Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-04-20

peaTed to by Captain d. D: Porter, q.
s. ", who had been on blockade duty
in the gulf, to send ships and soldiers
to New Orleans he said: This should
have been done before. The Mfssis-
sippi is the backbone Of the Confed-
eracy."
The plan put down on paper was TO
send at once a Federal feet mounting
200 guns, a powerful mortar fotilla
and an army of 10000 soldiers to rae
the forts at the mouth of the Missis-
sippi. capture New Orleans and fortify
the river bluffs as far up as Vicksburg.
At the same time the ironclad gunboats
hemmed in around st. Louis and Cairo
and never yet under fire would night
their way down the river and unite
forces around Vicksburg.
Captain Porter created out Of raw
materials almost the mortar feet, pc
culiar adjunct of the navy designed to
fight against land forts. The required
vessels were not yet owned by the gov
eminent when the expedition was plan
ned. They were to number twenty,
each carrying a thirteen inch mortar
and two thiTty-two FOUNDER cannon.
The southerners appreciated the
backbone" Importance of the Missis-
sippi for the purpose long before Pres
ident Lincoln coined the term. In
April. 1851, while the business of seiZ-
ing Federal forts on southern soil was
very brisk, they had hoisted the bon
ny blue flag over two old citadels
standing on opposite sides Of the riv-
er below New Orleans. Fort Jackson,
the first above the mouth, was star
shaped fortress, built Of stone and
mounting seventy-four guns, heavy and
light There were strong bomb proofs
and classmates and a citadel Of heavy
masonry, which, in anticipation of some
raiding Farragut, they stored with am
munitiOn and supplies for long siege.
Fort Philip, across the river from Fort
Jackson, was built of stone and brick
and mounted fifty-two guns.
Confederate Defenses.
The best channel up the river from
the bar ran near the west bank under
the guns Of Fort Jackson. This pas
sageway the Confederates blocked
| with a row of old hulks, anchored and
bound together with chain cables.
| Several tugs and steamers fitted out
| for battle during the summer and fall
of 1861 patrolled the river above the
| line of hulks, and farther upstream
| in actual waiting while Farragut was
securing northern harbors for his
ships, lay the new ironclad Louisiana
mounting twelve guns. and the pom
derous whalebacked iron ram Manas
sas. Several converted steamers, cot
ton clad. with heavy bales around
their engines and machinery, complet
| ed the river defense feet. Still an
other ironclad, the Mississippi, was or
the ways and nearly finished.
Farragut reached the army rendez
vous in person Feb. 20, 1862. but no
! until March IS were the war steamer.
assigned to him on the scene.
The feet which finally went into &C
ton consisted of the first class screw
sloops Hartford. Brooklyn. Richmond
1 duu L euSdCOld, tue SeCOuU CldSS SlOOp
Oneida, Varuna and Iroquois, tn,
screw gunboats Cayuga. Itasca, Ka
tahdin. Kennebec. Kineo. PiHola. Scio
ia. Winona and Wissahickon. the sail
ing sloop Portsmouth and the side
wheeler Mississippi.
The Mortars Begin to Shoot.
On the 10th of April the fleet wa
well into the channel. within tire
miles of Fort Jackson. The morta
boats went into hiding on both bank
of the river. curtained or disguised b.
the branches of trees. The range +
Fort Jackson was one mile and hal
and to Fort Philip two miles.
Porter's mortars opened fire upon tn
Confederate forts guarding the chan
Del April 1s The third night Of tn
bombardment the Federal vessels p.
nola and Itasca steamed up the rive
TO sever the line of hulks and chain
stretched ACROSS the stream under tn
guns Of the fort. They We're discoN
cred by the enemy and fred upon.
The Pinola finally dropped astern, bu
the Itasea, under Lieutenant c. II. F