Benjamnin F. Butler, Butler's Book: Autobiography and Personal Reminiscences of Major-General Benjamin Butler

I hope these facts will allay in some degree the great fear of our citizens of a war with England lest our cities should be bombarded. If ever done, it will be at long range.

Attention is called to the facts stated: no house burned, but some penetrated. I believe that the mortar fleet experiment in warlike operations begun and has ended with Porter.

To show the opinion of Admiral Farragut as to the cause of the surrender of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, it may not be uninteresting to append the following letter:--

U. S. Flag Ship Hartford, at anchor off New Orleans, May 1, 1862.

Dear General:--I have received your communication sent by Captain Conant of the Thirty-First Massachusetts Regiment, for which please accept my sincere thanks.

It affords me no little gratification that our friends who were anxiously looking on should consider that we had “not only performed our duty,” but, “did it brilliantly,” and to the “admiration” of our associates in arms, who watched our movements with the feelings of military men who knew that on the result depended their own success in gaining a foothold on the enemy's soil.

The intrepidity with which you so soon followed up our success by landing your forces at the Quarantine, through mud and mire and water for miles, and which enabled us to tighten the cords around them, has also added to my obligations; and I trust that you will now occupy and hold the city without further difficulty other than those incident to a conquered city disordered by anarchy and the reign of terror which this unfortunate city has passed through.

I am, very respectfully and truly, your obedient servant,

D. G. Farragut, Flag-Officer Western Gulf Blockading Squadron. Gen. B. F. Butler, Commanding Department of the Gulf.

When the operations around Vicksburg came to an end, I again went to Baton Rouge. I arrived on the 26th of July with the Second Brigade, under the command of General Williams. This brigade had suffered very severely from sickness, though not so greatly in the loss of troops by death. As I have said, Baton