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captured the town, it had decided not to let it leave its hands for lack of efficient defense.
When reaching the port, the Louisianians, seeing the stars and stripes floating defiantly in mid-harbor, had eagerly hoped to be the advance guard to tempt a salutation of the hostile guns.
In this, fate worked center.
They remained until the post was reinforced by other troops; doing little but casting longing eyes to that wave-like line of battle which eluded them at Fort Pickens.
Fighting was to be done later on in the form of fierce cannonading between Fort Pickens in the harbor and Confederate Barrancas on shore, in which fighting the pioneers from Louisiana were to have no share.1
Even before the first troops had left New Orleans, two telegrams had flashed between the war secretary at Montgomery and G. T. Beauregard, illustrious type of the Creole, at Charleston.
The telegram we give merely because it is a question of who, in the civil war, was first counted to have ‘won his spurs.’
To which General Beauregard, now watching the fleet instead of Fort Sumter, responded:
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1 At Pensacola was organized the First Louisiana infantry, under Col. A. H. Gladden, soon promoted brigadier-general, and succeeded in regimental command by Col. D. W. Adams Three companies of Louisiana troops participated in the affair on Santa Rosa island, and during the bombardment of Fort McRee and Barrancas the Louisiana contingent won honors. Lieutenant Manston, of Louisiana, commanded the gunboat Nelms, of the little navy. Three companies under Lieutenant-Colonel Jaquess served as many batteries throughout the action most efficiently and gallantly, said General Bragg. These batteries were commanded by Capt. J. T. Wheat, Capt. S. S. Batchelor, and Lieut. G. W. Mader.
Atlanta, Ga. 1899.
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