The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1912-02-01
Letter from Flag Officer Farragut
U. S. Navy to the Mayor of New Orleans
demanding the surrender of that city:
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U. 5. Navy to the Mayor of New Orleans
demanding the surrender of that city:
| United States Flag Ship Hartford.
Mississippi River, off New Orleans.
April 26, 1862. :
Sir: Upon my arrival before your CITY
l had the honor to send to your honor
Captain Bailey of the U. S. Navy, the
second in command of this expedition, to
demand of you the surrender of New
Orleans to me as the representative of
the Government of the United States.
Captain Bailey reported to me the resu. t
of his interview with yourself and the
military authorities. It must occur to
your honor that it is not within the pro-
vince of Naval officer to assume the
duties of military commandant.
l came here to reduce New Orleans to
obedience to the laws of and to vindicate
the offended majesty of the Government
of the United States. The rights of per-
son and property shall be secure. l
therefore demand of you as its repre-
sentative the unqualified surrender Of
the city, and that the emblem of the
sovereignty of the United States shall
be hoisted over the city hall, mint and
custom house by meridian today, and
that all flags and other emblems of SOW
ereignty other than those Of the United
States shall be removed from all public
buildings by that hour. l particularly
request that you shall exercise your au-
thority to quell disturbance, restore or
der, and to call upon all the good people
OF New Orleans to return at once to
their vocations, and l particularly de-
mand that no person shall be molested in
person or property for the profession of
sentiments of loyalty to their govern
ment. Ishall speedily and severely pun
lsh any person or persons who shall COM
init such outrages as were witnessed
yesterday, armed men firing upon help
less men, women and children for giving
expression to their pleasure at witness,
| ing the old flag. | am very respectfully
your obedient servant.
D. G. FARRAGUT,
Flag Officer West Gulf Squadron.
10 his honor, mayor of New Orleans.
On the morning of April 26, 1862, Flag
Officer Farragut determined to make a
formal demand for the surrender of the
city of Mayor Monroe. So he sent Lieut..
Albert Kautz of the Hartford to deliver
| the above letter to the mayor and at the
same time he had ordered Captain Nor
ris of the Pensacola, which ship lay di-
rectly in front of the U. S. mint, to send
an officer and detachmet of sailors and
marines on shore to hoist the U. S. flag
on that building. The mint being the prop
erty of the United States he deemed it not
proper to wait until the surrender to hoist
the U. S. flag on its own. This was done,
and with what effect will be shown later.
Lieut.. Kautz was accompanied by Mid
shipman John H. Read and marine
guard of twenty men, under the COM
mand of End Lieut.. of Marines, George
Heisler. They landed on the levee in
front of bowling mob. The day before
Captain Bailey had met with a storm of
abuse and contumely, but Lieut.. Kautz
and his little band met with a terrific
cyclone. The river front was packed
with this furious crowd as far as the eye
could reach. 1t was expected that he
would take the marines as a body guard
to escort him to the city hall, and Captain
Farragut had informed Lieut.. Kautz that
if shot was fired at them by the mob
that he would open fire on the city from
every ship in the fleet and level the town
to the ground. Lieut.. K. attempted to
! reason with the mob, but soon found it
impossible. He then drew the troops up
in line in order to clear the way, but did
not accomplish it. He then ordered them
to aim as if to shoot. At this the mob
showed the women and children to the
front and shouted derisively, "Shoot,
you Yankee-sons-of -; shootv' The
provocation was certainly very great,
and Lieut.. K. said that what prevented
him from shooting was the utter absence
of responsibility in the faces of the mob.
Fortunately at this critical moment he
sighted an officer of the city guards,
whom he hailed and told him that he had
communication from the flag officer to
the mayor and wished to be conducted to
his Office. This officer begged him to
leave the marines on the levee, for he
felt sure that to march them through the
streets at that time would provoke con-
fict. AS the order of Lieut.. Kautz
was to communicate with the mayor
without the shedding of blood, if pos
sible, he ordered the marines back to the
ship, retaining one nom commissioned Off
GER with a musket. He tied his hand
kerchief to the bayonet of this musk ct
as flag of truce and this man leading
off, Lieut.. Kautz and Midshipman Read
took up their perilous march to the office
of the mayor. They were cursed and
jostled by the mob, but escaped personal
violence. They found the mayor and his
council at the city hall; also Hon. Pierre
Soule, fire-eating member of the U. S.
Congress before the war, who doubtless
had been called in as an adviser. The
mayor declined to surrender the city for
mally, but said that as we had the force
we could take possession. There was a
large mob outside the city hall and SC
demonstrative were they that the mayo,
deemed it proper to close the doors after
! the officers had entered to guard then
from insult and perhaps from violence
About the time that these two officers