Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-02-25
Capture Of the IndlanoIa.

The following account of the
capture Of the iron gunboat In
dlanola by the expedition under
the command of Major J. L. Brent,
10 from General Dick Taylor's "De.
struction and Reconstruction" and
will be read with interest by the
many. friends of Major Brent in
this section:
Msjor Brent took command Of
the expedition, with Captain Nc
CIoskey, staff quartermaster, on
the Queen, and Charles Fierce, .
brave mboatman, ON the Webb.
On the 18th OF February Brent
went down to De Russy with the
Queen, mechanics still working on
repairs, and there called for volun-
teer crews from the garrison. These
were furnished at once, sixty for
the Webb under Lieutenant Han.
DIV, seventy for the Queen, on
which boat Brent remained. There
were five and twenty more than
desired; but, In their eagerness to
20, many Texans and Louislanians
smHggled themselves on board.
The fighting part OF the expedition
was soon ready, but there was diff
6culty about stokere. Some plant.
ers from the upper Red River had
brought down their slaves to De
Russy to labor on earthworks, but
they positively refused to furnish
stokers for the boats. 1t was . Gu.
rious feature of the war that the
Southern people would cheeriully
send their sons to battle, but kept
their slaves out Of danger. Having
exhausted his powers Of persuasion
t. no purpose, Major Brent
threw some men ashore, surround
ed q gang Of negroes at work, cap.
tured the number necessary, and
departed. A famous din was made
by the planters, and continued un.
til their negroes were safely re-
turned.
In the night of the 22d Of Feb.
ruary the expedition, followed by
q tender, entered the Mississippi,
and met a stea mer from Port Hud-
son, with two hundred men, sent
up by General Gardiner to destroy
the Queen Of the West, the capture
OF which was unknown. This, q
frail river boat without protection
for her boilers, could be of no serv.
Ice; but she followed Brent up the
river, keeping company with his
tender. On the 23d Natchez was
reached, and here the formidable
character Of the Indianola was as
oertained. While steaming up
river in search OF the enemy, the
crews were exercised ut the guns,
the discharge OF which set fire to
the cotton protecting the boilers Of
the Queen. This was extinguished
with difficulty, and showed an adj
ditional danger. to be guarded
against by wetting the cotton
thoroughly. Arrived In the after
noon of the Gath at point sixty
miles below Vicksburg, Brent
learned that the Indianola was but
q short distance ahead, with a coal
barge dashed on each side. he de.
termined to attack in the night, to
diminieh the chances OF the enc.
my's fire. 1t was certain that q
shell from one of the eleven or
nine-inch guns would destroy
either of his boats.
At 10 P. NJ. the Indianola was
seen near the western shore, some
thousand yards distant, and the
Queen, followed by the Webb, was
driven with full head of steam d.
rectly upon her, both boats having
their llghts obscured. The mOmen.
tum Of the Queen was 90 great a.
to cut through the coal barge and
indent the iron plates Of the In
disnola, disabling by the shock the
engine that worked her paddlee.
As the Queen backed out the Webb
dashed In at full speed, and tore
away the remaining coal barge.
Both the forward guns fred at the
Webb, but missed her. Returning
to the charge, the Queen struck the
Indianola abaft the paddle-box,
crushing her frame and loosening
some plates OF armor, but received
the fire of the guns from the rear
casemates. One shot carried away
dozen bales Of cotton on the
right side; the other, q shell, en-.
tered the forward port.hole on the
left and exploded, killing six men
and disabling two field pieces.
Again the Webb followed the
Queen, struck near the same spot,
pushing aside the iron plates and
crushing timbers. Voices from the
Indiano,a announced the surren-
der, and that che was sinking. AS
she was near the western shore,
| not far below Grants army, Major
Brent lowed her to the opposite
side, then in our possession, where,
some distance from the bank, she
sank on bar. her gun deck above
water