COMMANDER PORTER RECEIVING CONFEDERATE OFFICERS ON THE “HARRIET LANE.”
BRIGADIER-GENERAL JOHNSON K. DUNCAN, C. S. A.
In command of Forts Jacfcson and St. Philip.
from her stack, and noticing that it was abaft the mainmast, I called to Captain Craven, “It can’t be the Iroquois! It is not one of our vessels, for her smoke-stack is abaft her mainmast!” Captain Craven, however, repeated the order, ‘ ‘ Don’t fire! ” and I obeyed. I was sure it was one of the Confederate gun-boats, but it was my duty to obey orders, and thus the Confederate gun-boat McRae escaped being sunk by the Brooklyn; for the gun had been depressed, and a 9-inch shell would have gone through her deck and out below the waterline.
Just after leaving Fort St. Philip a shot came in on the starboard quarter and went across the deck, taking off a marine’s head and wounding three other men. Lieutenant Lowry came along about this time, and I heard him report to Captain Craven that Lieutenant O’Kane had been wounded. Craven directed him to put me in charge of the First Division, to which Lowry answered:
“I sent poor Bartlett down below half an hour ago cut in two.”
“Oh, no, you did not,” said Craven; “he is on deck close to you.”
Lowry turned and was as much surprised as if he had seen a ghost, and told me to run forward and take charge of the First Division. There had been terrible havoc here. The powder-man of the pivot-gun had been struck by a shell, which exploded and blew him literally to atoms, and parts of his body were scattered all over the forecastle. ... It was now almost daylight, and we could see the crews of the deserted boats running for cover to the woods a little way back. Shortly after,, the Brooklyn came up with the other vessels and anchored near a point where there had been an encampment of troops. They only remained long enough to land and bury the dead. The commanding officers assembled on board the Hartford to offer their congratulations to the flag-officer. . . .
over, and tumble into the water, but did not know at the moment what caused his sudden disappearance, until I asked the quartermaster, who was leadsman in the chains, if he had seen him fall.
“Why, yes, sir,” said he, “I saw him fall overboard,—in fact, I helped him; for I hit him alongside of the head with my hand-lead.”
No guns were fired at the ram from the starboard battery; all the crews a moment before had been at the port guns. As the Manassas drifted by I ran up on the poop, calling the gun’s crew with me, to see if I could hit her with the 30-pounder Parrott, but we were unable to depress it sufficiently, at its high elevation, to bring it to bear before she was lost to sight in the smoke. The shot which she had fired came through the chain and planking, above the berth-deck, through a pile of rigging placed against the ship’s side, and just entered the sand-bags placed to protect the steamdrum.
A few moments after this incident a vessel passed on our starboard side, not ten feet from us, and I could see through the port the men loading a pivot-gun. She was directly abreast of No. 10 gun and I took the lock-string to fire, when a cry came from on board the vessel, “Don’t fire, it is the Iroquois! ” At the same moment, Lieutenant Lowry also shouted from near the mainmast, “Don’t fire!” Seeing the black smoke pouring
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fuses were cut to bum one second. As she approached, Craven gave the vessel a sheer to starboard, and we began with No. 1 gun, the guns aft following in quick succession, the shells bursting almost immediately as they left the guns. There was a rush of steam, shrieks from the people on board the steamer, and, when it came time for my No. 10 gun to fire, the steamer was lost in the smoke. This was the only one of the river flotilla which we encountered or fired into. Just after our engagement with this steamer, a column of black smoke, which came from the dreaded Manassas, was seen on the starboard side, and the cry was passed along by men who were looking out of the ports, “ The ram, the ram! ” Craven called out, ‘ ‘ Give her four bells! Put your helm hard-a-starboard!” Then I saw the smoke-stacks of the Manassas and the flash from her gun, and the next moment I was nearly thrown on the ^deck by the concussion, caused by her striking us just amidships. The ram was going full speed but against the current, and, with our helm to starboard, the blow was not at right angles to our keel, though nearly so. I ran to the No. 10 port, the gun being in, and looked out, and saw her almost directly alongside. A man came out of her little hatch aft, and ran forward along the port side of the deck, as far as the smoke-stacks, placed his hand against one, and looked to see what damage the ram had done. I saw him turn, fall
COMMANDER JOHN K. MITCHELL, C. S. N.
In command of the Confederate Naval Forces.
of the first division, in the leg. He fell to the deck, but would not allow himself to be carried below until he had himself fired two of the broadside guns into Fort St. Philip. But the most uncomfortable position on board the ship, during this part of the engagement, wasthatofthequartermas-ter, Thomas Hollins, who stood in the starboard main chains, heaving the lead and calling out the soundings. The outside of the ship near him was completely peppered with bullets, and the flames from the enemy’s guns seemed almost to reach him; still he stood coolly at his post, and when abreast of the fort he was heard calling out, “ Only thirteen feet, sir.”
As we passed clear of Fort St. Philip, Captain Craven gave orders to load the starboard battery with solid shot. He had seen the ironclad Louisiana moored just above the fort. She gave us one or two shots, but when we came directly abeam of her, she closed her port shutters and received our broadside. We could hear our shot strike against her iron sides. We gave but one broadside and then sheered out into the river. A 9-inch shell, fired by the Louisiana, struck the Brooklyn about a foot above the water-line, on the starboard side of the cutwater, near the wood ends, forced its way for three feet through the dead-wood and timbers, and remained there. At New Orleans this shot was cut out, and it was found that in their hurry the gunners had neglected to remove the lead patch from the fuse, so that the shell did not explode. Had it done so it would have blown the whole bow off, and the Brooklyn would have gone to the bottom.
As we swung out into the current and steamed up the river, we began to see the vessels ahead fighting with the Confederate gun-boats, and a few moments later the cry came aft, “A steamer coming down on our port bow.” We could see two smoke-stacks and the black smoke from them. I took a look from the poop ladder, and saw a good-sized river steamer coming down on us, crowded with men on her forward deck, as if ready to board. The order had already been given, “ Stand by to repel boarders,” and to load with shrapnel; the