Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-05-21
AR M l. w s .
OPERATIONS AT NEW ORLEANS.
Official Report of Gen. Butler.
HEADQUARTERS DEPARTMENT OF TUE GULF,

the Mississippi river, with the troops named
in my former despatch, awaiting the action
of the feet engaged IN the bombardment Of
Forts jackson and St. Philip.
Failing to reduce them after six DAYS in
cessant fire, Flag Officer Farragut determined
to attempt their passage with his whole feet,
except that part thereof under the immediate
command Of Capt. Porter, known as the NOR
tar feet.
On the morning of the 9th ult., the feet
got under way, and twelve vessels including
the four sloops-of-war, ran the gauntlet of
fire Of the forts and were safely above. OF
the galiantry. courage, and conduct Of this
heroic action, unprecedented IN naval war
fare, considering the character of the works
and the river, too much cannot be said. OF
the casualties and the details Of its perform
ance the flag officer will give an account to
the proper department. witnessed this dar-
ing exploit from point eight hundred yards
from Fort jackson. and unwittingly under
its fire, and the subimity of the scene can
never be exceeded.
The feet pressed on up the river 10 New
Orleans, leaving two gunboats TO protect the
quarantine station, five miles above.
In case the forts were not reduced and
portion Of the feet got by them, it had been
arranged, between the flag oGicer and myself,
that | should make a landing from the gulf
side, at the of the forts at the quarantine,
and from thence attempt Fort ST Philip by
storm and assault, while the bombardment
was continued by the feet
| immediately went to Sable Island with
| my transports, twelve miles in the rear OF
| Fort St. Philip. the nearest point at which
sufficient depth Of water could be found for
them. Capt. Porter put at my disposal the
| Miami, drawing seven and one half feet, be
| ing the lighteot draught vessel in the feet,
| to take the troops from the ship as far as the
water would allow. We were delayed twenty
! four hours by her running ashore at Pass
| POutre The 26th regiment Massachusetts
| volunteers, Col. Jones, were put on board
! her and carried within six miles of the fort,
where she again grounded.
| Capt Everett, Of the 9Th Massachusetts,
| Battery, having very fully reconnoitered the
waters and bayous in that vicinity, and fore
seeing the necessity, | had collected and
! brought with me some thirty boats, into
which the troops were again transhiped and
| conveyed by most fatiguing and laborious
row some four and half miles further, there
| being within one mile Of the steamer only
two and half feet of water.
A large portion of the passage was agains t
a heavy current through a bayou. At the
entrance of Mameel's canal mile and
| half from the point of landing, rowing be-
came impossible, as we'll from the narrowness
of the canal as the strength Of the current
which ran like q mill race. Through this the
| boats could only be impelled by dragging
! them singly, with the men up to their waists
| in water.
| 1t is due to this fine regiment, and to a
| portion of the 4th Wisconsin volunteers and
! Ind HaA har I'd
! ship without a murmur, and their labors
| should be made known to the department, as
we'll rs to account for the slowness of our
operations.
! The enemy evidently considered this mode
Of attack Impossible, as they had taken no
measures to oppose It, which might very eas
/ lily have been successfully done.
| We occupied at once both sides nf the riv
er, thus efectuaIy cutting them off from all
supplies. information, ar Succur, while we
made our dispositions for the assault.
Meantime Captain Porter had sent into the
bayou, in the rear Of Fort Jackson, two
schooncrs Of his mortar aeet, to prevent the
escape Of the enemy from the fort in that ii
rccton.
In the hurry and derlac2s Of the passage
! Of the forts the flag Officer had overlooked
three Of the cnemy's gunboats and the iron
clad battery Louisiana, which were at anchor
under the walls Of the fogt. Surprising that
all the Rebel boats had been destroyed land
a dozen or more had been), he passed on to
the city, leaving these in his rear. The iron
steam battery being very formidable, Captain
| Porter deemed it prudent to withdraw his
mortar feet some miles below, where he could
have room to manUuvre it if attacked by the
! iron monster, and the bombardment ceased.
| had got Brigadier General Phelps in the
river below with two regiments to make de
monstratons in that direction if it became
possible.
In the night of the 9th, learning that the
feet had got the city under its guns, ! left
Brigadier General Williams in charge of the
landing of the troops, and went up the river
to the flagship to procure light draught trans
portation. That night the larger portion
jabout two hundred and fifty) of the garrison
| of Fort jackson mutined, spiked the guns
bearing up the river, came up and surrend-
cred themselves to my pickets, declaring that,
as we had got in their rear, resistance was
useless, and they would not be sacrificed
No bomb had been thrown at them for three
days, nor had they fred a shot at US for three
days. They averred that they had been i'm.
pressed and would fight no longer.
On the 28th the officers Of Forts jackson
and St. Philip surrendered to Captain Porter,
he having means of water transportation to
them. While he was negotiating however,
with the officers of the forts under white
flag, the Rebel naval ficers put all their
munitions of war on the Louisians, set her on
fire and adrift upon the Harriet Lane but
when opposite Fort St. Philip she blew up,
killing one of their own men by the fragments
which fell into that fort.
/ have taken possession of the forts and
find them substantially as defensible as be
fore the bombardment-St. Philip precisely
SO, it being quite uninjured. They are fully
and the ravages of the shells have been de.
fensibly repaired by the labors of the Rebels.
| will cause Lieutenant Weitzell, of the En-