finally completed; but her completion would have been greatly retarded, as all the workshops, material, workmen-in fact, the whole naval establishment-would have had to be transferred from New Orleans to the place of transfer, and there was no place of safety above, that I know of, short of Fort Pillow, and all above on the river was then menaced by the enemy. Her completion was a momentous affair, and, therefore, the work was prosecuted up to the last moment with all the energy in our power. I received no orders from the commander of the station, Commander Whittle, under whose orders I was, or from the Navy Department, to remove her until the morning of April 24th, the day upon which the enemy passed the forts. On that day Commander Whittle sent for and informed me that the enemy had passed the batteries, and were coming up, at the same time directing me to take the ship up the river, if possible, to some place of safety, but not to let her fall into the hands of the enemy. I immediately sent orders to the steamers engaged by the Messrs. Tift to proceed at once up to the ship-yard for the purpose of taking the ship in tow. The officers sent by me upon this duty returned, and informed me that the steamers referred to had been detained by order of Gen. Lovell. I called myself upon Col. Lovell, the general being out of his office upon business, and obtained from him the release of two of the three which were engaged for this purpose, the Peytona and the St. Charles. Although directed to proceed at once, they did not reach the ship-yard until late in the evening. The captains of these boats showed every disposition-in fact, determination-to thwart me in my wishes, and, to accomplish my ends, I had, with my own officers, to lash and secure them alongside, and furnished one of them, the steamer St. Charles, with an engineer, as the captain said he had only one. I finally succeeded in getting off, but found. after many hours of hard tugging against a powerful current, that I could not succeed. Assistance was promised me by Col. Baggs (or Biggs) of the Safety Committee, but none was received. Still unwilling to give up the ship, I went myself back to the city in the Peytona, and urged the aid of the steamers, but in vain. Every variety of excuse was offered by their captains, and no disposition manifested to help me; in fact, a fixed determination not to move in the matter. While thus negotiating, the enemy hove in sight, and I at once started back for the ship, four miles above, intending to fire her; but the officer in charge, Lieut. Waddell, anticipated me, and applied the torch. After remaining in the stream until the ship was nearly consumed, I held a council of war with my officers, and it was determined to return to the city and offer our services to Gen. Lovell. I was on my way back when I met Lieut. McCorkle, of the navy, who informed me that the enemy were off Canal Street, and that Gen. Lovell had marched his troops out. I then proceeded up the river with my officers to Vicksburg. I will also state that the assistance of several steamers, which passed up the river, while engaged in towing the Mississippi, was asked and refused. I also engaged the services of navy workmen to accompany me up in the ship to try and finish her, and put on board, while awaiting the arrival of the steamers, much of the material for her completion. Some was afterwards put aboard the steamer St. Charles before firing the ship, and taken up to Vicksburg and saved

"The Mississippi was launched on Saturday, April 19th, and burned the Friday following. In this connection, I would state that on my arrival at New Orleans there was a great desire upon the part of many persons expressed that the ship should be launched. The Tifts objected, and I agreed with them that to launch her in her then condition would cause much delay in shipping her propellers, and involve the expense of building the box or dry dock for that purpose, of which I have already spoken; but, finding the attack about to be commenced, I recommended her being launched to her builders, the Tifts, in which Commander Mitchell joined me: the suggestion was heeded, but not until many days after, for reasons which they assigned; * if the Mississippi had

*

been completed, and with her armament and men on board, she alone could have held the river against the entire Federal fleet coming up from below; and she would have been the most formidable ship that I ever knew or heard of-very creditable to her projectors, builders and country.”

Admiral Porter remarks in his Naval History, that if New Orleans had "been left three months longer to perfect its defences and finish its work of offence, our wooden fleet would have been driven North, and the entire Southern coast would have been sealed against us. The blockade would have been raised, and the independence of the South recognized by the powers of Europe "; that "truly the Queen City of the South was doing her share of building rams to annihilate our navy and commerce, but where were our rams that should have been built by the North, which boasted of its great skill and resources? These should have been ready to sally out within three months after the war began, to drive the Louisiana, Manassas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas, Albemarle and others back to their holes, or crush them like so many eggshells." The Mississippi was raised by the Federal authorities, and sent to Brooklyn navy-yard.

Admiral Farragut's experience of the Confederate gunboats constructed out of frail river craft was sufficient for him to say that "the rebel gunboats cannot stand before ours; but what they dignify by the name of iron-clad rams is an article entirely different, and, had they succeeded in getting any one of those on the Mississippi finished before our arrival, it would have proved a most formidable adversary "; and that

"We have destroyed, or made the enemy destroy, three of the most formidable rams in the country. Arthur Sinclair declared that the Mississippi (ram) which he was to command was far superior to the Merrimac. But we were too quick for them. Her machinery was not in working order, and when I sent after her they set her on fire, and she floated past us, formidable even in her expiring flames. Mitchell commanded the other as flag-officer. Poor Charlie McIntosh was her captain, and is now going on shore in a dreadful condition. It is not thought he will live, but he has a good constitution, and that will do a great deal for him.

"Their fleet has suffered very much in this affair, both in reputation and in vessels. We destroyed them all, some fourteen or fifteen, and many lives were lost."

While this work of building ships and converting old steamboats into vessels-of-war was going on, there were naval expeditions undertaken from New Orleans, which served to keep alive the spirit of naval enterprise and to teach those lessons which can only be learned in time of war.

While the McRae was being fitted out, her officers were impatient to be about some duty other than that which held them down in New Orleans. Capt. Higgins, formerly of the U. S. navy, but at that time acting as aid to Gen. Twiggs, undertook to capture the launches of the enemy prowling and marauding in the Mississippi Sound; and obtaining volunteers from Lieut. Thomas B. Huger, of the McRae, started with two

lake steamers, armed with one thirty-two pounder, one eightinch gun, and two howitzers. The steamer Oregon, commanded by Capt. A. L. Myers, and the steamer Swaim, by Lieut. A. F. Warley, C. S. N., proceeding to Bay St. Louis, and filling bags with sand, they left the bay at nine o'clock on July 6th for the cruising-ground of the enemy, the Swaim taking the mainland or side passage, and the Oregon the outside, and proceeded to Ship Island Pass.

Finding no enemy in sight, the Oregon proceeded to sea from Ship Island, and soon saw two vessels and gave chase. They proved to be two Confederate fishing - smacks. The Oregon then returned to Ship Island, and Capt. Higgins, who was in command of the expedition, deemed it advisable to take possession of Ship Island. Accordingly he signalled the Swaim to come to and go alongside of the island. The Oregon then came alongside the Swaim, and both proceeded to disembark the men and munitions of war, provisions, etc. After the disembarkation the guns on the boats were put in battery, and protected by sand-bags.

The Swaim was left at the island while the Oregon proceeded to New Orleans, via Pass Christian, for the purpose of sending a dispatch to Gen. Twiggs to send forward reinforcements of ammunition and men. There she was ordered to take on board guns, gun-carriages, and munitions to reinforce Ship Island-Major Twiggs, and Capt. Higgins and Major Smith, using every possible effort to get everything in readiness. The steamer Grey Cloud was also taken into requisition, and was loaded and got underway, also well armed. The Oregon followed the same night with provisions, and proceeded directly to Ship Island.

On Tuesday morning, when within eight miles of the fort on Ship Island, Capt. Myers saw a large U. S. steamer and a tender lying off about two miles outside the island. At this moment the troops at the sand batteries opened fire on the steamer, which was immediately returned, and the battle commenced in good earnest. The Grey Cloud coming up slowly, the Oregon took off her ammunition and proceeded at once to the scene of action, Major Smith directing the Grey Cloud to follow at a safe distance.

Having arrived at the island, Capt. Myers proceeded at once in his yawl, with Major Smith, with a load of shell and powder, being received with cheers by Capt. Thom, of the C. S. marines, and the sailors and soldiers, who at once carried the supplies to the batteries. The enemy had fired some thirty odd rounds of shell and round shot, which sank in the sand, and were used by our sailors in returning fire. The explosion of the enemy's shells did no other damage than slightly to injure one man in the leg.

The steamers immediately commenced landing their guns and provisions, during which time the enemy again opened

fire, the shot falling short, but being returned with great effect. It is supposed that the attacking steamer, the Massachusetts, was hulled three times, and a shell was seen to explode over her decks, which, it was supposed, did some damage, as she immediately hauled off and put for the Chandeleur Islands, a distance of twelve miles.

After taking possession of the island, Capt. Higgins detailed the following officers, with the marines and sailors, to hold and defend it: Lieut. Warley, commanding; Lieut. R. T. Thom, of the marines; Surgeon Lynah and the midshipmen. After the enemy had retired, the steamer Swaim arrived with Lieut. Col. H. W. Allen, of the Fourth Regiment, from Mississippi City, with three companies, who set to work fortifying the island.

The proclamation of blockade, issued by Mr. Lincoln on the 19th of April, 1861, was put in force for the Mississippi River in June following, when the Powhatan, Lieut. D. D. Porter, took station off the Southwest Pass; and the Brooklyn, Commander Charles Poor, off Pass à l'Outre. But the escape of the Sumter from the latter pass soon called the attention of the U. S. naval authorities to the necessity of a closer watch over the many exits from New Orleans, and suggested the holding of the "head of the passes" by a naval force. This point, where the vast volume of the waters of the Mississippi divides into three great outlets to the ocean, is distant sixteen miles by the Southwest Pass, and fourteen miles by Pass à l'Outre, from the bar. The river at the "head of the passes broadens into a bay two miles wide, and from the telegraph station to the point of firm land, between Southwest and South Passes, the distance is also two miles-so that there is wide and deep water at the head-ample to float a fleet, and for naval manoeuvres. To hold the "head of the passes" the Federal authorities attempted to erect a battery on the point of firm ground at the junction of the Southwest and South Passes, but the movements of Captain Hollins, about to be related, broke up the battery before it was more than marked out. In that deep and broad water, the Federal squadron, consisting of the screw-steamer Richmond, twentytwo nine-inch guns, Capt. John Pope; the Vincennes, sloop-ofwar, ten guns, Commander Robert Handy; the sloop Preble, eleven guns, Commander Henry French, and the screwsteamer Water Witch, four guns, Lieut. Francis Winslow, arrived on the 12th of October, 1861. The squadron mounted forty-seven guns, and, properly handled and commanded, could have successfully met and destroyed the little Confederate fleet which Capt. George N. Hollins had improvised. The ships of Hollins' fleet were the McRae, whose defective machinery had prevented her from following the Sumter to sea, and changed her destination from a cruiser to a River Defence craft, was at that time commanded by Lieut. Com.

Joseph Fry, who after the war commanded the Virginius, and met so sad a death in Cuba. The Ivy, the Tuscarora, the Calhoun, the Jackson, and the ram Manassas, under Lieut. Warley, and the unarmed tow-boat Watson, under Lieut. Averett-the whole under command of Capt. Hollins.

In the early morn of the 13th of October, the U. S. S. Richmond lay at anchor taking in coal from a schooner alongside. The night was intensely dark, and it was almost impossible to see twenty yards ahead. The Manassas put on a heavy head of steam and dashed on in the direction where it was thought the enemy were lying. Suddenly a large ship was discovered only a length ahead, and, before Lieut. Warley could fire the signal-rocket into her they went together with an awful crash! An appalling shriek was heard on board of the Richmond, or the schooner, as the ram crushed into the Richmond, and broke loose the schooner, the latter having acted as a cushion, and breaking somewhat the force of the ram's blow. Immediately, the Richmond fired a rocket, beat to quarter, and poured a shower of iron hail on the dark waters and into the still darker air. Though the force of the Manassas' blow broke in the side of the Richmond, it was not without injury to her own machinery. This was most inopportune and perilous; and the Richmond, soon observing that something was wrong, began playing upon her with all the power of her guns. Lieut. Warley found that only one engine would work, and with that he began working his way out of reach towards shore; but the shot fell thick and fast around, and upon the "old turtle," and her fate seemed hanging on a hair, when the brave little Tuscarora and the Watson' came up with five barges on fire, and soon cut them adrift on the stream. A ram and a fire-raft were too much for Capt. Pope's nerves, and signalling "danger" with a red light, he ordered the Preble and the Vincennes to proceed down the Southwest Pass, which they did, not standing on the order of their going. His official report says:

"At this time three large fire-rafts, stretching across the river, were rapidly nearing us, while several larger steamers and a bark-rigged propeller were seen astern of them. The squadron proceeded down the river in the following order: First, the Preble; second, the Vincennes; third, the Richmond, fourth, the Water Witch, with the prize schooner Frolic in tow. When abreast of the pilot settlement, the pilot informed me that he did not consider it safe to venture to turn this ship in the river, but that he believed he could pass over the bar. I accordingly attempted to pass over the bar with the squadron, but in the passage the Vincennes

"The Watson did not run aground as has been stated, did not suffer any mishap, made no blunder, had no confusion, and made so little noise as she steamed to her position 'to turn loose her fire-boats on the enemy's ships,' that the Confederate fleet above her in the river supposed she had been disabled and was drifting helplessly between the flames of her own fire-boats-one on either side-and under the

shot and shells of the enemy's ships into their midst. The expedition was a complete success so far as opening the way to the sea from New Orleans was its object, but the officers of the McRae were greatly disappointed, when it was discovered that her machinery was so defective as, in the judgment of Flag-officer Hollins, to render the steamer unfit for sea service.-Extract from private letter of Lieut. Averett,