68 



AEMY OPERATIONS. 



supplied and rested, Gen. Grant sent a force 

 under Gen. Steele to Helena, to cooperate with 

 Gen. Schofield's troops against Little Eock, 

 and another, under Gens. Ord and Herron, to 

 New Orleans, to reenforco Gen. Banks for such 

 ulterior operations as he might deem proper 

 to undertake. Some expeditions were also 

 sent to the Red river, and to Harrisonburg 

 and Monroe, on the "Washita, to break up and 

 destroy guerilla bands. 



After Gen. Grant left Vicksburg to assume 

 the general command east of the Mississippi, 

 Gen. McPherson moved with a part of his 

 force to Canton, Mississippi, scattering the en- 

 emy's cavalry, and destroying his materials and 

 roads in the centre of that State. 



The reader's attention has thus far been oc- 

 cupied with the military operations before 

 Vicksburg, which, however, were only the 

 prominent features of a great campaign ex- 

 tending from "Washington to New Orleans. 

 The movements of General Banks, particularly 

 against Port Hudson, which fell with the fall 

 of Vicksburg, and the advance of General Lee 

 upon Washington, one object of which was to 

 make a diversion in favor of Vicksburg, or 

 rather to take advantage of the concentration 

 of so large a force at such a distance, were in- 

 cidents of the same campaign, the conclusion 

 of which cannot be justly weighed and esti- 

 " mated until the objects and results of these 

 movements are considered. 



In November, 1862, General Banks sailed for 

 New Orleans, where he arrived on the 14th of 

 December. Some time previous he had been 

 engaged in preparing a military force to be 

 under his command. The fleet, which sailed 

 at the same time, consisted of twenty-six steam 

 vessels and twenty-five sailing vessels, and the 

 military force about ten thousand men. Some 

 disasters happened to a few of the vessels, 

 which led to an investigation by a committee 

 of Congress. They reported that " economy 

 and safety would have dictated the employ- 

 ment of a larger proportion of sail vessels, but 

 they supposed these considerations were made 

 subordinate to the necessity for despatch. The 

 sail vessels were generally of the first class ; the 

 steam transports were of three classes the 

 sea steamers, the steam tugs, and the inland 

 transports. The former were well adapted to 

 the service ; the latter were not." Immediate- 

 ly upon his arrival, General Banks took the po- 

 sition of General Butler as commander of the 

 Department of the Gulf, and the latter report- 

 ed at Washington. The leading objects of 

 General Banks's expedition were ^o strengthen 

 the military in Louisiana, and to cooperate in 

 opening the Mississippi two points on the 

 banks of which were known to be strongly 

 fortified Port Hudson and Vicksburg. It was 

 anticipated that these works might be reduced 

 in a short time, and that the strength of Gen- 

 eral Banks might be sufficient for a movement 

 on Texas. But it was soon perceived, after his 

 arrival in New Orleans, that military affairs 



were in such an uncertain condition that the 

 moment for immediate activity could not be 

 determined. Meanwhile General Banks de- 

 voted his attention to, the arrangement of af- 

 fairs at New Orleans. Nothing of importance 

 occurred, unless it was a small affair on the 

 Teche river, in which Commander Buchanan, 

 of the gunboat Calhoun, was killed, early in 

 January. In March, General Banks had con- 

 centrated his force at Baton Rouge, number- 

 ing nearly twenty-five thousand men. On the 

 13th a military movement on Port Hudson was 

 ostensibly commenced, to divert the attention 

 of the enemy, while the vessels ran above the 

 batteries. The naval force was under the com- 

 mand of Admiral Farragut. Its result was to 

 transfer a portion of the fleet above Port Hud- 

 son, where it could cooperate with the force 

 above, and also cut off supplies to the enemy 

 from Red river. Maj.-Gen. Halleck, in his an- 

 nual report, ays : " Had our land forces in- 

 vested Port Hudson, at this time, it would have 

 been easily reduced,' as its garrison was weak. 

 This would have opened communication by the 

 Mississippi river with Gen. Grant at Vicks- 

 burg. But the strength of the place was not 

 then known." 



The naval force consisted of the frigates 

 Hartford, Mississippi, Richmond, and Monon- 

 gahela, and the gunboats Albatross, Genesee, 

 Kineo, Essex, and Sachem, and six mortar 

 schooners. They reached Profit's Island, five 

 miles below Port Hudson, early the next morn- 

 ing. At one P. M., the mortars and the gun- 

 boats Sachem and Essex, being in position, 

 opened fire on the batteries at' Port Hudson. 

 The line of the batteries commenced below the 

 town and extended on the face of the bluff, 

 midway between the crest and the river bank, 

 about three and a half miles. At nine and a 

 half o'clock that night the signal to advance 

 was made. The Hartford, Capt. Palmer, with 

 Admiral Farragut on board, with the gunboat 

 Albatross, Lieut.-Com. Hart, lashed to her 

 side, took the lead. The Richmond, Capt. 

 Alden, the gunboat Genesee, Commander 

 McComb, the Monongahela, Capt. McKinstry, 

 the Kineo, Lieut.-Com. Waters, and the Missis- 

 sippi, Capt. Melancthon Smith, followed in the 

 order named. The mortars meanwhile kept 

 up their fire. Soon after, rockets were sent up 

 by the enemy to give warning of the approach 

 of the fleet. As the vessels approached the 

 batteries opened fire, which was replied to. At 

 the same time fires were kindled by the enemy 

 on the opposite bank of the river, which re- 

 vealed the position of the vessels. The Hart- 

 ford and Albatross were successful in running 

 above the batteries, but the smoke from their 

 fire obscured the river before the other vessels. 

 The Richmond received a shot through her 

 steam drum, and was compelled to drop down 

 out of fire and anchor. Three of her crew 

 were killed and seven wounded. The Monon- 

 gahela, after her captain was seriously injured, 

 also dropped down the river and anchored. 



