St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1913-10-18
THE CAPTURE or THE INDIANOLA, IN 1868
And the Share An opelousas Boy Had in 1t.

seemed to be three vessels.
Here was something we could
not account for and was truly
alarming, for it was beginning to
look as if we had an enemy fore
and aft. Relief came in a short
time, when we discerned the
Confederate flag. The neWcom-
ers proved to be the revenue
cutter Webb, the recently cap
tured Queen of the West, and a
tender, the Grand Era, under
command of Major Brent, chief
of ordance Ct believe) on Gen.
Dick Taylor's staff. AS well as
| now remember, this was about
Eel. q. After consultation with
our new friends it was determin-
to move On up the river and get
as near as possible to the enemy
during the darkest part of the
night, the plan being for the
Webb and Queen of the West to
try to pass the enemy, get above
her to get the benefit of the cur
rent and ram, while the Doctor
Baty was to confne her atten-
ton to the portfolios with. her
sharpshooters. On approaching
the Indianola, the lights from
the Grand Era attracted her at
tention and we called forth her
first shot. This evidently gave
the Webb and the Queen the op-
portunity to get above her I'M
seen, when, with the benefit Of a
strong current, they each in turn
struck her a powerful blow,
which charge was repeated a
second and perhaps a third time.
The lndianola being so much oc-
cupied with the Webb and Queen
both of which were badly dam
aged from the effects of ramming
and one Or two shots from the
guns of the Indianola, gave the
Doctor Baty the chance to get
within rife range of her port
holes from which she never fired
another shot. The grape and
canister from our brass pieces
and the balls from $50 MISSISSIPPI
pi rifles, equally assigned to each
portfolio, made it too hot to at
tempt to open them. In a very
short time we were alongside, and
Capt. Kearney jumped on her
bow with graphing hooks in a
vain effort to hold her, while
Col. Brand and the writer leaped
to her deck and received the
surrender from Lieut.. Comman-
der George Brown, who handed
to Col. Brand his sword, which
sword, I am told, is still in pos
session of his daughter Anna,
who I believe is now Mrs. Menge
of New Orleans. So to Col.
Brand and his BOG daredevils be-
longs the honor and credit Of
the capture of the Indianoia, for
without t e she would
never have been t a e n,
and the g gallant Webb
and Queen would soon have
found a watery grave.
Should any survivor of the
Doctor Baty expedition chance
to see this article, I would be
much pleased to have his opin-
ion of the correctness Of the
facts herein stated.
The Indianola was towed from
the west bank of the river,
where she was surprised and
captured, across the river to
Davis Island, where she sank in
shallow water. The writer was
a party to the blowing up of the
forward easement and t W o
heaviest guns and rolling the
two aft guns into the river, from
which place they were after
wards recovered by the Confed-
crates.
At the Chicago Worlds Fair
the writer had the pleasure Of
m e Lieut.. Commander
Brown, then a retired admiral,
and in discussing our war ex-
periences generally he recog-
nized the facts Of the Indianola
episode as stated by me and ad-
mitted their correctness.
L. S. KING.
Eden, Miss, Sept. II, 1913.