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1864.

latter part of this year. The city of
Mobile, at the head of the bay, thirty
miles from the Gulf, was protected by
a series of redoubts, batteries
and entrenchments, covering the
approaches by land from above and on
either side, while the shallow waters of
the bay rendered defence easy from
below. The city, it was understood,
was garrisoned by a force sufficient to
man the fortifications; but the main

three or four days, boarding all vessels that approached the island. On the 10th of July, she captured the Electric Spark, near our coast, while several vessels were cruising for her, but she escaped, and was next heard from at Teneriffe, on the 4th of August. Subsequently, early in October, she entered Bahia, in the Bay of San Salvador, where she found the U. S. gun boat Wachusett, Commander N. Collins. This latter thought the opportunity dependence against attack was placed too good to be lost, and so, without being too nice in regard to a neutral harbor, he determined to attack the Florida, and either sink her or carry her off. Accordingly, very early on the morning of October 7th, the Wachusett steered for the Florida, striking her on the quarter without doing any great injury. On demand, the cruiser surrendered; a hawser was made fast, the chain shipped, and the vessel towed out to sea. About seventy, including officers, were captured with the Florida, and brought to the United States as prisoners. While the subject of the capture of the Florida and its attend ant circumstances were under discussion between our government and that of Brazil, the vessel was run into, at the close of November, in Hampton Roads, by an army transport and sunk.* Turning from the story of privateers and privateering, we shall now proceed to give some account of naval and military operations in Mobile Bay, during the

The Tallahassee, an English built ship for run

ning the blockade, was fitted out at Wilmington in August, 1864, as a rebel cruiser, and began her depredations along the coast. Numerous vessels started in

search of her, but she succeeded, after getting supplies

at Halifax, in reaching Wilmington again.

in the iron-clad fleet which had been diligently prepared, and which was under the command of Buchanan. This, with the powerful aid of the forts at the mouth of the bay, was relied upon for warding off any assault by sea, and keeping open the communication of the fort by the blockade runners for the much needed supplies from abroad. The rebel fleet was composed of the powerful iron-clad ram, the Tennessee, the iron-clad gun boats Selma, Morgan | and Gaines, and other vessels of lighter construction, suited for harbor defence. There were two avenues of approach to the bay from the Gulf, and both were well guarded by fortifications. The main entrance on the south, by the passage about three miles wide between the eastern extremity of Dauphin Island and Mobile Point, was protected by Fort Morgan on the latter and Fort Gaines on the island; while the other passage from Mississippi Sound on the south-west, known as Grant's Pass, was protected by Fort Powell and a battery and earthworks on the mainland. With these means of defence, and a liberal use of obstructions in the channel, the operations of our fleet had not as vet

CH. XIV.]

RAM TENNESSEE CAPTURED.

481

been productive of any special result ship, were bearing down upon her, deagainst the rebels. It was determined, termined upon her destruction. Her however, at this date, to make a combined movement against Mobile and its defences, by the land and naval forces of the department.

smoke-stack had been shot away, her steering chains were gone, compelling a resort to her relieving tackles; and several of the port-shutters were jammed. Indeed, from the time the Hartford struck her until her surrender, she never fired a gun. As the Ossipee was about to strike her, she hoisted the white flag, and that vessel immediately stopped her engine, though not in time to avoid a glancing blow. During the contest with the rebel gun boats and the ram Tennessee, and which terminated by her surrender at ten o'clock, we lost many more men than from the fire of the batteries of Fort Morgan." The total casualties were about 250; twenty officers, including Buchanan, and about 170 men were captured in the Tennessee, and ninety officers and men in the Selma.

By an arrangement between Gen. Canby and Admiral Farragut, troops were landed on Dauphin Island, and early on the morning of August 5th, Admiral Farragut began the attack with the fleet. Five of the iron-clads were already within the bar, and fourteen others, two and two abreast and lashed together, followed up the main ship channel. About seven o'clock, the fort opened fire, and the action soon be came general. For particulars we must refer to Farragut's report, which is a plain and sensibly written narrative and worthy the reader's attention. It must suffice here to state, that, in an hour's time Fort Morgan was passed, and the great ram, Tennessee, dashed Having attained this great success, out against the Hartford, Farragut's the reduction of the forts was soon afflag-ship. The rebel gun boat Selma ter secured. Fort Powell, protecting was captured, the Gaines was run ashore Grant's Pass, was evacuated and disand destroyed, and the Morgan escaped mantled the night after the naval ento Mobile. Farragut declares the fight gagement, the garrison escaping, but with the ram to have been "one of the leaving all the guns, eighteen in numfiercest naval combats on record;" but ber, in excellent condition for immedi aided by the gun boats and monitors, ate service. Fort Gaines, on Dauphin admirably handled as they were, the Island, after a bombardment by one of Tennessee could not hold out. As the the iron-clads, was unconditionally surold admiral says, looking down upon rendered on the 6th of August. The matters from the main rigging near the articles of capitulation were signed on top, and speaking of the latter part of | board the flag-ship Hartford by Admi the combat, the ram "was at this time ral Farragut and Gen. Granger, on the sore beset; the Chickasaw was pound- part of the Union forces, and by Col. ing away at her stern, the Ossipee was Anderson, the rebel officer in command approaching her at full speed, and the of the post. By this surrender 818 Monongahela, Lackawanna, and this prisoners of war were captured; to

VOL. IV-61.

were one man killed and seven

gether with twenty-six guns and a large
amount of ordnance stores, ammunition, wounded."
supplies, etc.

Fort Morgan still held out, and some two weeks were spent in preparing for its reduction. Powerful batteries were erected on Mobile Point, and at dawn, on the 22d of August, the combined attack began. The fire was steadily kept up during the day from the shore batteries, the monitors and ships inside, and the vessels outside the bay. Between nine and ten in the evening, a shell, from one of the land batteries, exploded in the citadel and set it on fire. The bombardment was kept up slowly but steadily through the night, and again became general with the daylight on the 23d. An hour afterward, at six A.M., a white flag was hoisted in the fort, and at two in the afternoon, the fort was unconditionally surrendered by its commander, R. L. Page.

By this surrender Canby reported: "We have about 600 prisoners, sixty pieces of artillery, and a large quantity of material. In the twelve hours preceding the surrender, about 3,000 shell were thrown into the fort. The citadel and barracks are entirely destroyed, and the works generally much injured. Many of the guns were spiked, the carriages burned, and much of the ammunition destroyed by the rebels. The losses in the army

* Farragut, in his dispatch, contrasts the conduct of Anderson at Fort Gaines with that of Page on this occasion. The former behaved in an honorable manner after the surrender, "whilst Page and his officers, with a childish spite, destroyed guns which they said they would defend to the last, but which they never

The

The city of Mobile, it is true, was not yet captured, but that was comparatively of minor importance. possession of the bay effectually suppressed every attempt to use the harbor as heretofore by blockade runners, or for fitting out piratical cruisers. President Lincoln, under date of September 3d, ordered salutes of 100 guns to be fired at the national arsenals and navy yards, in commemoration of the brilliant achievements of the army and navy. By another order he congratu lated the officers and men who had taken part in the work just accomlished. "The national thanks are tendered by the president to Admiral Farragut and Major-General Canby for the skill and harmony with which the recent operations in Mobile harbor and against Fort Powell, Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan were planned and carried into execution; also to Admiral Farragut and Major-General Granger, under whose immediate command they were conducted, and to the gallant commanders on sea and land, and to the sailors and soldiers engaged in the operations, for their energy and courage, which, under the blessing of Providence, have been crowned with brilliant success, and have won for them the applause and thanks of the nation."

defended at all, and threw away or broke those weapons which they had not the manliness to use against their enemies; for Fort Morgan never fired a gun after the commencement of the bombardment and the advance pickets of our army were actually on its glacis."

CH. XV.]

THE REBEL RAIDER FORREST'S DOINGS.

483

CHAPTER XV.

1864.

INVASION OF TENNESSEE: SHERMAN FROM ATLANTA TO SAVANNAH.

Forrest's cavalry raid and success - Hood moves on Allatoona Repulsed - Burbridge destroys Saltville and works there - Hood and Beauregard - Jeff. Davis's speech and wishes- Sherman's bold plan - Hood's invasion of Tennessee - Thomas at Nashville - Rebels beaten at Franklin-Thomas assumes the offen. sive — Decisive battle at Nashville and rout of Hood - Sherman's arrangements and special order-Railroad destroyed and Atlanta dismantled Sherman's line of march - Rebel blindness as to his purpose Howard and the right wing march · Their progress to the south and east - Slocum and the left wing march eastwardly - Demonstration against Augusta- Rebels deceived - Governor Brown and others in the emergency Milledgeville occupied — Millen, the next point in view, reached, December 2d-The Oconee crossed — The crossing of the Ogeechee secured - Sherman's advance to Savannah - Fort McAlSherman's dispatch - Savannah taken and occupied.

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AFTER the fall of Atlanta, the rebel | remained near the place till the next cavalry made special efforts to break morning, when he renewed his demand, Sherman's extended line of railroad and received the same refusal as before. communication with Nashville. On the He withdrew in the direction of Athens, 20th of September, the noted rebel which town had been re-garrisoned, and raider, Forrest, with a strong attacked it on the afternoon of the 1st cavalry force, crossed the Ten- of October; but without success. The nessee near Waterloo, Alabama, and at- next morning, he renewed the attack; tacked the garrison at Athens, consist- but he was decisively repulsed. Aning of 600 men, who surrendered the other column, under Forrest, appeared next day. Two regiments of reinforce- before Columbia, October 1st; but did ments, which arrived shortly after the not make an attack. Two days later, capture of the garrison, were also com- he moved toward Mount Pleasant. pelled to surrender to the enemy. For Every exertion was made by Gen. rest destroyed the railroad westward, Thomas to catch and destroy the forces captured the garrison at Sulphur Branch under Forrest, before he could recross trestle, skirmished with the garrison the Tennessee; the rebel raider, howat Pulaski, on the 27th of September, ever, was too active for our men, and and on the same day cut the Nashville succeeded in escaping to Corinth, Misand Chattanooga Railroad near Tulla- sissippi. homa and Dechard. One column of In the meantime, Hood had crossed Forrest's command, under Buford, ap- the Chattahoochee from the Macon peared before Huntsville, on the 30th of September, and summoned our troops to surrender. This being refused, he

Railroad and moved on Allatoona, which was attacked by a division of his force, under French, on the 5th of

October. Gen. Sherman, who had beened on, by a forced march, to Bristol, took engaged in active preparation to resist this threatened assault on his line of communications, had ordered 1864. Gen. Corse, with reinforcements, from Rome to Allatoona. The enemy's attack was accordingly met and repulsed, Gen. Sherman himself having reach ed Kenesaw Mountain from Atlanta in time to gain a distant view of the military operations being carried on. "Hood, observing our approach," as Sherman wrote, on the 9th of October, "has moved rapidly back to Dallas and Van Wert, and I am watching him, in case he tries to reach Kingston or Rome. Atlanta is perfectly secure to us, and this army is better off than in camp."

the town by surprise, and made many important captures. He then moved on Abingdon, Va., Gillem advancing to Marion, routing Vaughan's forces there and pursuing him to Wytheville, destroying the valuable lead mines in the vicinity. A portion of Burbridge's command, being left in the neighborhood of Glade Spring, near Saltville, was attacked by Breckenridge, with a superior force, and routed, when Gillem, coming up, turned the tide of battle, and put Breckenridge to flight. Saltville, and its extensive salt manufactories and works, were now effectu ally destroyed; a loss to the rebels of immense severity. Our forces soon after returned to Tennessee with a vast amount of spoils.

After the movement on Allatoona, Hood, reaching Resaca on the 14th of October, made a partial attack on that place, which was successfully defended by Gen. Watkins, when Hood advanced and took possession of Dalton. Col Johnston, in command there, surrendered the garrison, about 1,200 men, to the vastly superior force brought against him. The enemy now threatened Chattanooga, but Gen. Sherman was in pur. suit of Hood, who, retiring from Dalton, moved westwardly to Lafayette, and thence across the Alabama state line, south-west to Jacksonville. Here he was reinforced by Beauregard, who, on the 17th, assumed command of the Military Division of the West, as it was called by the rebels, Hood, at the same time, remaining at his post.*

In September, an expedition from East Tennessee, under Gen. Burbridge, was sent to destroy the salt works at Saltville, Virginia. He met the enemy on the 2d of October, about three miles and a half from Saltville, and drove him into his strongly intrenched position around the salt works, from which, however, he was unable to dislodge him. During the night, Burbridge withdrew his command and returned to Kentucky. In December, another and successful attempt was made to destroy the works at Saltville, where the rebel Gen. Breckenridge now had his headquarters, detachments of his command being at Greenville, Jonesboro' and Rogersville. The new expedition was led by Gen. Stoneman, Gen. Gillem, with his brigade, taking the advance, coming up with the enemy, under Duke and Morgan, at Kingsport, defeating him and capturing Morgan, a brother of the notorious John Morgan. Stoneman push- arouse the spirit of the Georgians:-"The army of

* Beauregard issued an addess, as usual, striving to

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