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.

[724] explosion under their feet of a dozen torpedoes; yet, under a furious fire of grape and canister, the assault was steadily persisted in till the victory was complete.

On our right, the Blacks, led by Gen. Hawkins, were pitted against Mississippians, who specially detested them, but who found them foemen worthy of their steel. “Remember Fort Pillow! ” passed from rank to rank as, with set teeth and tightly grasped weapons, they went over the Rebel breastworks, hurling back all before them. By 7 P. M., Blakely was fully ours, with 3,000 prisoners, 32 guns, 4,000 small arms, 16 flags, and large quantities of ammunition. It had cost us fully 1,000 killed and wounded; while 500 Rebels lay stretched beside them.

Mobile was lost and won. It could no longer be held; so its evacuation commenced on the 10th, and was completed on the 11th. Gen. Maury fled up the Alabama, with 9,000 men, leaving 4,000 prisoners in our hands; while 1,000 more were found in the city, when, at 2 P. M. of the 12th, the flag of the Union--already floating over every fort and battery that looked on the bay — was exultingly raised over the last important Confederate seaport. Its reduction had cost us 2,500 men; beside two iron-clads, two ‘tin-clads’ (or slightly shielded gunboats), and one transport — all sunk by torpedoes. The guns captured in the city and its defenses numbered 150. The powerful rams Huntsville and Tuscaloosa were sunk by Maury before the evacuation.

The Rebel ram W. H. Webb, from Red river, freighted with cotton, rosin, &c., came down the Mississippi past New Orleans¹ so wholly unexpected that she received but two shots in passing — our fleet being still mainly absent in Mobile bay. Being pursued by gunboats from above, she was making all speed toward. the Gulf, till she encountered the corvette Richmond, coming up the river; when her commander, seeing no chance of escape, terminated her brief but not particularly brilliant career, by running her ashore and blowing her up. Her crew escaped to the swamps, but were mainly captured.