The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1914-10-16
SAVED THE FLEEt.
AilIiant Exploit Of a BrailB Wis
Consin LumbermsM.
A BIT OF WAR TIME STRATEGY

In the spring of 1864 a Wisconsin
lumberman byJa brillialst exploit saved
the Red riveF feet of the Mississippi
squadron FROM destruction. To thwart
the intrigueY Of Napoleon Ill, who had
sent a FreHch 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 feet into interior Texas by
way off the Red river. which was
navigable only in the spring.
The army under General Banks, sup
ported by Admiral Porter's fleet of
gunboafs. 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 fleet would be caught
in the shadows, hurriedly descended
the stream, apd the army, already saw
ageiy handled by the opposing Confed-
crate force. followed after.
at Alexandra, in central Louisiana,
the retreating federals found them
selves face to face with crisis. At
this point the Red river is broken by
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,
whereas Porter's larger gunboats drew
at least seven feet. Here was indeed
desperate situation-t the army far
from its source Of supplies, the victori-
GUS enemy pressing in hot pursuit,
and the 100000 feet marooned by
falling water. 1t seemed to almost
every one that the only course open
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 great dam across
the river. When 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 lumberman
and had often seen this scheme en-
ployed in the Wisconsin pineries to
lift stranded RATS of logs to safety.
The project was at first received with
ridicule by Colonel Bailey's superiors-
It 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 requisition de-
tachments of 'pinery boys" from the
Twenty-third and Twenty-ninthN Wis
cousin regiments, who understood what
was to be done and how to go about it.
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
.h01f, under the blistering southern
sun, the men toiled.
at the end of eight days the river
wa sufficiently high to permit three
OF the lighter gunboats to pass the
upper falls, where they had been held.
and come down to position immedi-
ate1y 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
y May II, 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 IL. 1864. congress adopted