On the 2d of February, 1862, Captain Farragut sailed from Hampton Roads
in his flagship, the _Hartford_. This was one of the new sloops of war
having both steam and sails.
All the vessels of this expedition were to meet at Ships Island, about
one hundred miles from the mouth of the Mississippi. When Captain
Farragut arrived there on February 20th, he found only a part of his
fleet awaiting him. The other vessels arrived one by one.
This was the most powerful squadron that had ever been under an American
commander. It consisted of steam sloops, gunboats, and mortar boats,
forty-eight vessels in all.
An army of fifteen thousand men was at hand to assist Captain Farragut.
This army had been brought from the North on transports, and was under
the command of General Benjamin F. Butler.
[Illustration: THE HARTFORD.]
In the channel, at the mouth of the Mississippi, were heavy mud banks,
made of deposits brought down by the stream. To take the large vessels
over this bar was Captain Farragut's first great task. The water was so
shallow that the keels of the ships would sometimes stick in the mud,
and then it was with the greatest of difficulty that they could be
hauled off.
It was the 18th of April before all the vessels were in the river and
ready to attack the forts; and in the meanwhile, a great naval battle
had been fought in other waters.
The Confederates had captured the Norfolk navy yard, and with it the
United States vessel _Merrimac_, which was there at the time. They
removed the masts of this vessel, and then fitted her with an iron prow,
and built sloping sides over the deck, covering them with iron rails
laid closely together side by side.
Five of the best Northern war vessels lay in the bay outside of the
harbor.
On March 8th, 1862, the _Merrimac_ attacked this fleet. She drove her
iron prow straight through the side of the _Cumberland_. This vessel
sank almost immediately, and but few of the men were saved.
Then the _Merrimac_ attacked the _Congress_, drove her ashore, and set
her on fire with red hot shot. Meanwhile, broadside after broadside had
been fired at the _Merrimac_; but the shot bounded harmlessly from her
sloping iron sides.
Night came on, and before attempting to destroy the other three ships,
the black monster waited for the daylight.
There was consternation all through the North. How could a stop be made
to this fearful work of the _Merrimac_? There was no telling what she
might do on the morrow.
That same night there steamed into Chesapeake Bay a queer looking little
vessel which had been built by a famous mechanic, Captain John Ericsson.
She was named the _Monitor_. She had a low, flat deck, pointed at both
ends. In the center was a round, revolving turret. The vessel was
completely plated over with iron, and in the turret were two enormous
guns, larger than any that had ever been used before.
[Illustration: CONFEDERATE FLAG.]
On the morning of March 9th, when the _Merrimac_ steamed out to finish
her work of destruction, a stupendous cannon ball came thundering
against her black side. As the turret of the little _Monitor_ swung
round, there came another and another,--such a battering as never
ship's side had felt before that day.
The broadsides returned by the _Merrimac_ fell harmlessly on the flat
deck and iron turret of the _Monitor_.
This battle lasted for nearly three hours. Neither vessel was injured to
any extent. Finally the _Merrimac_ withdrew, leaving the _Monitor_ in
possession of the bay.
In one respect, this was the most wonderful battle ever fought upon the
water. It showed to all the nations of the world that new navies must be
built. In one day all the war-ships in the world had become
old-fashioned. The days for wooden war vessels were over.
Let us now return to Captain Farragut. As I have said, by the 18th of
April he had succeeded in taking all his vessels over the bar of the
Mississippi. But still greater difficulties were ahead of him.
Before he could capture New Orleans, he must pass the two forts, Jackson
and St. Philip, on opposite banks of the river. First of all, however,
he must break through a barricade which was below the forts. This
reached from shore to shore, and was made of old hulks of vessels and
cypress logs, fastened together with huge iron chains.
[Illustration: MAP OF THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI.]
Should the barricade be broken and the forts passed, there was still a
Confederate fleet to be overcome. This consisted of fifteen ships,
gunboats, and steam rams similar to the _Merrimac_. They were drawn up
across the river above the forts. Captain Farragut was not discouraged
by any of these things, but began at once to carry out his plans.
All along the banks of the river were thick woods. The forts themselves
were almost hidden by the trees. Captain Farragut stationed his mortar
boats close to the banks, below the chain barricade; and, in order that
they might be better hidden from the forts, large branches of trees had
been tied to the tops of the masts.
This mortar flotilla was commanded by Captain Porter. The mortars could
throw thirteen-inch shells for a distance of two miles.
Captain Farragut's plan was to send these mortar boats forward to
bombard the forts, while the other vessels, breaking through the chains,
should sail boldly up the river.
On the morning of April 18th, the shells from the mortars began to rain
down upon the forts. For six days and nights this firing never ceased.
The answering shots from the forts did but little harm. The
Confederates could not take aim at boats which they could not see.
Meanwhile, two of Captain Farragut's gunboats crept up the river at
night, and broke a passage through the chain barricade. Then, on the
night of April 23d, the entire fleet sailed through this opening and
boldly attacked the forts.
The whole river was at once a scene of confusion. Every gun, both of the
forts and of the Confederate fleet, which had hastened down the river,
was sending shot and shell into the Union fleet.
The Confederates piled every kind of inflammable material upon huge
rafts, set them on fire, and sent them floating down the river. They
hoped, in this way, to burn the invading fleet. The river was a blaze of
light. The din from the cannon was terrible.
But Captain Farragut and his vessels kept steadily on. They passed the
forts, and destroyed or captured every vessel in the Confederate fleet.
This was accomplished with the loss of but one ship of the Union
squadron.
When the news of this victory reached New Orleans, the whole city was
thrown into wild confusion. Men, women, and children rushed to the levee
and set fire to the goods there.
Everything that would burn was set on fire, and sent down the river to
meet the victorious fleet that was coming. Ships loaded with burning
cotton, and even a half-finished ram like the _Merrimac_ floated down
stream, a mass of flames.
[Illustration: GENERAL B.F. BUTLER.]
About noon on April 25th, the fleet rounded the bend of the river, and
came in sight of the city. That same morning, the mayor of New Orleans
had ordered the state flag of Louisiana to be hoisted upon the city
hall.
Captain Farragut demanded that this should be hauled down. He also
ordered that the stars and stripes should be raised over the buildings
belonging to the United States government.
Meanwhile, Commander Porter with his mortar boats had been steadily
bombarding Fort Jackson and Fort St. Philip. On April 28th, these forts
surrendered, and the Union forces took possession.
On the following day, the flag of the United States was floating over
the city hall of New Orleans. General Butler and his troops took
possession of the city on the first of May.
On the 11th of July, on the recommendation of President Lincoln,
Congress passed a resolution thanking Captain Farragut for what he had
done; and a few days later he was further rewarded by being raised to
the rank of rear-admiral.