Doc. 27.-battle near Brashear City, La.
New-Orleans Delta narrative.
off Brashear City, November 4, 1862.
dear Delta: We arrived off here on the night of the first, but unfortunately too late to stop the rebels from crossing.
There was a great deal of difficulty in getting over the bay, and we felt the want of light-draught vessels very much.
The day the Kinsman arrived, Lieut. Buchanan crossed in her, and tried to get the Estrella over, but she grounded.
He came up to the mouth of the river, but saw nothing but the Hart, which he chased but could not catch.
They got the Estrella and the St. Mary's over the next day, and the following day the Calhoun came up with the Diana.
The night of our arrival here, we chased the rebel gunboat Cotten, but she got away from us by her superior speed.
The same night was captured the rebel steamer A. B. Sigur.
She is a small boat, about the size of the Fancy Natchez, and is very useful.
Yesterday all the gunboats went up Bayou Teche, found the enemy about fourteen miles from here, and passed above the obstructions they had sunk in the Teche.
The boats engaged them for two hours, and drove them off, including the Cotten.
The Kinsman bore the brunt of it, and received fifty-four shots in her upper works and hull, and had one man killed (a soldier of the Twenty-first Indiana) and five wounded.
The pilot, John Bellino, had his leg badly shattered, and died to-day from the effects of amputation.
Captain Cook, on the Estrella, received three shots, and had two soldiers of the Twenty-first Indiana killed while working the guns, and one man badly wounded.
The Diana received three shots, but had no person hurt.
She will have to be hauled out, as her stem is shot away.
The Calhoun received eight shots, but fortunately they did no material damage.
Capt. Wiggins fought his ship nobly.
He was in such a position that he received all the fire from the artillery on shore, and at the same time had the Cotten playing upon him. He, however, drove the artillery away, and put several shots into the Cotten.
The whole rebel force was there, numbering between three and four thousand men, with (it is said) seventy field-pieces.
It is reported to-day that we did them a great deal of damage, and that the Cotten is sunk.
They had thrown up a mud fort on this side, but evacuated it on our arrival.
An attempt was made to remove the obstructions, but without success; but I think that when Gen. Weitzel arrives, so as to afford protection from the sharp-shooters on the banks, we can do so.
The enemy destroyed about one thousand hogsheads sugar, a lot of molasses, and also burnt ninety-eight cars and steam-engines.
The Cotten is iron-cased, and did some excellent shooting.
She mounts one long thirty-two-pounder, four twenty-four-pounders, and two six-pounders, rifled guns.
The iron casing on the Kinsman and Diana turned the shot beautifully.
Capt. McLoefflin, who was on board of the Calhoun, with his company, went ashore with his men and tried to get opposite the Cotten, but before he got up to her she had left.
If she has not been sunk we will get her yet.
November 5.--Lieutenant Buchanan has just returned from another trip up the Teche, with the Estrella.
He had three men killed by a shot.
The Cotten was there.
They had a battery on each bank, but he succeeded in driving them all
[175]
off.
I think the Cotten is casemated, as our shell glanced off. She was on fire once.
We could plainly see our shot strike her, but she fights bows on.