The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-12-08

Running short of water while living
on the river mouth, the officers Of Tho
Meet sent out boat to procure a SUD
ply. This boat was armed with 8
swiyeland muskets, and was command
| ed BY Midshipman Luffborough. The
boat went into the mouth of the river
and seeing a negro on shore, Midship-
man Luff borough landed to ask fol
iresh-water supplies. Garcon with some
OF ms men lay IN ambush at the spot,
and while the officer talked with the
negro the concealed men fred upon the
| boat, killing Luf borough and two Of
his men. One man got away by swim.
ming, and was picked up by the feet
TWO others were taken prisoners, and
as was afterward learned, Garcon coat.
ed them with tar and burned them te
death. T s
1t would not do to, send more boats
ashore, and so the little squadron Law
together awaiting orders from Colone
Cllnch. That officer, as he approached
the tort, captured negro who wore q
White mans scalp at his belt, and from
him ne learned Of the massacre 81 Luff
borough's party. There was no further
occasion or doubt as to what was to be
done.sa Colonel Clinch determined &c
reduce the fort at any cost, although
the operation promised to be very diff.
ficult one.
Placing his men in line Of battle he
sent courier to the feet. ordering the
'gun-boats to come up and help in the
attack. sThe Seminoles. made, MANY
demonstrations against the works, and
the negroes replied with their cannon.
Garcon had raised his flags-a red one
and British Union jack-and whenev-
er he caught sight of the Indians or the
Americans he shelled them vigorously
with his thirty-two FOUNDER.
Three or four days were passed in this
way. while the gun-boats were SLOWLY
making their way up the river. It was
Colonel .Chnch's purpose to have the
gun boats shell the fort while he should
storm it on the land side. The work
promised to be bloody, and it was nec-
essary to bring all the available force
to bear at once. There were no SIEGE
guns at hand, or anywhere within reach,
and The onlyway toreduce the fort was
for the small force of soldiefs-number-
ing only one'hundred and sixteen men,
70 rush upon it, receiving the fire of its
heavy artillery aud climb over its para
pets in the face Of a murderous fire of
smaltarms. Garcon had with him three
hundred and thirty-four men, so that
besides having strong defensive works
and a1 abundant supply of large, cam
non, his force outnumbered Colonel
Ninch's nearly three to one. It is true
that Colonel Clinch had the band of
Seminoles with him. but they were en-
tirely yaworthless for determined work of
the kind that Colonel Clinch had to do.
Even while lying in the woods at 8
distance. waiting for the gun-boats to
come up the Indians became utterly
demoralized under the fire of Garcon,s
thirty-tWo FOUNDER. There was moth
ing to be done. however, by way of i'm
proving the prospect, which was GER
taialy hopeless enough. One bundled
and sixteen white mem had the Negro
Fort to storm, notwithstanding its
strength and the Overwhelming force
that defended it. But those eone hun
dred and sixteen men were American
soldiers. under command OF a brave
and resolute officer, who had made up
his mind, that the fort could be taken,
and they were prepared to follow their
leader up to the muzzle of the guns and
over the ramparts, there to fight the
question out in a hand-to-hand struggle
with the des peradoes inside ~.m.
: Finally the gdnboats arrived, and
were made for the attack.
MoSfnve Tas, L.
nandant of the little fleet, cast his
anchors under the guns of the Negro
Fort at i've o'clock IN the morning on
The 9th of July, 1885,. The fort at once
opened FIRE, and it seemed impossible
for the little vessels to endure the storm
of shot and she'll that rained upon them
rom the ramparts above. They re-
piled vigorously, however. but with no
effect. Their guns were too small to
make any impression upon the heavy.
,arthen walls oil. the fortress.
Sailing Master Loomis had reused
lis ships cook early that morning, and
lad given him strange breakfast to
.ook. He had ordered himsto make all
he fire he could in his galley, and to fir
he fire with cannon balls. Not long |
Ifter the bombardment began the cook
eported that breakfast was ready; that |
5 TO say. that the cannon balls were red |
lot. Loomis trained one of his guns |
With his, own hands so that, its shot
hould fall within the fort instead of
luryihg itself in the raimparts, and this
,un was at, once loaded with red-hot
hot. The word was given, the match
pplied and the glowing missile sped |
n its way. A few seconds later the
arth shook, and quivered, q deafening
oar stunned the sailors, and a vast |
loud of smoke filed the air. shutting
ut the SUM-. j,
The hot shot had fallen into the great l
1ag gazine, where there were hundreds
I barrels of gunpowder, and the Negro
'ort was no more. It had been liter
lily blown to atoms in q second.
The slaughter was frightful. There
7ere, as we know already, three hum
red and thirty-four men in the fort,
nd two hundred and seventy of them
veres killed outright by the explosion.
ii the rest, except three men who mi
aculously escaped injury. were wound
d, most of them SO badly that they
led soon afterward.
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