318 



FORTS AND ARSENALS. 



trance to Mobile harbor. The work of con- 

 struction was in active progress at the time of 

 its seizure by Alabama troops. There had then 

 been expended $221,500. 



Fort on Ship Island. It was visited by an 

 armed body of men on the 13th of January, 

 and by a second party on the same afternoon, 

 who left some of their number on the island. 

 On the 20th, a third armed body took forcible 

 possession of the work, when it was in the fol- 

 lowing condition : Four embrasures from the 

 northeast angle built up, ready for covering 

 arches. All the other embrasures, except one, 

 had the irons in place and leaded. The land 

 front, mostly at the reference, (13' 4",) the con- 

 crete of the south half not being all in. It was 

 subsequently recovered by the United States 

 without material injury. It was designed to 

 be one of the strongest forts on the Southern 

 coast. 



Fort St. Philip, situated on the Mississippi 

 River, and one of the defences to New Orleans, 

 was under the supervision of Major Beauregard. 

 Operations were in progress to repair the dam- 

 ages occasioned to the levees by a storm, and to 

 protect the river shore by a wooden revetment, 

 when the fort was seized by State troops. 

 This took place on the 10th of January. The 

 orders given to the commander of the expedi- 

 tion from New Orleans were to demand the 

 surrender of the forts ; to take possession of 

 them, haul down the United States flag floating 

 there, and hoist the Pelican flag forthwith. He 

 was further instructed to hold said forts and de- 

 fend them to the last extremity. Cost $258,734. 



Fort Jackson, likewise under the supervision 

 of Major Beauregard, was another of the de- 

 fences of New Orleans, and situated on the 

 Mississippi River. Materials had been collected 

 at this fort for the construction of the lower 

 battery, which was prevented by its seizure on 

 the 10th of January. The cost of this fort had 

 been $837,608. 



Fort Livingston, on Grand Terre Island, Bar- 

 rataria Bay, was seized about the 10th of Jan- 

 uary by State troops of Louisiana. The cost 

 of this fort had been $362,379. 



Fort Brown, situated at Brownsville, on the 

 Rio Grande, was evacuated on the 5th of 

 March. The troops were taken on board the 

 steamship Daniel Webster, which had been sent 

 from New York to receive and bring them to 

 that city. The fort was then occupied by 

 Texas troops. 



Fort Smith is a village in Sebastian County, 

 Arkansas. It is on the right bank of the Ar- 

 kansas River, 163 miles west-northwest of 

 Little Rock, and on the western boundary of 

 the . State. The United States post located 

 there was occupied by State troops on the 21st 

 of April. The expedition under the command 

 of Colonel Solon Borland, ordered by Governor 

 Rector, consisted of five companies, well armed, 

 drilled, and in uniform. They arrived at twelve 

 o'clock on the night of the 20th. The United 

 States officer stationed there, Captain Sturgis, 



left about an hour before the arrival of the 

 State troops, taking with him twenty-three 

 wagons and one hundred and sixty horses and 

 mules. He crossed the plateau without arous- 

 ing any suspicions of his purpose, and placed 

 himself in safety beyond the reach of his pur- 

 suers. The fruits of the expedition to the State 

 comprised 6,000 bushels of corn, 500 tons of 

 hay, 100 mules, a number of wagons, a large 

 quantity of quartermaster's stores, and the pos- 

 session of the buildings of the fort, which were 

 very fine constituting a property worth about 

 three hundred thousand dollars. 



ARSENALS. 



Augusta is the second city in population in 

 Georgia. It is situated on the Savannah River, 

 231 miles from its mouth, and at the head of 

 navigation. An arsenal of the United States 

 was established here which the State authori- 

 ties determined to seize. On the 24th January 

 seven hundred State troops assembled in the 

 city for the purpose. Governor Brown being 

 present demanded of the officer in charge its 

 surrender, on the ground that the retention of 

 foreign troops upon the soil of Georgia was an 

 act of hostility. The commander of the arsenal, 

 seeing that resistance was vain, capitulated. 

 The contents of the arsenal were a fine battery 

 of two 12-pound howitzers, two cannon about 

 twenty thousand muskets and rifles, many of 

 them of the best kind, and also large stores of 

 powder, balls, &c. 



Baton Rouge Arsenal. The United States 

 arsenal located at Baton Rouge, in Louisiana, 

 was ordered to be seized by Governor Moore 

 on the 8th of January. The military force 

 from New Orleans was taken on the steamboat 

 National, and arrived at Baton Rouge on the 

 evening of the 10th. A demonstration of at- 

 tack had been made on that day by the military 

 of Baton Rouge, in consequence of there being 

 no evidence of a disposition to surrender the 

 arsenal by Major Haskins, who was in charge. 

 There were three hundred of these troops un- 

 der arms throughout the day, under command 

 of Colonel Walton. It was determined to at- 

 tack the post at twelve o'clock on the llth, 

 unless the garrison should decide to capitulate. 

 Eight men were under arms in the arsenal. 

 The next day, however, a surrender was made 

 and the New Orleans troops took possession. 

 On an examination of the arsenal there were 

 found fifty thousand stand of small-arms, four 

 howitzers, twenty heavy pieces of ordnance, one 

 battery of six and another of twelve-pounders, 

 three hundred barrels of powder, and a large 

 amount of fixed ammunition, cannon balls, shells, 

 military equipments, &c. 



Charleston. The arsenal located at Charles- 

 ton was in charge of a few officers of the Unit- 

 ed States, sufficient to look after its safety in 

 the most peaceful times. Soon after the excite- 

 ment connected with the secession movement 

 in the State began, a small body of militia were 

 placed there as a guard, ostensibly to prevent 



