Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1862-06-06

our HToca Is regarded by great number Of officers
as the virtual termination u the war and many will re
sign their positions after the occupaon This will
be the case more generally among the officers who
families than those who single, many of whom an
nounce their settled idea Of remaining in Dixie"
In letter to Senator Grimes Of Iowa, Cap
tain Porter gives graphic description of tho
immense armament our forces had to encoun-
ter on their way to New Orleans We copy
the following
''Four and floating batteries such as the world
never before saw have been destroyed in the late
tack The Louisiana, invinoibe steam battery,
set on fire and sent down the vessels while
gagged in drawing up capitulaon for the surrender OF
the forsA Gag Of lying the time She explod.
ed within three hundred yards Of US and sunk In
minute, her splendid battery Of Thed guns being lost
TO US Her fragments fairly covered Fort ST. Phillip, and
killed Of theirs IN the Fort There was Southern
honor for you That vessel was four thousand TONS
hundred and seventy feet long, and had sixteen heavy RI
he guns all made in 'Seoessia She intended 10 take
feet for proof Of her nvunerabity one Of our
heaviest ships laid within ten feet Of her and delivered
man u she was hIing peas. Inc Lousiana's shot on
The contrary, went through and through the above
toned soopof war, as If she glass.
The iron ram Manassas hit three vessels before her
commander run her ashore, and abandoned her. She
has been troublesome customer 4, some time
In New Orleans our naval officers found the most
splendid specimen Of floating battery the world has
Ga sea-going AFFAIR." and had she been finished
and succeeded 10 getting to sea- the whole American ma
w would have been destroyed. She was six thousand
tons hundred md seventy long sixty feet beam
had four engines three propeers four inches land in
some places morel Of iron, and would steam eleven knots
an hour She cost Mr.. Mallory Co. two millions OF
dollars.
The best one floating by me was dry dock tnrn-
ed into floating battery, mounting sixteen guns and
the entire engine, which propel IT, hermeticay
sealed by thick iron turre, against shot She sunk
but hoated down to south West pass. aud is now
aground on the bar and eau easily be raised
Besides these monsters the naval part of the eneny's
desnses the forts consisted or seven iron
Nutff via nd
against vessels coming bow We had nothing there
side but twenty fra mortar boats, five sloops-of-
war, nine Or ten poor gunboats lin ali little over
hundred and forty guns) to contend against Of the
most impregnable forts in this any other country,
mounting hundred and twenty-seyen heavy guns
(msny OF them red) three iron plated batteries mount
ing thirty zone guns six iron plated gunboats
and nine OF ten things got up for the OCCASION de
stroyed, and their power never to be known.
Allow me to send you perfectly tracing Of
Fort Jackson made by the survey party attached TO
the mortar feet They acted in the capacity the
typographical party hold In the army. Without them
our work would have been tedious. They tranguated
position occupied by the vessels and il is
safe say that knew yard the distance Of
the mouth Of the mortars from the centre Of the fort
The enemy never saw except for one day, when
OF the divisions OF six vessels placed ia sight
ting pretty roughly handled. moved them under point
Of woods where, with their mass covered with green
bushes, and their rigging with vines, they Invisible
70 the best glasses. Our firing Of calculs-
ton and you may judge how accurate 1t when tell
you that 1913 bombs struck in the centre and solid parts
Of the 1880 struck Ia the near the ounda-
podOd 10 and the works. and 1857 struck about the
eyees in the marsh close around and ia the paths and
near the waters edge where the steamers attempted 10
come All small boats, souws and armed barges were
sunk and II the garrison had desired get away they
could not have done easily. never perfect
scene Of desoation and ruin nor do believe there
ever such perfect mortar practice We could clear the
batteries whenever the soldiers appeared the rampas.
In face no guns there could be worked