Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 10.
Frank Moore, Ed.

At an early hour of the morning of the nine-teenth instant, the enemy again took up a position identical with that of the previous, excepting that no mortar-boats were on this shore, all keeping close behind the point of woods, and opening fire upon Fort Jackson, which was allowed to continue without interruption from this side. Fearing the effect and having ascertained the exact range and distances, I determined to open upon them and draw off some of the fire to this side if possible. It was immediately done, and with partial success, three of the mortar-boats opening upon us with but little effect.

On the twentieth, twenty-first, and twenty-second, the fire of the enemy still continued from their mortar-boats, with an occasional shot from the gunboats. The only damage done during these days was the damaging the platform of the twenty-four-pounder gun in salient near the main magazine, the shell passing under and throwing it up, but not rendering it useless. Our fire was slow and deliberate, with no visible results more than the driving back of two of the mortar-boats, which were partially exposed around the wooded point. The fire of the enemy, although warm, well-directed, and sustained, was, for the most part, either short or very much over. Up to this time the only guns used were the columbiad battery in the main work, and the thirteen-inch mortar, disabled on the first day. In the lower water battery, one eight-inch columbiad and one seven-inch rifle gun, worked by Captain R. C. Bond's company; four ten-inch sea-coast mortars, by Captain J. H. Lamon's company. On the twenty-third, the enemy still kept up a regular fire, to which we did not reply all day. At 3 1/2 o'clock of the morning of the twenty-fourth, the men were ready, and standing at their guns, having received information that there was a movement by the enemy. No vessels were to be seen, and the first notice of an enemy nearing us was the reply to the shots from Fort Jackson, and the gunners were ordered to fire by the flashes of the enemy's guns, which was done, but the fire was entirely too high, and passed over them. Immediately after this a vessel came in sight, and they followed each other in rapid succession, seemingly in pairs, one of the two keeping back far enough to enable her to deliver her fire from her broadsides. The fire from our guns was rapid, and from the little that could be seen and heard, was accurate, but after the first discharge, the smoke almost hid them from sight, and we were again compelled to judge by the flashes of their guns. As to the effect of the fire, it is impossible to state what it was, as the darkness, aided by the smoke, rendered seeing out of the question. A three-masted propeller ran ashore, during the engagement, above the upper water-battery, and, remaining there several minutes with a fire-barge alongside, her rigging had caught fire, but was immediately extinguished. We were not able to open upon her, as one of the columbiads had been previously dismounted, and the other could not be brought to bear; besides, their hands were full with other vessels coming up, and the twenty-four-pounder in the salient of the upper water-battery, bearing directly upon her, had been broken in two near the trunnions. The vessels passed close under our guns, taking advantage of the eddy, which runs up with considerable force, and it was found impossible to get more than one or two shots at any one vessel, they passed with such rapidity.

All our guns were worked with courage, energy, and skill, excepting the upper water-battery, where some confusion arose, caused by the men not being so thoroughly drilled as they should have been. Company C, of the Confederate Recruits, Lieutenant J. K. Dixon, were fully prepared to work the guns of this battery, and would have done so with effect, but were two days before ordered on board the floating battery Louisiana, and their place was supplied by Captain Assanheimer's Company B, Twenty-fourth regiment Louisiana volunteers, who had only been drilled a few times, and Captain Massicott's Company D, Chalmette regiment, who were raw, undrilled, perfectly ignorant even of the use of the shot-guns with which they were armed, and had never been drilled at artillery. As soon as it was seen that the guns did not open, Lieutenant A. J. Quigley, with such men as could be gathered, was sent to attend to them, which was done, so far as they were concerned, to the satisfaction of that officer. The company of Confederate recruits, under Lieutenants Dixon and Blow, were detailed to report to Captain Mitchell, C. S. Navy, for duty on board the Louisiana, as per instructions dated headquarters Forts Jackson and St. Philip, April twenty-first, 1862, where they remained until the evening of the twenty-fourth instant. Captain Lartigue's company did good service as scouts and sharpshooters, manly of them being out at all times. On the night of the twenty-third, seven of them were sent to ascertain the movements of the enemy, and all returned without accomplishing anything. Two other scouts, one from Company K and the other of Company F, were out on the same mission, and had it not been from the failure of the rockets, which by an accident became wet, would have signalled their approach much sooner. As it was, the only intimation I received was the firing of one of their muskets. The following is the number of projectiles used, etc.: six hundred and seventy-five (675) eight-inch solid shot, one hundred and seventy-one (171) eight-inch shells, thirteen thirteen-inch from columbiad battery, etc., in main work; one hundred and forty-two ten-inch mortar shells from lower mortar battery, four hundred and seventy shot, shell, and grape, lower water-battery; one hundred and twenty shot, grape, and canister, from upper water-battery. Captain R