CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS (1862)
New Orleans and its forts--Farragut despises craven counsel--The
mortar-fleet in disguise--Fire-rafts rush down--A week of hot
gun-fire--A dash through the defences--The _Varuna’s_ last
shot--Oscar, aged thirteen--Ranged before the city--Anger of
mob--Summary justice--Soldiers insulted in the streets--General
Butler in command--Porter nearly blown up in council--Fort Jackson
in ruins--“The fuse is out.”
New Orleans, on the Mississippi River, was the great market of the
South, a rich and powerful city of 200,000 inhabitants. Everything
possible had been done to defend it from the Northern arms. Sixty miles
below New Orleans the river makes a sharp bend, and here, fronting each
other on either side, stood the forts of Jackson and St. Philip. These
strong forts the Confederates had seized, and the Federal fleet had to
pass them on its way to New Orleans. They were heavily armoured with
180 pieces of ordinance, but besides the forts the warships would have
to cut through an iron cable stretched across the river and supported
by seven hulks and rafts. Above these were eighteen gunboats and
floating batteries, with fire-rafts and rams; so that the city felt
itself tolerably secure behind these obstructions, and laughed to scorn
any thought of being besieged. Besides, had not English and French
officers examined the forts and pronounced the attempt to pass them
madness? But Commodore Farragut, who was in command of the National
fleet, answered them in these words:
“You may be right, gentlemen, but I was sent here to make the attempt.
I came here to reduce or pass the forts and to take New Orleans, and I
shall try it on.”
The Federal mortar-fleet was getting ready for action. Topmasts were
lowered, all spars and booms unshipped, the main-decks cleared, and
armour of chain cables was improvised to protect the gunners. The ships
were painted with mud to make them invisible. On the 17th of April
the order was given to advance up-stream. There was a thick forest
on the western bank, a low bank and marshy ground on the east. In
order to confuse the enemy, the masts and rigging of the Northerners
were festooned with leafy branches; others were sheathed with reeds
to blend with the background of the river-bank. Five sloops of war
waited behind the mortar-boats, carrying 104 guns; 150 boats supplied
with grapnel-ropes, axes, and buckets, were ready to deal with the
fire-ships. And they soon had the work to do, for one dark night a
blazing raft came down upon them, lighting up water and bank, trees and
rushes; but the _Westfield_ dashed into the burning pile and turned her
hose upon it; and the boats leapt forth to hack and grapple and plunge
the burning timbers into the river. Then cheers broke forth when the
peril had been subdued.
At 9 a.m. of the 16th of April Fort Jackson threw a shell into the
Northern flotilla a mile off, and at once the mortar-boats replied,
sending their big shells with great accuracy into the very ramparts.
New Orleans, seventy-two miles away, distinctly heard the thunder of
the bombardment, kept up for more than a week. The citadel was set on
fire, the walls cracked and shattered, and the forts were flooded.
The men on deck would fall down and sleep in the midst of the great
thunder, so exhausted were they by toil night and day. On the second
day the _Carleton_ received a shell into her magazine, which exploded,
and she sank. At the end of a week, after all this terrible storm of
flying metal, only one man had been killed and six wounded in the
Federal fleet. But the forts had not been silenced.
On the 24th of April, at 2 a.m., two red lights were run up on the
flag-ship, and very soon the fleet was under way for the passage
between the forts. As each ship passed it delivered its broadside and
swept on towards the gunboats beyond. Fire-rafts kept floating down,
and the roar of 500 cannon shook the air.
The _Ithaca_ was riddled by shot and fell behind. The ram _Manasses_
came down on the flag-ship, and Admiral Farragut got aground while
trying to avoid her. His ship took fire from a fire-raft, but it was
extinguished.
Captain Boggs in the _Varuna_ sunk five gunboats one after another,
then his vessel’s sides were stove in by a ram; but with his last
broadside before he sank he disabled her. A boy named Oscar was on
board the _Varuna_, only thirteen years old, and during the fight was
very busy passing ammunition to the gunners. All covered with dirt and
powder-begrimed, he was met by Captain Boggs, who asked where he was
running in such a hurry.
“To get a passing-box, sir. My other was smashed by a ball.”
When the _Varuna_ went down with her crew Boggs missed the boy, and
feared he was among the drowned. But presently he saw the lad gallantly
swimming towards the _Oneida_, a neighbour ship. Oscar clambered on
board, dripping and grinning from ear to ear, as if he had just enjoyed
the finest fun in life. Seeing his Captain, he put his hand to his
forehead in the usual salute, and saying, “All right, sir; I report
myself on board,” shook off the water and was ready for the next duty
to hand.
On the morning of the 25th the Federal ships ranged up near the city
batteries and silenced their fire in a few minutes. Soon the whole
fleet was moored opposite New Orleans, with the Stars and Stripes
proudly flying from every masthead, and the bands playing their
national airs.
The citizens of New Orleans had rested in full persuasion that they
were absolutely safe behind their forts and gunboats, and now that they
saw the enemy actually threatening their city, they were transported by
a passion of panic, mortification, and rage.
When they first heard that the forts had been passed and that the
Yankee ships were coming up the river, the mob of the city became so
desperate in their fury that martial law had to be proclaimed. At
least, they said, these hated Yankees should not get the wealth of the
city, and they put the torch to everything that would burn. Offices,
banks, ships, cotton, piers, warehouses, coal, and sugar--all were
fired and consumed in one vast conflagration. The river was dotted with
floating islands of flame, as richly freighted merchantmen were fired
and cut adrift.
The Confederate General Lovell and his troops were withdrawn, as no
reasonable promise of a successful defence remained.
Two iron rams of immense power which had been in building were
destroyed before Admiral Farragut arrived.
As soon as the fleet appeared before the city some of the citizens who
favoured the Union foolishly expressed their delight by cheers. Civil
war is always conducted with greater bitterness than war with a foreign
Power. These unfortunates were promptly shot down in the street or on
the quay.
[Illustration: SHOT DOWN BY THEIR FELLOW-CITIZENS
During the siege of New Orleans, some of those who favoured the North
were foolish enough to cheer when the Northern fleet arrived.]
On the 26th of April the city was formally surrendered, and a body
of troops was landed to raise the Stars and Stripes over the public
buildings. Crowds of angry men followed the marines with hoot and
yell, and were only prevented from inflicting actual outrage by the
fear of being shelled from the ships. It is said that Captain Bailey
and his men on landing at the crowded pier were jostled and jeered
at by angry bands of rowdies. We have to remember this when we pass
judgment on General Butler’s order to treat all ladies who insulted
the troops as disorderly women. We may wonder how the Germans would
have treated the French in Paris had the Parisians dared to conduct
themselves so outrageously.
General Butler writes thus to a friend: “We were 2,500 men in a city
seven miles long by two to four wide, of 150,000 inhabitants, all
hostile, bitter, defiant, explosive--standing literally on a magazine.
The devil had entered the hearts of the women to stir up strife in
every way. Every opprobrious epithet, every insulting gesture, was
made by these bejewelled, becrinolined and laced creatures, calling
themselves ladies, towards my soldiers and officers from the windows of
houses and in the streets. How long do you think our flesh and blood
could have stood this?...”
It is clear that General Butler was as angry as the ladies. The _Albany
Journal_ adds this fact: “Women who have been regarded as the pattern
of refinement and good breeding not only assail our men with the
tongue, but with more material weapons. Buckets of slops are emptied
upon them as they pass, decayed oranges and rotten eggs are hurled at
them. The forbearance of our troops is wonderful.”
Commander Porter had been left behind to receive the capitulation of
the forts Jackson and St. Philip, when the Federal fleet steamed up to
New Orleans. He pitched a few shells into Fort Jackson, but there “was
no response; the fight had all been taken out of them.” On the 28th
a flag of truce from Fort Jackson came on board the _Harriet Lane_
with offer to surrender. When officers of both sides were assembled in
the cabin of the _Harriet Lane_ discussing the details of surrender,
an officer came below and informed Commander Porter that the Southern
battery _Louisiana_ had been set on fire and was drifting down upon
them. She was a steam floating battery of 4,000 tons, mounting sixteen
heavy guns. The battery had been fired so quietly that no one suspected
any such thing until it blazed up, for flags of truce were flying upon
both forts and ships.
Porter proceeded with the conference as if nothing were the matter.
Soon another officer came down, reporting that the battery, on fire
from stem to stern, was drifting down upon them.
Turning to the Confederate officers, Porter asked: “Has she powder and
loaded guns on board, gentlemen?”
“We presume so, but we know nothing of naval matters here.”
Just at this moment the hot guns began to go off and throw shot and
shell at random amongst friends and foes.
Commander Porter, with severe coolness of manner, only said: “Then we
will go on with our business, gentlemen. If you don’t mind the effect
of the explosion which is soon to come, we can stand it.”
Fortunately, the _Louisiana_ drifted across towards St. Philip, and
exploded her magazine when just abreast of it. The sound of the
explosion was heard for miles up and down the river. When the smoke
cleared away the battery had gone into fragments and sunk in the
Mississippi. If it had drifted upon the _Harriet Lane_, as had been
intended, and blown into smithereens the consulting officers of both
North and South, that would have been a consequence of treachery almost
worse than the insults of the New Orleans ladies or the indiscreet
edict of General Butler.
Fort Jackson had crumbled into powder under the impact of the huge
shells from the mortars. On the first night of the bombardment the
magazine was in such danger that only wet blankets saved it from
blowing up. One bomb came leaping into the officers’ mess-room when
they were dining. With a thud and a rumble it rolled under the very
table. All rose and clustered in a corner in some consternation,
expecting to go skywards with the crockery. They waited one minute, two
minutes. Not yet had death come! Then a young officer crawled under the
table and burst into a hearty laugh.
“What is it, Jimmy?”
“Oh, you can go on with that Irish stew now. The fuse is out.”
They returned to their dinners with such appetite as they could.
Fortunately, men who are living at high pressure and strain, meeting
death at every turn, are easily moved to see the funny side of things.