Daniel Ammen, Confederate Military History, a library of Confederate States Military History: Volume 7.2, The Atlantic Coast
Clement Anselm Evans, Ed.

[61] Orange Mills, as far as the draught of the former would permit, and the Ellen passed some miles beyond; they then returned to Jacksonville. In a few days the Darlington, the small steamer captured at Fernandina, was repaired, put in service, and on the 17th was off Jacksonville. Lieutenant-Commander Stevens employed her in the recovery of the famous yacht America, that had been used in blockaderun-ning and on the arrival of the National forces had been sunk in a creek.

The gunboats thereafter patrolled the navigable waters of the St. John's, to the entire subversion of the Confederates getting arms through the small inlets of Florida, to which they had been compelled to resort through a vigorous blockade of all of the harbors for vessels of even ten feet draught. The Confederates were not content, however, with having the gunboats in the upper waters of that river, and again endeavored to exclude them, but the effort proved wholly fruitless, and cost them nine more rifled guns in the earthwork on St. John's Bluff, the September following.

After the operations on the coast of Florida were fully completed, the flag-officer returned to Port Royal. During his absence the army had planted batteries of rifled guns and heavy columbiads on the sand-hills of Tybee Island, for the purpose of reducing Fort Pulaski, which the flag-officer described as a ‘purely military operation, the result of laborious and scientific preparation, and of consummate skill and bravery in execution. . . . General Hunter, with a generous spirit long to be remembered, permitted the navy to be represented on this interesting occasion by allowing a detachment of seamen and officers from this ship to serve one of the breaching batteries.’

Commander C. R. P. Rodgers with a detachment of men reached Tybee on the morning of the 10th of April, just before