Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 12.djvu/67

Rh clad Louisiana was towed down to the assistance of Fort Jackson, which had been under the fire of Porter's mortar schooners for two days.

On April 16, 1862, the United States combined forces under Admiral Farragut and General Butler had arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi river. As General Butler and his army of 15,000 men took no fighting part in the capture of New Orleans, no further mention need be made of him.

Admiral Farragut 's force consisted of the screw-steamers Hartford, 24 guns; Pensacola, 23 guns; Brooklyn, 22 guns; Richmond, 24 guns; the side- wheel steamer Mississippi, 17 guns; the screw-sloops Oneida, 9 guns; Varuna, 10 guns; Iroquois, 7 guns; Cayuga, 2 guns, and the screw-gunboats, Itasca, 2 guns; Katahdin, 2 guns; Kennebec, 2 guns; Kineo, 2 guns; Pinola, 2 guns; Sciota, 2 guns; Winona, 2 guns, and Wissahickon, 2 guns; in addition were twenty mortar schooners and six gun-boats, under Commander Porter.

The defenses at the mouth of the Mississippi were Forts Jackson and St. Philip, the former mounting 62 guns, and the latter 47. Of the guns in these forts, 56 were smooth-bore 24-pounders. ("The Gulf and Inland Waters," by Capt. A. T. Mahan.) For the naval defense were the Louisiana, Manassas, McCrea and Jackson, the Governor Moore (of the State navy), and six rams commanded by river captains under nobody's orders. There were also a small number of tugboats to tow fire rafts. The river was obstructed by schooners anchored across the stream between the forts, and chains were passed from vessel to vessel.

The Louisiana mounted 16 guns. She was moored, or tied up, to the left bank of the river, just above Fort St. Philip. Workmen were employed night and day on her machinery and to prepare the ship for service. Her third lieutenant, William C. Whittle, says: "The Louisiana was in an entirely incomplete condition when she