Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 4.
Frank Moore, Ed.

[522] more important part of the information I was able to collect. Had my time been more extended I might have been able to gather more of the incidents of the siege, and had I supposed it desirable to reduce it to writing I might have obtained a fuller account from those I did question, but my conversation was merely to gratify my own curiosity and pass away an unoccupied hour. Hoping that you may find this communication of some value, I remain your obedient servant,

dear sir: In the excitement of the last two days you must not be surprised if I leave undone many things which I ought to do, and one of which was to write you on the occasion of my taking this city. But thank God it has been done, and in what I consider a handsome style.

I had two Union men on board who had been forced into the confederate service at Fort Jackson as laborers or mechanics. They informed me that there were two forts near the city, and as we approached the locality I tried to concentrate the vessels, but we soon saw that we must take a raking fire for two miles, so we did not mince the matter, but dashed directly ahead.

They permitted us to approach to within a mile and a quarter before they opened on us. Capt. Bailey, in the Cayuga, Lieut. Com. Harrison, was in advance of me, and received the most of the first fire; but, although the shooting was good, they did not damage his little vessel much. He fell back, and the Hartford took her place. We had only two guns, which I had placed on the top-gallant forecastle, that could bear on them until we got within half a mile. We then sheered off, and gave them such a fire “as they never, dreamed of in their philosophy.” The Pensacola ran up after a while, and took the starboard battery off our hands; and in a few minutes the Brooklyn ranged up and took a chance at my friends on the left bank. They were silenced in, I should say, twenty minutes or half an hour. But I cannot keep a note of time on such occasions. I only know that half of the vessels did not get a chance at them. The river was too narrow for more than two or three vessels to act to advantage, but all were so anxious that my greatest fear was that we would fire into each other, and Capt. Wainwright and myself were hollowing ourselves hoarse at the men not to fire into our ships.

This last affair was what I call one of the little elegancies of the profession — a dash and a victory. But the passing of the Forts Jackson and St. Philip was one of the most awful sights and events I ever saw or expect to experience. The smoke was so dense that it was only now and then you could see anything but the flash of the cannon and the fire-ships or rafts, one of which was pushed down upon us (the Hartford) by the ram Manassas, and in my effort to avoid it ran the ship on shore, and then the fire-raft was pushed alongside, and in a moment the ship was one blaze all along the port side, half-way up to the main and mizzen tops. But, thanks to the good organization of the fire-department by Lieut. Thornton, the flames were extinguished, and at the same time we backed off and got clear of the raft. But all this time we were pouring the shells into the Forts, and they into us, and every now and then a rebel steamer would get under our fire and receive our salutation of a broadside.

At length the fire slackened, the smoke cleared off, and we saw to our surprise that we were above the Forts, and here and there a rebel gunboat on fire. As we came up with them, trying to make their escape, they were fired into and riddled, so that they ran them on shore; and all who could, made their escape to the shore.

I am told, I don't know how truly, that Gen. Lovell had gone down that evening to make an attack with thirteen gunboats, a large ram of eighteen guns, and the Manassas. The Mississippi and the Manassas made a set at each other at full speed, and when they were within thirty or forty yards, the ram dodged the Mississippi and ran on shore, when the latter poured her broadside into her, knocked away her smoke-stack, and then sent on board of her, but she was deserted and riddled, and after a while she drifted down the stream full of water. She was the last of the eleven we destroyed.

The larger ram was still at Fort Jackson, but they say here she was sent down before she was ready, and that she cannot stem the current. She will have to surrender with the Forts, which I hope will be to-day or to-morrow. I will give them my attention as soon as I can settle the affairs of the city.

I demanded the surrender of the city yesterday of the Mayor, through Capt. Bailey, as the second in command. His reply was that the city was under martial law, and he would consult Gen.