Horace Greeley, The American Conflict: A History of the Great Rebellion in the United States of America, 1860-65: its Causes, Incidents, and Results: Intended to exhibit especially its moral and political phases with the drift and progress of American opinion respecting human slavery from 1776 to the close of the War for the Union. Volume II.

[97] the Saxon the success of Farragut's attempt to pass the Rebel forts and barrier and destroy their fleet forbidding approach to New Orleans. made haste to join his land forces below, and to conduct them, under Weitzel's piloting, through the shallow bays and bayous in the rear of Fort St. Philip, landing them from his row-boats on the first firm ground that he reached above the fort; thence occupying the levee and throwing a detachment across the river so as completely to isolate both forts and their garrisons. While he was effecting this, Commander Porter, with his mortar-fleet below, resumed and continued the bombardment, sending up¹ a flag of truce to demand a surrender, which was refused; but, next day, 250 of the garrison of Fort Jackson, having heard, or inferred from the blackened fragments floating down the river, that New Orleans was captured, refused to fight longer, and, spiking the guns on the upper side of the fort, sallied out and surrendered themselves to Gen. Butler's pickets. Lt.-Col. Higgins, who commanded the forts, seeing that all was lost, now made haste to accept the favorable terms of capitulation previously offered by Commander Porter, before the latter should be made aware of Butler's position above and the mutiny and surrender of half the garrison. While the terms of capitulation were being reduced to writing, the Confederate naval officers just above the forts towed their rain Louisiana out into the current, set her on fire and abandoned her, with all her guns shotted, expecting her to drift down upon and explode in the midst of Porter's fleet; but, just as she was abreast of Fort St. Philip, she blew up and sunk, injuring no one but a Rebel soldier in the fort, who was killed by a fragment. Of the three remaining Rebel steamers, one had been scuttled; the others surrendered without resistance: their officers, with those of the Louisiana, being sent North as close prisoners, because of their attempt to destroy our fleet while a capitulation was in progress. Commander Porter turned the forts and their contents immediately over to Gen. Phelps ,² and they were very soon being repaired and fitted for effective service; while Gen. Butler, leaving Gen. Williams in command there, and having easily reduced Forts Pike and Wood, at the entrance of Lake Pontchartrain, brought his steamers around into the Mississippi, and, taking on board 2,000 of his men, moved up to the city and took possession--Capt. Farragut very gladly relinquishing to him the difficult and disagreeable duty of bandying words with its spiteful, shuffling authorities,and dealing with its ferocious and ruffianly mob, who would have taken exquisite pleasure in making mince-meat of either of them.

In the conferences which ensued between the commanding General