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THE REBEL FLOTILLA VANQUISHED.

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Our loss in this desperate fight, not including 6 or 7 previously disabled on the mortar-boats, was reported as only 30 killed and 119 wounded; the fleet surgeon adding that several vessels had not yet made their official return. The Brooklyn, Pensacola, and Iroquois, had suffered most severely.

crowded with troops; when it drifted sel. The Oneida, seeing her sinking, ashore, a wreck. Three other ves- had rushed to her assistance; but sels, one of them a gunboat, were Boggs waved her on to the Morgan, likewise driven ashore and blown which, already in flames, surrenup. At 6 A. M., the Morgan, partially dered; she had lost over 50 of her iron-clad, commanded by Beverly crew killed and wounded, and was Kennon (late of our navy), attack- set on fire by her commander, who ed the Varuna, giving her a raking left his wounded to the flames. Fiffire along the port gangway, which teen minutes after she struck, the killed 4 and wounded 9 of her crew, Varuna was on the bottom, with then butted her on the quarter and only her top-gallant forecastle out of again on the starboard side, but with- water. Her crew gained the shore, out sinking or disabling her. Mean- losing every thing but the clothes while, the Varuna had planted three they stood in. 8-inch shells in her assailant, abaft her armor, with several shot from one of our rifled guns; when she drifted out of the fight, partially disabled. Ere this time, another Rebel iron-clad, with a beak under water, had struck the Varuna in the port gangway, doing considerable damage, while our shot glanced harmlessly from the armor of the Rebel boat. The enemy then backed off for another blow, and struck again in the same place, crushing in the Varuna's side; but she being under full headway, her enemy's beak for a moment stuck fast in her side, and the ram was drawn around nearly beside our steamer, which was thereby enabled to plow her with five 8-inch shells abaft her armor. This finished her performance, and she drifted ashore, a burning wreck; while the Varuna, now in a sinking condition, was run into the bank by her commander, her anchor let go, and her bow made fast to the trees; her guns all the time at work crippling the Morgan, which was making feeble efforts to get up steam. When the water had risen over his gun-trucks, Commander Boggs turned his attention to getting the wounded and crew out of his ves

Gen. Lovell, who had witnessed the combat of our fleet with his forts and flotilla, and its triumph, hastened up to the city on horseback, narrowly escaping capture on the way, and gave orders to Gen. Smith, in command of the land defenses, to make all possible resistance at the earthworks below the town; but the high stage of water, causing the guns of our vessels to command the earthworks, rendered them untenable by infantry. An attempt was made to raise 1,000 desperate volunteers who would undertake to board and carry our vessels by assault; but only 100 could be found. In short, New Orleans was lost when our fleet had passed the forts; and all her intelligent Rebels knew it.

Gen. Lovell, after consultation with the municipal authorities, began

at once to send off his munitions | work, he moved on. The Cayuga,

not having observed the signal for close order, was considerably in advance, and so for 20 minutes exposed alone to the fire of the Rebel batteries. But the Hartford now came

and provisions by steamboat and railroad, while the greater part of his conscripted militia disbanded and dispersed. What was left worth taking was sent off to Camp Moore, 78 miles above, on the Jackson Rail-up, dispensing liberal broadsides of road.

shell, shrapnel, and grape, the first of which drove the Rebels on the right bank from their guns; while the fire of the Pensacola, the Brooklyn, and the residue of the fleet, which came up in quick succession, very soon silenced the remaining forts, and set their gunners in rapid motion toward places of greater safety. No further obstacles nor perils but those presented by burning steamers, cotton-ships, rafts, &c., were encountered until, at 1 P. M., the squadron anchored, during a violent thunderstorm, in front of New Orleans, whose levee for miles afforded a mag

The Rebel flotilla having been mainly destroyed, Capt. Farragut, with his nine vessels that had safely run the gauntlet of Rebel forts, fireships, rams, and gunboats, while steaming slowly and cautiously up the river, had not yet reached New Orleans when he was met by ample evidence that the city was virtually in his hands. Cotton-loaded and other valuable ships came floating down the river wrapped in flames, the mute but vivid witnesses of the enemy's despair. "I never witnessed such Vandalism in my life," he reports, as the destruction of prop-nificent but melancholy spectacle of erty all the shipping, steamboats, &c., were set on fire and consumed." On reaching" the English Turn, six or seven miles below the city, he descried the new earthworks on both banks, known as the Chalmette batteries; when, forming his fleet in two lines, and allotting to each its proper

16 At 10:30 A. M. on the 25th.

16 Pollard says:

"No sooner had the Federal fleet turned the point, and come within sight of the city, than the work of destruction of property commenced. Vast columns of smoke ascended to the sky, darkening the face of heaven and obscuring the noon-day sun; for five miles along the levee, fierce flames darted through the lurid atmosphere, their baleful glare struggling in rivalry with the sunlight; great ships and steamers, wrapped in fire, floated down the river, threatening the Federal vessels with destruction by their fiery contact. In front of the various presses, and at other points along the levee, the cotton had been piled up and submitted to the torch. It was burned by order of the Governor of Louisiana and of the military commander of the Confederate States. Fifteen thousand bales were

burning cotton, sugar, and other staples of South-western commerce; while the river in front was so full of burning ships that great vigilance and skill were required to avoid them.10

There was no attempt at resistance, but on shore anarchy and impotent

consumed; the value of which would have been about a million and a half of dollars. The tobacco stored in the city, being all held by foreign residents on foreign account, was not destroyed. The specie of the banks, to the amount of twelve or fifteen millions, was removed from the city and placed in a secure place; so were nearly all the stores and movable property of the Confederate States. But other materials were embraced in the awful conflagration. About a dozen large river steamboats, twelve or fifteen ships, some of them laden with cotton, a great floating battery, several unfinished gunboats, the immense ram, the Mississippi, and the docks on the other side of the river, were all embraced in the fiery sacrifice. The Mississippi was an iron-clad frigate, a superior vessel of her class, and accounted to be by far the most important naval structure the Confederate Government had yet undertaken."

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answered." The malevolent folly of the municipal authorities served only to expose their city to destruction. A force landed from the Pensacola had hoisted, unopposed, a Federal flag over the Mint, and left it there unguarded. Ere it had thus remained many hours, a number of young Rebels mounted to the dome, tore it down, and dragged it through the streets. It would have been entirely justifiable and proper on the part of Farragut to have required of the authorities its immediate and respectful replacement, on penalty of the destruction of their city; but he forbore; and, even when he required them, two days afterward, to take down the flag of Louisiana, still floating over the City Hall, the Mayor positively refused. Capt. F. finally closed" the absurd altercation by sending a

sist your force, do not allow themselves to be insulted by the interference of such as have rendered themselves odious and contemptible by their dastardly desertion of our cause in the mighty struggle in which we are engaged, or such as might remind them too forcibly that they are the conquered and you the conquerors. Peace and order may be preserved without resort to measures which I could not at this moment prevent. Your occupying the city does not transfer allegiance from the government of their choice to one which they have deliberately repudiated; and they yield the obedience which the conqueror is entitled to extort from the conquered. Respectfully,

"JOHN T. MONROE, Mayor."

18 U. S. FLAG-SHIP HARTFORD, at anchor off the City of New Orleans, 'April 28, 1862.

"To His Honor the Mayor and City Council of the City of New Orleans:

"Your communication of the 26th inst. has been received, together with that of the City Council.

force from his ships to take down tho flag: a vast crowd looking sullenly on, or giving vent to their wrath only in idle curses. They failed to comprehend their position; but they respected the two brass howitzers, well manned and supported, which stood in front of the City Hall while the operation was quietly and thoroughly performed.

Capt. Farragut had not waited to obtain formal possession of the city before moving up to the two forts at Carrollton, eight miles above, where he was surprised to find the gun-carriages on fire and the guns spiked. The works were formidable, but constructed to resist an advance from above; so that, being taken in reverse, they had been adjudged indefensible.

Gen. Butler, having witnessed from

which had been hoisted by my orders on the Mint was pulled down and dragged through the streets. All of which goes to show that the fire of this fleet may be drawn upon the city at any moment; and in such an event the levee would, in all probability, be cut by the shells, and an amount of distress ensue to the innocent population which I have hitherto endeavored to assure you that I desire by all means to avoid.

"The election, therefore, is with you. But it becomes my duty to notify you to remove the women and children from the city within 48 hours, if I rightly understand your determination.

Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
(Signed)
"D. G. FARRAGUT,
"Flag-Officer Western Gulf
Blockading Squadron."

It seems incredible, yet it is a fact, that Mon roe sent a rejoinder to this letter; in which, amid bombastic and turgid babble about flagrant violation of those courtesies which prevail between belligerents, and shells tearing up the "I deeply regret to see, both by their contents and the continued display of the flag of graves of those who are so dear to them, he Louisiana on the Court-House, a determination whimpered out: "Our women and children canon the part of the city authorities not to haul it not escape from your shells, if it be your pleasure down. Moreover, when my officers and men to murder them on a question of mere etiwere sent on shore to communicate with the au-quette." Even Pollard barely represses his disthorities, and to hoist the United States flag on gust at the silly repetitions and vanity of literthe Custom-House, with the strictest order not ary style protruded by this Bobadil of a Mayor. to use their arms unless assailed, they were insulted in the grossest manner, and the flag May 1. 20 Afternoon of April 26.

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SURRENDER OF THE REBEL FORTS.

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the Saxon the success of Farragut's above the forts towed their ram attempt to pass the Rebel forts and Louisiana out into the current, set barrier and destroy their fleet for- her on fire and abandoned her, with bidding approach to New Orleans, all her guns shotted, expecting her made haste to join his land forces to drift down upon and explode in below, and to conduct them, under the midst of Porter's fleet; but, just Weitzel's piloting, through the shal- as she was abreast of Fort St. Philip, low bays and bayous in the rear of she blew up and sunk, injuring no Fort St. Philip, landing them from one but a Rebel soldier in the fort, his row-boats on the first firm ground who was killed by a fragment. Of that he reached above the fort; the three remaining Rebel steamers, thence occupying the levee and one had been scuttled; the others throwing a detachment across the surrendered without resistance: their river so as completely to isolate both officers, with those of the Louisiana, forts and their garrisons. While he being sent North as close prisoners, was effecting this, Commander Por- because of their attempt to destroy ter, with his mortar-fleet below, our fleet while a capitulation was in resumed and continued the bombard- progress. Commander Porter turned ment, sending up" a flag of truce to the forts and their contents immedemand a surrender, which was re- diately over to Gen. Phelps," and fused; but, next day, 250 of the they were very soon being repaired garrison of Fort Jackson, having and fitted for effective service; while heard, or inferred from the blackened Gen. Butler, leaving Gen. Williams fragments floating down the river, in command there, and having easily that New Orleans was captured, re- reduced Forts Pike and Wood, at fused to fight longer, and, spiking the entrance of Lake Pontchartrain, the guns on the upper side of the brought his steamers around into the fort, sallied out and surrendered Mississippi, and, taking on board themselves to Gen. Butler's pickets. 2,000 of his men, moved up to the Lt.-Col. Higgins, who commanded city and took possession-Capt. Farthe forts, seeing that all was lost, ragut very gladly relinquishing to now made haste to accept the favor- him the difficult and disagreeable able terms of capitulation previously duty of bandying words with its offered by Commander Porter, before spiteful, shuffling authorities, and dealthe latter should be made aware of ing with its ferocious and ruffianly Butler's position above and the mob, who would have taken exquisite mutiny and surrender of half the pleasure in making mince-meat of garrison. While the terms of capitu- either of them. lation were being reduced to writing, the Confederate naval officers just

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In the conferences which ensued between the commanding General

their gunboats, nor the Chalmette regiment encamped on the levee, which surrendered to Capt. Bailey. Our total loss of men in the bombardment, running the batteries, destruction of the Rebel fleet, and capture of the city, was but 40 killed and 177 wounded.

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