found the greatest difficulty in
getting good positions for the swift-eddying current. One moment they
were bow on, the next headed down stream, or up, or whirling around in
circles. Of course this greatly hurt the aim of the gunners, but it
likewise made the vessels poor targets for the Confederates.
Three gunboats--the "Benton," "Tuscumbia," and "Lafayette"-- engaged
the upper battery; and nowhere in naval history is found the record of
faster firing than was done by these ships. Their huge shells tore
away at the walls of earth, throwing up tons of dirt with each
explosion, but not seeming to affect the strength of the fort at all.
Not a shot entered an embrasure, though many came near it. One of the
Confederate artillerists said after the fight,--
"There was not one single minute in all that five hours in which I did
not expect death. We all worked away as if in a nightmare, and we all
felt that any moment might be our last. The 'Benton' fired repeatedly
at my gun; and as many as twenty of her shells struck the opening,
tearing holes in the parapet ten feet back. Twenty times we were
almost buried out of sight under the clouds of dirt, and the loose
earth was knee deep around our gun when the fight closed. Not one of
us was hit hard enough to draw blood, and yet we all felt ten years
older for that five hours' work. I sighted the gun, and saw fourteen
of my shot hit the 'Benton,' and six plunge into another."
The gunboats fought in a way that showed desperate determination. The
first gun from the "Lafayette" was answered by a shell which crashed
through her side and exploded in a wardroom, knocking every thing into
chips. Three times the carpenter came up and reported to the captain
that the ship was sinking; and each time the reply was, "Very well,
sir: keep right on firing until the guns are under water." When the
ship came out of the fight, she counted up fifty scars.
The long-range firing that was carried on at first did not satisfy the
"Mound City." One particular gunner on the Confederate works seemed to
cherish a spite against her; and every time the flame leaped from the
muzzle of his gun, a solid shot banged against the gunboat's side.
This was not to be tamely borne; and the "Mound City" rushed up so
close to the bank that her bow stirred up the mud, and from that
position opened fast and furiously upon the forts with grape and
canister. A hail of rifle-bullets fell upon her decks; but she stuck
to her post, and succeeded in driving the enemy to the bomb-proofs.
But, with all their pluck and rapid firing, the gunners of the fleet
were making no impression on the works. Gen. Grant, who was watching
the engagement from a tug in mid-stream, saw this, and determined to
rush his soldiers past the fort in transports, while the navy engaged
the enemy's guns. This was done quickly, and towards night the ships
returned to their post up the river, leaving the Confederates in
possession of the batteries. But the great point had been gained; and
Grant's army was moving on Vicksburg, with nothing to interfere with
its besieging operations.
Then began that series of attacks and repulses, of building trenches,
paralleling, and advancing steadily, until the lines of the Federals
and the Confederates were so close together that the men used to shout
jokes and taunts over the breastworks. All the Confederates were known
as "Johnnies," and all Union soldiers as "Yanks." Often "Johnny" would
call out, "Well, Yank, when are you coming into town?" Sometimes the
answer was, "We propose to celebrate the Fourth of July there." The
"Johnnies" did not believe this; but it was true, nevertheless, for on
July 4 Grant's victorious army marched into Vicksburg. A day or two
later the Confederate works at Port Hudson and Grand Gulf were
surrendered to the Federals, and the Mississippi was again open for
commerce throughout its length.
When the fall of Vicksburg had thus left the river clear, Admiral
Porter was ordered to take his fleet up the Red River, and clear away
any Confederate works that he might find on the banks of that stream.
Gen. A. J. Smith, with a strong body of troops, accompanied him; while
Gen. Banks was to march his troops overland from Texas, and join the
expedition at Shreveport. For several days the gunboats pressed
forward up the crooked stream, meeting with no opposition, save from
the sharp-shooters who lined the banks on either side, and kept up a
constant fire of small-arms.
Shreveport was reached in safety; and, after a short halt, the
flotilla started again on their voyage up the river. They had
proceeded but a short distance when a courier came galloping down the
river's bank, waving a despatch, which he handed to Admiral Porter.
[Illustration: Manning the Yards.]
"The despatch read, 'Gen. Banks badly defeated; return,' Here was a
dilemma to be placed in,--a victorious army between us and our own
forces; a long, winding, shallow river wherein the vessels were
continually grounding; a long string of empty transports, with many
doubtful captains, who were constantly making excuses to lie by or to
land (in other words, who were trying to put their vessels into the
power of the Confederates); and a thousand points on the river where
we could be attacked with great advantage by the enemy; and the
banks lined with sharp-shooters, by whom every incautious soldier who
showed himself was shot."
But, though the admiral clearly saw all the dangers he was exposed to,
and which he recounts in the foregoing paragraph, he did not propose
to return, but pressed forward. He soon reached the scene of battle,
and with the big guns of his boats covered the retreat of the troops;
then, having done all there was to be done, started down the river.
But now came the great trouble of the whole expedition. Those Southern
rivers are accustomed in summer to fall rapidly until they become mere
dry ditches, with a narrow rivulet, hardly deep enough to float a
row-boat, flowing down the centre. This was the summer season, and the
Red River was falling fast. The banks swarmed with gray-coated
soldiery, anxious to be on hand to capture the ships. At Grand Ecore
the "Eastport" became unmanageable, and was blown up. The fleet
continued on its way quietly, until a serious obstacle was met.
Admiral Porter writes:--
"One of the 'Cricket's' guns was mounted on the upper deck forward, to
command the banks; and a crew of six men were kept stationed at it,
ready to fire at any thing hostile.
"We went along at a moderate pace, to keep within supporting distance
of each other. I was sitting on the upper deck, reading, with one eye
on the book and the other on the bushes, when I saw men's heads, and
sang out to the commanding officer, Gorringe, 'Give those fellows in
the bushes a two-second shell.' A moment after the shell burst in the
midst of the people on the bank.
"'Give them another dose,' I said, when, to my astonishment, there
came on board a shower of projectiles that fairly made the little
'Cricket' stagger. Nineteen shells burst on board our vessel at the
first volley. It was the gun-battery of which our prisoner had told
us. We were going along at this time about six knots an hour; and,
before we could fire another gun, we were right under the battery and
turning the point, presenting the 'Cricket's' stern to the enemy. They
gave us nine shells when we were not more than twenty yards distant
from the bank, all of which burst inside of us; and, as the vessel's
stern was presented, they poured in ten more shots, which raked us
fore and aft.
"Then came the roar of three thousand muskets, which seemed to strike
every spot in the vessel. Fortunately her sides were musket-proof.
"The 'Cricket' stopped. I had been expecting it. How, thought I, could
all these shells go through a vessel without disabling the machinery?
The Rebels gave three cheers, and let us drift on: they were
determined to have the whole of us. They opened their guns on the two
pump-boats, and sunk them at the first discharge. The poor negroes
that could swim tried to reach the shore; but the musketeers picked
off those that were in the water or clinging to the wrecks. It was a
dreadful spectacle to witness, with no power to prevent it; but it
turned out to be the salvation of the 'Cricket.' All this took place
in less than five minutes.
"The moment the 'Cricket' received the first discharge of artillery, I
went on deck to the pilot-house, saluted by a volley of musketry as I
passed along; and, as I opened the pilot-house door, I saw that the
pilot, Mr. Drening, had his head cut open by a piece of shell, and the
blood was streaming down his cheeks. He still held on to the wheel. 'I
am all right, sir,' he said: 'I won't give up the wheel.'
"Gorringe was perfectly cool, and was ringing the engine-room bell to
go ahead. In front of the wheel-house, the bodies of the men who
manned the howitzer were piled up. A shell had struck the gun, and,
exploding, had killed all the crew,--a glorious death for them."
Porter now found himself in a bad fix. His guns could not be elevated
enough to bear on the batteries that stood on the crest of the high
bluffs. There was nothing to do but to run by at the best possible
rate of speed. Suddenly the engine stopped, and the vessel floated
helplessly down the stream. Porter rushed below to discover the
trouble. In the engine-room stood the engineer leaning heavily against
the throttle. Porter shouted at him, but received no reply; then,
putting his hand on the man's shoulder, found him dead. The admiral
threw the body aside, pulled open the throttle, and the "Cricket"
glided along past the batteries to a safe refuge down-stream. The
other ships came down safely, although more or less cut up; and the
flotilla continued its retreat down the stream. For a day or two all
went smoothly as a holiday excursion; then came a sudden reverse,
that, for a time, seemed to make certain the loss of the entire fleet.
At Alexandria the Red-river bottom is full of great rocks that make it
impassable except at the highest water. When Porter's gunboats
arrived, they found themselves caught in a trap from which there
seemed to be no hope of escape. The army was encamped along the banks
of the river, and the soldiers began again their jokes upon Porter's
habit of taking gunboats for an overland journey. The army generals
began to get impatient, and advised Porter to blow up his ships, as
the troops must soon march on and leave him. Porter was sick in bed,
but this suggestion aroused him. "Burn my gunboats!" he cried,
springing to his feet. "Never! I'll wait here for high water if I have
to wait two years." And, indeed, it began to look as though he would
be forced to wait nearly that long.
[Illustration: Bailey's Dam on the Red River.]
In this time of suspense, there arose a man equal to the emergency. A
certain Lieut-Col. Bailey, who had been a Wisconsin lumberman, came to
Porter, and suggested that a dam should be built to raise the water
fourteen feet above the falls. Porter jumped at the suggestion, and
eight thousand men were set to work.
"It will take too much time to enter into the details of this truly
wonderful work," writes Admiral Porter. "Suffice it to say that the
dam had nearly reached completion in eight days' working-time, and the
water had risen sufficiently on the upper falls to allow the 'Fort
Hindman,' 'Osage,' and 'Neosho' to get down and be ready to pass the
dam. In another day it would have been high enough to enable all the
other vessels to pass the upper falls. Unfortunately, on the morning
of the 9th instant the pressure of water became so great that it swept
away two of the stone barges which swung in below the dam on one side.
Seeing this unfortunate accident, I jumped on a horse, and rode up to
where the upper vessels were anchored, and ordered the 'Lexington' to
pass the upper falls if possible, and immediately attempt to go
through the dam. I thought I might be able to save the four vessels
below, not knowing whether the persons employed on the work would ever
have the heart to renew their enterprise.
"The 'Lexington' succeeded in getting over the upper falls just in
time, the water rapidly falling as she was passing over. She then
steered directly for the opening in the dam, through which the water
was rushing so furiously that it seemed as if nothing but destruction
awaited her. Thousands of beating hearts looked on, anxious for the
result. The silence was so great as the 'Lexington' approached the
dam, that a pin might almost be heard to fall. She entered the gap
with a full head of steam on, pitched down the roaring torrent, made
two or three spasmodic rolls, hung for a moment on the rocks below,
was then swept into deep water by the current, and rounded to safely
into the bank. Thirty thousand voices rose in one deafening cheer, and
universal joy seemed to pervade the face of every man present."
After the dam was repaired, the rest of the fleet passed down safely.
With the escape of the Red-river flotilla, the career of Admiral
Porter on the rivers ended. Indeed, there was but little work for the
river navy remaining. The Mississippi, Tennessee, and Cumberland
Rivers were opened; and the Confederate works on the smaller streams
were unimportant, and could be left to fall with the fall of the
Confederacy, which was near at hand. There was work for fighting
sea-captains along the Atlantic coast, and thither Admiral Porter was
ordered. He will re-appear at the bombardment of Fort Fisher.
An event which caused the greatest excitement in naval circles at this
time, and which for courage and dash has probably never been equalled
in the history of the world, was the run of the Confederate privateer
"Florida" past the United States fleet blockading the harbor of
Mobile. The "Florida" was originally a merchant-ship, known as the
"Oreto;" and under that name she sailed from Liverpool, carrying a
peaceful cargo, and manned by sailors who had no idea that any thing
beyond a peaceable voyage was planned. She was commanded by an English
sea-captain; and, although the United States consul at Liverpool
looked on her with some suspicion, yet he could find no pretext upon
which to oppose her departure.
Hardly had the ship passed the mouth of the Mersey, when her course
was shaped for Nassau, the haven of privateers and blockade-runners.
At Nassau several officers of the Confederate navy were living; and
from the anxiety with which they scanned the horizon day after day,
through their telescopes, it would seem that they were watching for
some friendly craft. The "Oreto" arrived safely at Nassau; and a young
gentleman who had come with her made all possible haste ashore, and
delivered to the watchful gentlemen in the town certain letters, which
made them first look with the greatest satisfaction at the newly
arrived ship, and then begin again their outlook for vessels. The
letters were from Capt. Bulloch, the agent in London of the
Confederacy; and by them he notified his brother naval officers that
he delivered to them the "Oreto," an admirably built ship, suited for
an armed cruiser. "It has been impossible to get the regular battery
intended for her on board," wrote Capt. Bulloch; "but I have sent out
four seven-inch rifled guns, with all necessary equipments, in the
steamship 'Bahama,' bound for Nassau."
So here were the naval officers and their ship, but the guns were yet
to come; and, when they did come, some shrewd planning would be
necessary to get the guns mounted without alarming the British
authorities. By the time the "Bahama" arrived, the plans were all
made. As the steamer came up to the dock, a small schooner slipped
alongside, and eight or ten heavy cases were transferred from the
larger vessel's hold to the deck of the coaster. Then the little
vessel sailed over to Green Cay, a desert island about sixty miles
from Nassau, where she was soon joined by the "Oreto." There the work
of changing the peaceful merchantman "Oreto" into the war-cruiser
"Florida" began.
The work of transferring the armament, and mounting the guns, was very
laborious. The hot sun of August at the equator poured down upon
them. Exposure and general discomforts told heavily upon them; and
before long the yellow-fever, that most terrible scourge of the West
Indies, broke out among the men. There was no surgeon on board, and
the care of the sick fell upon Capt. Maffitt. Two United States
men-of-war were hunting through the West Indies for the vessel they
knew was fitting out somewhere amid the coral reefs and sandy,
desolate keys. But Maffitt kept up his courage, and before long found
himself at sea, with a good stanch ship and crew, that, though
short-handed, was made up of the very best material. But he had hardly
cut loose from civilization, and started out upon his cruise, when he
discovered, that, in the worry and haste of his departure, he had put
to sea without rammers or sponges for his guns. He was in a desperate
plight. Had the smallest United States man-of-war met the "Florida,"
the Confederate could not have offered the slightest resistance. She
could not have even fired a gun. Capt. Maffitt ran his vessel into
Havana in the hopes of being allowed to refit there; but the fortunes
of the Confederacy were waning fast, and all nations feared to give it
aid or comfort. Seeing no hope, Maffitt determined to dare all things,
and make a dash for Mobile through the very centre of the
blockading-fleet.
When the "Florida" put out from the harbor of Havana, only four or
five men were able to be on deck. The rest, with her commander, were
below, deathly sick with yellow-fever. Under the command of a young
lieutenant, her course was laid for Mobile; and in a few hours the
smoke of the blockading-vessels could be seen rising on the clear air.
An English ensign was hoisted, and the fleet ship dashed towards the
men-o'-war that lay in wait. A blank cartridge was fired to warn her
away, but she paid no heed. Then came a solid shot that ploughed up
the water before her bow. As this evoked no response, the whole fleet
opened fire with shot and shell. "Had they depressed their guns but a
little," said Maffitt afterwards, "the career of the 'Florida' would
have ended then and there." But, as it was, she sped on, with no signs
of damage save the flying ends of cut cordage. She could not respond
to the fire, for but three men remained on her deck. So, silently and
grimly, she rushed through the fleet, and finally passed the last
frigate. Quarter of an hour later she anchored under the guns of Fort
Morgan. She had received eight shots in her hull, and her masts were
chipped by dozens of fragments of shell. After refitting, the
"Florida" waited nearly a month for a chance to get out again. Finally
the moment arrived; and she made her escape, though chased for four
hours by the blockaders. Once on the open sea, she began the regular
career of Confederate cruisers, burned unarmed ships, and avoided
war-vessels, until she was run down in a neutral port by a Union
man-of-war, whose commander acted in utter defiance of all the rules
of modern warfare. In the career of the "Florida," after her escape
from Mobile, there was nothing of moment; and her capture, treacherous
as it was, brought more discredit upon the Northern arms than did her
depredations work injury to the Northern merchant-marine.