The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1914-12-31
SAVED The FLEET.
Brilliant Exploit of a Brainy Wis
C0nSin Lumberman.
A BIT OF WAR TIME STRATEGY

In the spring of 1864 a Wisconsin
lumberman by q brilliant exploit saved
the Red river feet of the Mississippi
squadron from destruction. To thwart
the intrigues of Napoleon I'LL, who had
sent a French army into Mexico, the
federal government desired to gain a
strong military foothold in Texas. To
this end it was planned to send an
army and fleet into interior Texas by
way Of the Red river, which was
navigable only in the spring.
The army under General Banks. sup
ported by Admiral Porter's fleet Of
gunboats, began the ascent Of the riv-
er. But matters went badly almost
from the beginning. The leaders quar-
relied among themselves, the prepare
tons made were inadequate, and.
worst of all, the Red river suddenly
began to fall, when by all presidents
it should have risen. Admiral Porter,
fearful that his feet would be caught
in the shadows, hurriedly descended
the stream, and the army, already saw
agely handled by the opposing Confed-
crate force, followed after.
At Alexandria, in central Louisiana.
the retreating federals found them
selves face to face with crisis. At
this point the Red river is broken by
a mile of rapids; the stream had fallen
so quickly that the gunboats could
no longer navigate the channel. The
water was but three feet four inches.
at least seven feet. Here was indeed
a desperate situation--the army far
from it's source Of supplies. the victori-
GUS enemy pressing in hot pursuit.
and the 100000 fleet marooned by
falling water. 1t seemed to almost
was to blow up the vessels.
But Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Bailey
Of the Fourth Wisconsin, who was
serving at the time as acting engineer
of the Nineteenth army corps, came
forward with plan for bringing the
ironclads to safety. 1t was to raise
the level of the water above the rapids
by constructing a great dam across
the river. When a sufficient depth of
water had accumulated he proposed to
break the dam in the center, thus fore
ing the vessels with the outrushing
food through the shadows and into
the deep water below. Before the war
Colonel Bailey had been a lumberman
and had often seen this scheme en-
ployed in the Wisconsin pineries to
Gift" stranded RATS Of logs to safety.
The project was at first received with
ridicule by Colonel Bailey's superiors.
1t was declared impossible of achieve
ment by the best engineers In the
army.
But there was nothing else to be
done, and at length the Wisconsin
lumberman was obviously granted per-
mission to put his project to the proof.
His first step was to requisftion de-
tachments Of ''pinery boys" from the
Twenty-third and Twenty-ninth Wis
consin regiments, who understood what
was to be done and how to go about 1t.
In all 5000 men were employed In
the enterprise. Hundreds Of men were
set to telling trees, other hundreds toll
ed in the quarries that were opened
for the occasion, and two or three hun
dred wagons were engaged in the es-
sential work Of transporting the ma
terials for the dam. Up to their necks
In the swift current, which swept over
the rapids at the rate of nine miles an
hour, under the blistering southern
sun, the men toiled.
At the end of eight days the river
was sufficiently high to permit three
of the lighter gunboats to pass the
upper falls, where they had been held.
and come down to a position immedi-
ately above the dam, ready to pass
the lower rapids. One more day and
the dam would be high enough to per-
NIT all to come down In readiness for
the final attempt.
On the morning Of the ninth day.
however, the steadily increasing pres
sure Of the water caused two OF the
stone barges in the middle Of the
dam to swing aside, and through the
opening thus created the accumulated
torrent swirled. The three lighter YES
sells that were in position to make the
passage, together with fourth that
had meanwhile come up. promptly took
advantage of the break and, passing
the remaining rapids on the food tide,
safely reached the deeper waters be-
low.
Somewhat encouraged by the escape
of at least four of the vessels, the men
bravely set about repairing the dam
age that had been done. Within three
days the break had been closed and In
addition two wing dams constructed
on the upper falls. The remaining
gunboats, somewhat lifted by the back
water Of the wing dams, were now
hauled over the upper falls, and on
May IL, amid the tumultuOus cheers OF
10000 soldiers lined up along the shore.
made the perilous passage over the
lower falls to the deep water below.
On June II, 1864, congress adopted
a resolution of thanks to Lieutenant
Colonel Bailey. A few months later
the officers of Admiral Pcrter's feet
presented him with beautiful sword
and loving cup, and before the year
was over he had been promoted by
order of the war department to the
rank Of brevet brigadier general
Frederick Merk.