Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1864-06-15
MISSISSIPPI SQUADRON,
FLAGSHIP BLACK UAW

LAGSHlP BLACK uAWk, :
MOUTH RED RIVER, May l6, Ga,
SIR: / have the honor to inform you
that the vessels lately caught by low wa
ter above the falls at Alexandria have
been released from Their unpleasant posi-
tion. The water had fallen SO low that
I had no hope or expectation Of getting
the vessels out this season, and as the
army had made arrangements to evacuate
the country, saw nothing before me but
the destruction Of the best part Of the
Mississippi squadron.
There seems 10 have been an especial
Providence looking out for US in proYi-
ding a man equal to the emergency.
Lieut.. Col. Bailey, Acting Engineer OF
the Nineteenth Army Corps, proposed a
plan of building i series Of daias across
the rocks Al the falls, and missing the
water high enough to let the vessels pass
over. This proposition looked like mad
ness, and the best engineers ridiculsd it;
but Col. Bailey was SO sanguine Of sue
cess that requested Gen. Banks to have
it done, aud he entered hartiiy in the
work. Provisions Wero short, and forage
was almost out, and the dam was prom
ised to be finished in ten days, or the ar
my would have to leave Us. I was doubt
full about the time, but had no doubt
about the ultimate success, if time would
only permit. Gen. Banks placed at the
disposal of Col. Bailey all the force he
required, consisting of some three thou
sand men and two or three hundred wag-
ons. All the neighboring steam mills
were torn down for lnaterial-tBo or three
regiments of Maine men were set at work
Telling trees, and on the second day after
my arrival in Alexandria from Grand
Ecore, the work had fairly begun. Trees
were falling with great rapidity, teams
we're moving in all directions, bringing
in brick and stone; duartios we're open
ed; fiat boats we're built to bring stone
down from above, and every man seemed
to be working with vigor 1 have seldom
seen equalled, while-perhaps not one in
fifty believed in the success Of tie under
taking.
These falls are about a mile in length
filed with rugged rocks, over which al
the present stage Of water it seemed tc
be impossible to make cha1uel.
The work was commenced by running
out from the left bank of the river tres
dam, made of the bodies of very large
trees, brush. brick and stone, cross TIED
with heavy timber, and strong thened ii
every way which ingenuity could devise
. This was run out about three hundred
( feet into the river; four large coal barge:
we're then filed with brick aud sunk a
the end Of it. From the right bank 0
the river, cribs filed with stone were
built out to meet the barges, all of whicl
was successfully accomplished, notwith
standing there was current running 0.
nine miles an hour, which threatened tt
sweep everything before it.
1t will take too much time to enter int
the details Of this truly wonderful work
suffice it to say that the dam had nsarl.
reached completion in eight days work
ing time, and the water had risen sufi
oiently on the upper falls 20 allow til,
Fort Hindman, Usage and Neosho to sc
down and be ready to pass the dam. i
another day it would have been high en-
ough to enable all the other vessels t.
pass the upper falls. Unfortunately, OIL
the morning of the 9th inst, the press
ure of water became so great that !
swept away two Of the stone barges vhicl