THE CONFEDERATE IRONCLAD “LOUISIANA.”
On the way to Fort St. Philip.
CHARLES F. MCINTOSH, C. S. N.
Commander of the “ Louisiana.”
At 2 o’clock on the morning of the 24th two red lights were hoisted at the peak of the flag-ship as a signal to get under way. All hands had been on deck since midnight to see that everything about the deck and guns was ready for action, and when the decks were wet down and sanded, it really began to look as if we were going to have some pretty hot business on our hands. The anchor was hove up with as little noise as possible, and at half-past 2 we steamed off, following the Hartford toward the entrance to the opening which had been made in the obstructions. The Confederates opened fire about 3 o’clock, when the advance division came in sight and range of the forts, and as we passed ahead of the mortar-vessels we also came in range ; but the forts were so far ahead that we could not bring our broadside guns to bear. For twenty minutes we stood silent beside the guns, with the shot and shell from Forts St. Philip and Jackson passing over us and bursting everywhere in the air. As we came to the obstruction the water-batterv on the Fort Jackson side opened a most destructive fire, and here the Brooklyn received her first shot. We gave the water-battery a broadside of grape. With our own smoke and the smoke from the vessels immediately ahead, it was impossible to direct the ship, so that we missed the opening between hulks and brought up on the chain. We dropped back and tried again; this time the chain broke, but we swung alongside of one of the hulks, and the stream-anchor, hanging on the starboard quarter, caught, tore along the hulk, and then parted its lashings. The cable secured us just where the Confederates had the range of their guns, but somebody ran up with an ax and cut the hawser, and we began to steam up the river. A few moments laterthere was a sudden jar, and the engines stopped. The propeller had no doubt struck some hard object, but no one knew the cause of the stoppage; and as Craven called out, “ Stand by the starboard anchor,” and a fatal pause under the enemy’s fire seemed imminent, a thrill of alarm ran through the ship. The alarm was groundless, however, as no injury was done, and presently the engines started again, and the ship moved on.
EXPLOSION OF THE CONFEDERATE IRONCLAD, “LOUISIANA.”
THE “BROOKLYN” AT THE PASSAGE OF THE PORTS.
BY COMMANDER JOHN RUSSELL BARTLETT, U. S. N.
An officer of tlie “Brooklyn” in tlie action described.
. . . The present article is intended merely as a personal narrative of the passage of the forts as seen from the deck of the Brooklyn. This vessel was a flush-deck sloop-of-war, carrying 22 9-inch guns, 1 80-pounder Dahlgren rifle, and 1 30-pounder Parrott rifle. A small poop-deck extended about fifteen feet from the taffrail, and under this were the steering-wheel and binnacles. I was a midshipman on board doing lieutenant’s duty, having charge of a regular watch and in command of a division of guns. My division consisted of 4 guns (2 guns’ crews) at the after end of the ship. The guns were numbered in pairs 10 and 11. The No. 11 gun on the starboard side was shifted over to the port side under the poop-deck, and both the No. 11 guns were manned by the marines. It was expected that our principal work would be with our port battery directed against Fort Jackson on the right bank. My two crews manned the No. 10 gun on each side, and also prepared to man the 30-pounder on the poop if occasion should require. On each side of the poop there was a ladder to the main deck. While steaming up to the hulks and until it was necessary for me to be at my guns, I stood on the port ladder with my head above the rail, where I could watch our approach to the forts, and I mounted this ladder several times to see what was going on as we advanced.
On the poop were Captain Craven, Midshipman John Anderson, who had volunteered a few days before from the Montgomery, which did not take part in the action, Captain’s Clerk J. G-. Swift, afterward a graduate of West Point and a lieutenant in the army, and two quartermasters. There was a small piece of ratline stuff carried around the poop, about waist-high. Captain Craven stood at the forward edge of the poop with his hands on this line, and did not move during the whole passage.
I had the good fortune during the war to serve with many brave commanders, but I have never met in the service, or out of it, a man of such consummate coolness, such perfect apparent indifference to danger as Admiral Craven. As I write, I hear the sad news of his death.
character I could not make out were moving back and forth from one shore to the other. This looked serious, for such a force, if properly handled, was superior to mine; and I had to provide immediately against contingencies. There were now seven efficient gun-boats under my command, and I at once prepared them to meet the enemy. My plan was to get as many of my vessels as possible alongside of the Louisiana, each one to make fast to her, let go two anchors, and then “fight it out on that line.”
Meantime Farragut was speeding on his way up the river with all his fleet except the Mississippi and one or two small gun-boats, which were left to guard the lazaretto. On his way up the flag-officer encountered more Confederate batteries at Chal-mette, the place made famous by the battle of January 8th, 1815. . . .
Farragut made short work of them, however, and our fleet, meeting with no further resistance, passed on and anchored before New Orleans. . . .
ing. Tlie novel conception, which proved entirely inefficient, was that right in the center section of the vessel there was a large well in which worked the two wheels, one immediately forward of the other. I suppose they were so placed to he protected from the enemy’s Are. The machinery of these two wheels was in order when my father, Commodore W. C. Whittle, the naval commanding officer at New Orleans, against his better judgment, was compelled to send the vessel down to the forts. The vessel left New Orleans on the 20th of April, I think. The work on the propellers was incomplete, the machinists and mechanics being still on board, and most of the guns were not mounted. The center wheels were started, but were entirely inefficient, and, as we were drifting helplessly down the stream, tow-boats had to be called to take us down to the point about half a mile above Fort St. Philip, on the left side of the river, where we tied up to the bank with our bow down-stream. Thus, as Farragut’s fleet came up and passed, we could only use our bow-guns and the starboard broadside. Moreover, the port-holes for our guns were entirely faulty, not allowingroom to train the guns either laterally or in elevation. I had practical experience of this fact, for I had immediate charge of the bow division when a vessel of Admiral Farragut’s fleet got across our stem, and I could only Are through and through her at point-blank instead of depressing my guns and sinking her.”
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THE PLAN OF THE “LOUISIANA.״*
After a sketch made by commander J. K. Mitchell, about the time of the engagement.
A A, Bulkhead around wheels.	B B, Guns used in action.
bank and drifted below the forts, where she blew up and sank.
Previous to this a kind of guerrilla warfare had been carried on, and most of the enemy’s river-boats had been run ashore or otherwise destroyed, while the Varuna lay sunk at the bank with two of her adversaries wrecked beside her, a monument to the gallantry of Commander Boggs.
When the fleet had passed the forts, and there was no longer any necessity for me to hold my position, I dropped down the river with the steamers to where the mortar-beats were anchored, and gave the signal to cease firing. I knew that our squadron had failed to destroy all of the enemy’s fleet. The ironclad Louisiana lay at the bank apparently uninjured, the McRae was at anchor close to Fort Jackson, and three other vessels whose
*Mr. William C. Whittle, who was third lieutenant on the Louisiana during the contest against Farragut’s fleet in the Mississippi, has sent to the Editors the following statement concerning her armament:
“ The hull of the Louisiana was almost entirely submerged. Upon this were built her heavy upper works, intended to contain her battery, machinery, etc. This extended to within about twenty-live feet of her stem and stern, leaving a little deck forward and aft, nearly even with the water, and surrounded by a slight bulwark. The structure on the hull had its ends and sides inclined inward and upward from the hull, at an angle of about forty-live degrees, and covered with T railroad iron, the lower layer being firmly bolted to the woodwork, and the upper layer driven into it from the end so as to form a nearly solid plate and a somewhat smooth surface. This plating resisted the projectiles of Farra-gut’s fleet (none of which perforated our side), although one of his largest ships lay across and touching our stem, and in that position fired her heavy guns. Above this structure was an open deck which was surrounded by a sheet-iron bulwark about four feet high, which was intended as a protection against sharp-shooters and small arms, but was entirely inefficient, as the death of our gallant commander, McIntosh, and those who fell around him, goes to !!rove. The plan for propelling the Louisiana was novel and abortive. She had two propellers aft, which we never had an opportunity of test-
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