The Washington herald., 1914-03-14

, Gen. smith. an old army officer, was
not the kind TO allow the navy to do
ali the work. He was determined that
his men should at least share the hon.
ors. So il had been agreed that he
should land at Simsport, on the Atcha-
falaya. and march to the rear of the
fort IL was expected that the naval
vessels would clear the river in time
TO participate in a joint attack on Fort
De Russy.
The Federal infantry had landed on
the morning of March 13 and bivouack-
ed for the night four miles out on the
Fort De Russy road. They were in
motion the next morning at . o'clock.
Passing through Mansura and Marks
Vile, the Federals arrived within
short distance of the fort about 4 p.
m. Gen. Smith posted Gen. T. Kilby
Smiths provisional division of the Sew
enteenth Corps to watch the rear. and
sent Gen. ]. A. Mower, with the Six
teenth Corps. together with the Third
and Ninth Indiana Light Batteries,
against the works.
For nearly two hours there was a
ste1dy exchange of fire, as the FEEDER
ais came up into position. The Con-
federate cannon were poorly placed for
effective work against a land attack,
and soon were silenced.
At dusk Gen. Mower ordered the fort
to be carried ~ assault. The First and
Second Brigades of the Third Division.
Sixteenth Corps. were picked for the
work. They were commanded respec-
lively by Col. William F. Lynch, of the
Fifty-eighth illinois Regiment and Col
William T. Shaw, of the Fourteenth
Iowa.
Under cover CT heavy fire these
troops dashed across the open ground
in front OF The works with a yell that
drowned the crash of the enemy's mus
kerry" and within a few minutes were
engaged in a hand-to-hand encounter
with the Confederates. But the defense
of De Russy was half-hearted.
In twenty minutes the fort was in pos
session of the Federals. Prisoners to the
number of %l9 were taken, together with
ten guns and n large quantity of ammu-
milton. Two of :he captured guns-9-inch
Dahlgrens-had been captured by the
Confederates. One was from the ironclad
Indianola and the other from the gun
boat Harriet Lane, the last named vessel
having been captured at Galveston.
The Federal loss in the attack was
three killed and thirty-five wounded.
Shortly after the fort was captured the
vessels of Porters fleet and the trans
ports came around a bend in the river.
The men on board them had heard the
heavy firing md had hoped to participate
in the engagement. but delay in clearing
the river had prevented them from COM
ing up in time.
The barrier. however. had not proved
as formidable as first supposed. Ropes
had been tied about the piles and a turn
or two at the wInd1ass did the rest. The
piles drifted down stream into the Mis-
sissippi and doubtless on to New Orleans.
Finding the fort in the hands of the
army. the gunboats turned their attention
to the raft which blocked the stream |
opposite De Russy. This, too, proved !
deceptive. for it was easily pushed aside |
when two or three of the ironclads put |
their stems against it and plowed ahead |
under full steam.
The Red River now was open to Alex |
andria. twenty-five miles upstream from |
Fort De Russy. The next morning the 1
bulk of the Federals were to board the
and start up the river, leaving
4 force to destroy the fort.
Tomorrow-NavaI Vessels at AIexan-
Copyright, Islil