Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 1.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[450] the combat. Secession, as we have stated, had divided the line of defences at Pensacola into two parts, giving Fort McRae, on the west side of the inlet, to the Confederates, and leaving Fort Pickens, on the east side, in possession of the Federals. These two Forts—guardians of the harbor—constructed with a view to their mutual support, belonged therefore to the two hostile parties, and levelled their guns against each other. They thus prevented any vessel, whatever might be her flag, from entering the bay, but by a tacit agreement they long continued to exercise a mutual forbearance towards each other. Colonel Brown wished to get out of this embarrassing position, which gave all the advantage to his opponents, allowing them to make free use of the vast resources which the arsenal of Pensacola afforded them. The frigate Niagara and the sloop-of-war Richmond, charged with the blockade on the Florida coast, took part in the bombardment, which was opened by Fort Pickens on the morning of November 22d. Fort McRae replied, and was supported by the fire of several field-batteries erected in the vicinity of the arsenal. The cannonading was thus kept up for two days without producing any result. There were twelve or fifteen men disabled on both sides. The vessels were only struck three or four times, and the Richmond alone seriously, while Fort Pickens had only one gun dismounted. On the Confederate side a few field-pieces were rendered useless; the village of Warrenton and a few huts were burnt; the arsenal only sustained trifling injuries, and the three steamers which happened to be there escaped without serious damage. This duel between two permanent works, which left both of them uninjured, is a unique occurrence in the contemporaneous annals of sieges. Although they were only two kilometres apart, neither of them was able to effect a breach in the works of its opponent; the fire of the ships was not more effective; the large spherical shells so effective against barbette batteries were powerless against masonry. The only piece of artillery which did any damage to the Confederates was a thirty-pounder Parrott gun mounted on Fort Pickens.

More to the west, in the Gulf of Mexico, and about the same time, the Federals seized an island almost deserted, flat, sandy, wind-swept, and parched by a tropical sun, but affording excellent anchorage for their squadrons, and an important point for