On the morning of April 29, 1863,
Admiral Porter, with his gun and mortar boats, attacked the Confederate batteries at
Grand Gulf, on the
Mississippi, and after a contest of five hours and a half the lower batteries were silenced.
The upper ones were too high to be much affected.
The Confederates had field-batteries which were moved
from point to point, and sharp-shooters filled rifle-pits on the high sides.
Grant, becoming convinced that
Porter could not take the batteries, ordered him to run by them with gunboats and transports, as he had done at
Vicksburg and
Warrenton, while the army (on the west side of the river) should move down to
Rodney, below, where it might cross without much opposition.
At six o'clock in the evening, under cover of a heavy fire from the fleet, all the transports passed by in good condition.
