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which we had shamefully lost, with nearly 1,000 prisoners, a strong fort, 10 heavy guns, many small arms, and tents, equipments, supplies, valued by the enemy at $6,000,000, and possibly worth to us $2,000,000. Thousands of negroes, liberated by
Banks's triumphant advance to
Alexandria, were reduced by this and our kindred reverses to a harsher slavery than that from which they had so recently been delivered.
The road to New Orleans
1--at least, to
Algiers, its western suburb — was now open; for
Lafourche had been evacuated by
Stickney after a gallant defense by the 47th Massachusetts, in which they had repulsed two assaults; but
Taylor was too weak to make the great venture.
If he had, as is asserted, but 4,000 men at
Brashear and between it and La fourche, he could not have assailed New Orleans with more than double that number at most; and, so long as
Farragut held the mastery of the river, this was not enough even to compel
Banks to raise the siege of
Port Hudson.
2
Moving north instead of east,
Taylor's van, under
Green, menaced
Donaldsonville, while a small force of Texans, raiding into
Plaquemine, burned two steamboats lying there, and took 68 convalescents prisoners; but were soon shelled out by the gunboat
Winona.
Green next attempted
3 to carry
Donaldsonville by assault; but
Farragut had been seasonably apprised of his intention, and had sent thither the Princess Royal,
Kineo, and
Winona; which, cooperating with the little garrison (225) of the 28th Maine,
Maj. Bullen, tore the assaulting column with their shells, and soon put the
Rebels to flight, with a loss of 200 killed and wounded, and 124 prisoners. Among their killed was
Col. Phillips.
Pollard reports another fight,
4 six miles from
Donaldsonville, between 1,200 Texans, under
Green, and “the enemy, over 4,000 strong;” wherein we were beaten, with a loss of 500 killed and wounded, 300 prisoners, 3 guns, many small arms, and the flag of a New York regiment.
Banks's report is silent with regard to this fight; yet it seems that a collision actually took place; the forces on our side being commanded by
Gen. Dudley, and our loss considerable--450 killed and wounded, with two guns, says a newspaper report.
The affair can not have been creditable to the
Union side, or it would not have been so completely hushed up.
Gen. Banks's force in the field having been rendered disposable by the fall of
Port Hudson,
Taylor and his subordinates made haste to abandon the country east of the
Atchafalaya; evacuating
5 Brashear City just one month after its capture; but not till they had carefully stripped it of