The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-23
ANNALS OF THE WAR.
THE COMMANDMENT OF FONTS Jack
SON AND ST. PHILIP.
How Farraguts Fleet Came UP the River.
BY AN Ex-oFFICER 6. S. A.

1
the bombardment and passageo Of Forts jack
son and st. Philip by the Federal feet, under
Com. Farragut, in the month of April, 1862,
written by g. f. Hollingswortb, at the time
an officer on one Of the United States ships,
was reminded of the fact that no circum-
stantial report Of that action, from Con1ed-
crate source, has ever been published, except
the official reports of the government at
Richmond. Having been an officer In Fort
jackson during the attack OF the combined
fleets of Farragut and Porter, and having
kept q journal of the events OF each day,
have thought that an abstract OF the same
might prove to be interesting to your readers.
The defense of the forts has been to great
extent misunderstood and misrepresented,
and perhaps o ''plain, unvarnished tale" Of
the circumstances attending it may have the
effect Of dsabusing many minds OF erroneous
and unjust impressions.
FORT JACKSON
Is situated on the right bank of the Mlssissip-
ri. seventy-nine miles below New Orleans,
and on the opposite side of the river is Fort
st. Philip; on these forts the Confederate au-
thorities chiefly depended for the defense OF
the river approach to the city. On these
works there were about ITO guns mounted.
mostly of small ealibre, such as thirty-two
and rty-four-pounders, with half dozen
eight-inch Columbiads- altogether too light
to cope with the nine and eleven-inch Dahl
gren guns, and thirteen-inch mortars, which
formed the armament OF the Federal fleet.
This fact was fully represented to Secretary
Benjamin early in the year 1862, and the abb
solute necessity of furnishing the forts with
heavier guns was repeatedly and strongly
urged upon him, but he turned deaf ear to
all opportunities, whether made by the mill
tary authorities here or by committees Of our
citizens, asserting with great confidence that
the forts in the condition they were in, could
stop any fleet that might attempt to ascend
the river. Great stress was laid on the fast
that in 1915 Fort st. Philip alone was able to
successfully resist the passage of the river by
the English squadron; but the War Secretary
did not bear In mind that the British had
none other but sailing vessels, while the Fed
eral feet then assem- bled at the head OF the
passes consisted of twenty-one swift and
powerfully armed steamers, besides twenty
one mortar vessels. Despairing OF obtaining
timely assistance from the general govern
ment the Confederate authorities in Louisiana,
the Governor Of the State, and the citizens of
New Orleans went heartily to work to prepare,
to the extent of their ability, for the
DEFENSE OF THE CITY.
Money was lavishly subscribed; eighty ten
inch Columbiads were ordered to be cast at
the several foundries; a number OF steam
ships and towboats were converted into war
steamers, protected by bulkheads formed Of
cotton bales; the construction of two large
iron-clads was commenced. But, unfortu-
nately we had relied too much and too long
upon getting assistance from the govern
ment, and these preparations could not be
contaminated before the attack commenced.
The heavy guns were never finished; the
cotton-cl boats, of which great expecta-
tions had been formed, proved to be no
matches for the Federal war steamers, and
were, with two exceptions, knocked into a
cooked hat or set on fire in few minutes at
the passage of the forts. OF the two IRON
clads, one was not so far completed as to be
armed, while the other was towed to the
forts, where she could only be used during
the bombardment as o floating battery and
then not effectively
In the month OF February
RAFT
was built extending across the river, some
three hundred yards below Fort jackson, I'M
der the direction of Major Montague; it was
constructed OF logs, strongly chained to-
gether in sections, each section held in its
place by an anchor Under ordinary circum-
stances this obstruction would have answer
ed the purpose for which it was constructed,
to prevent the enemy'S vessels from running
past the forts; but it unfortunately happened
thai the river during this season rose to an
unwonted height, the current was thereby
greatly apnaipr1tpd end nf
drift wood were floated down against the raft,
which, though every effort was made to re-
Iieve 1t of this immense pressure, was swept
from it's moorings and carried through the
obstruction was soon formed, consisting OF a
line OF schooners anchored at short intervals
with bows up stream, and thoroughly chained
together amidships, as well as by stem and
stern. The running rigging, ratings and
cables were left TO trail astern of these
schooners, as an additional impeachment to
tangle in the propeller wheels OF the enemy's
vessels. This obstruction also proved inef-
fectual, as will be seen further on in this mar
rative.
Pensacola having been evacuated by the
Confederate army under Gen. Bragg,
GEN. ]. K. DUNCAN,
commanding the coast defenses OF this de-
partment, sent his brother, Major w. ?.
duncan, TO that place, with Instructions to
take possession of any pieces of heavy ord
nance that might be found remaining there
unappropriated. BY this means three ten
inch Columbiads, three eight-inch Columbiads,
one torty-two FOUNDER rifle guu and five sea-
coast mortars were obtained. These with
one seven-ineh Brook rifle gun, borrowed
from the naval authorities, were the only ad-
ditions made to the armament OF the forts.
The garrison at Fort jackson was most I'M
comfortably situated, the high stage Of water
in the river, and the continued prevalence of
easterly gales having caused the water to rise
IN the fort, submerging a considerable por |
ton of the parade plein and the floors OF sew |
erai OF the classmates to the depth OF from
ten to fifteen inches. In mounting guns,
building traverses of sand bags, etc, the men
We're worked by relefs, day and night, and by
the thirteenth of April everything had been
zone, with the limited amount OF material ut
nano, which human energy and skill could
accomplish to prepare the forts for
THE COMING CONFLICT. /
A large number of RATS loaded with fat
pine wood, saturated with turpentine and COW
cred with tar, were brought down from the |