SURRENDER OF NEW ORLEANS.

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The fierce strife had now terminated in victory. Terms of capitulation were being agreed upon, and even then the discomfited rebels cut adrift the powerful steam floating battery, Louisiana, which had cost two millions of dollars; and, having set her on fire, sent her down the stream amid the mortar fleet, where, had she exploded, every vessel might have been destroyed. But, providentially, she drifted on; and when abreast of Fort St. Philip, the magazine took fire, and she blew up with a concussion that shook every ship as with the power of an earthquake. New Orleans was now in the possession of the Federals; but though completely cut off, the forts refused to surrender. Captain Boggs was sent by Farragut to inform Porter, who remained with the mortar boats below Fort Jackson, of his success. Next morning he steamed up to the city of New Orleans, whose inhabitants, but a little while before, had deemed themselves so secure. In the words of Captain Bailey, who had been sent with despatches-"The squadron under Flag-officer Farragut has been vouchsafed a glorious victory and triumph in the capture of New Orleans, Forts Jackson, St. Philip, Lexington, and Pike, the batteries above and below New Orleans, as well as the total destruction of the enemy's gunboats, steam rams, floating batteries (iron-clad), fire rafts, and obstructions, booms and chains. The enemy, with their own hands, destroyed from eight to ten millions of cotton and shipping. Our loss is thirty-six killed and one hundred and twenty-three wounded. The enemy lost from one thousand to fifteen hundred, besides several prisoners. The way is clear, and the rebel defences. destroyed from the Gulf to Baton Rouge, and probably to Memphis. Our flag waves triumphantly over them all."

The preparations made against Fort Jackson, by Commander Porter, were so formidable as to force the rebel leaders, General Duncan and Lieutenant-colonel Higgins, to surrender, and, as before stated, all the forts fell again into the hands of the Federal Government. General Butler soon after led his army into New Orleans, and took possession of the city. After the surrender of the forts, the gunboats as cended the river seven hundred and ninety miles, toward Memphis.

It is pleasing to relate, that the important events before narrated, were followed by an order of that sgiving to the

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ORDER OF THANKSGIVING.

gracious Providence which had crowned this great expedi tion with success. It was issued by Flag-officer Farragut April 26th, 1862.

"GENERAL ORDER.-Eleven o'clock this morning is the hour appointed for all the officers and crews of the fleet to return thanks to the Almighty God for his great goodness and mercy in permitting us to pass the events of the last two days with so little loss of life and blood.

"At that hour, the church pennant will be hoisted on every vessel of the fleet, and their crews assembled. will, in humiliation and prayer, make their acknowledgments therefore to the Great Dispenser of all human events."

In a private letter, Captain Porter, speaking of the bom bardment of Fort Jackson, says, "Our firing was a matter of calculation, and you may judge how accurate it was, when I tell you that one thousand three hundred and thirteen bombs struck in the centre and solid parts of the works; two thousand three hundred and thirty in the moat, near the foundations, shaking the fort to its base; nearly one thousand three hundred and fifty-seven struck about the levees, in the marsh around, and in the paths and near the water's edge, where the steamers attempted to come. I never saw such a perfect mortar practice. We could clear the batteries whenever the soldiers appeared on the ramparts." He goes on to mention, "the most splendid specimen of a floating battery the world has ever seen (sea-going, and, had she been finished, and succeeded in getting to sea, the whole American navy would have been destroyed). Her burthen was six thousand tons, being two hundred and seventy feet long, sixty feet beam, had four engices, three propellers, four inches (and in some places more) of iron, and would steam eleven knots an hour. She cost Mallery & Co. two millions of dollars."

While such important events in the West and Southwest were in progress, and our armies prosperous in the capture of Island Number Ten, the battle of Pittsburg Landing, and the possession of New Orleans, others of no less importance were taking place on the Atlantic slope.

CHAPTER XVI.

APRIL, 1862.

FEDERAL SUCCESS ON THE ATLANTIC COAST-MCCLELLAN AT FORT MONROE -PLAN OF THE WAR-PLAN OF CAMPAIGN AGAINST RICHMOND-ADVANCE ON YORKTOWN-FREMONT IN THE MOUNTAIN DEPARTMENT-ADVANCE ON FREDERICKSBURG-CAPTURE OF FORT PULASKI-FIGHT AT APACHE PASS-BOMBARDMENT OF FORT MACON-ATTACK ON LEE'S MILL -FALL OF FORT MACON-GENERAL MITCHELL IN ALABAMA-THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY IN CONGRESS-IRON-CLADS TO BE BUILT-COMMITTEE REPORT ON TREATMENT OF OUR DEAD AT BULL RUN-OUR PROSPECTS AT THE END OF THE FIRST YEAR OF THE WAR.

WHILE victory was crowning the Federal arms in the West, and the events taking place which have already been described, every thing was prospering on the Atlantic border, and giving promise of a successful issue. Commander Dupont was successful on the Florida coast, and news came of the probable capture of Forts Macon and Pulaski, off the coast of North Carolina, at an early day, by Sherman and Burnside. Nothing sullied the bright prospect in the East, but the fact that attention was directed to isolated points, which would ultimately fall on the defeat of the rebel forces. The attempts against them at this time, however, divided the troops, who required concentration. Previous to this time, it was known that the Government had chartered a great number of vessels, and that a large force was to be transported to the Chesapeake. Soon, news came that a great army of a hundred thousand men were on board the transports anchored off Fortress Monroe.

The promise made to his men by McClellan, had pre pared the public for some grand movement, and now, when it was announced that the destination was Yorktown, between the York and James rivers, Virginia, a position whose fortifications extended across the whole peninsula, there was great surprise, if not disappointment.

Yorktown was fortified with great care. Standing on the way to Richmond, and guarded with batteries of the greatest strength, it was, in the rebel opinion, impregnable. Before its defences McClellan sat down, arranged his forces,

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PLAN OF CAMPAIGN AGAINST RICHMOND.

and prepared for a regular siege. This step of McClellan's met with much criticism. He would now have to encounter a powerful army in their strong intrenchments. Many prophets arose who uttered predictions of the future, forgetting, for the present, that a well laid plan was the prin ciple on which a campaign must be conducted, and that the great masters of strategy always referred their movements to a definite end. Wellington for a long time fortified Torres. Vedras, and no insults of Massena could draw him into action. Napoleon did not hurl his strong legions on the enemy whereever found. He matured his plans, and never moved a column till he had studied out all its relations to the topography of the country, and the resources of the enemy. We are not now inquiring whether an advance through the peninsula was the best plan. It was not that adopted subsequently. It was that which McClellan now attempted to carry out.

The public press gave accounts, at the same time, of the capture of Island Number Ten; the battle of Pittsburg Landing; how Milroy, under Fremont in the Mountain Department, was driving the enemy; while McDowell was reporting the probable evacuation of Fredericksburg; and the Federal arms were triumphing on the Atlantic coast. This denoted the immense area of Federal operations. Generals Scott and McClellan designed to hurl two great armies on the enemy as early in 1862 as possible, with gunboats acting in concert, and columns on the flanks at supporting distance. Each army was to have three hundred thousand men, with five hundred pieces of artillery. Such a combination was thought to be sufficient to overthrow any rebel force brought against it. The Army of the West moved down through Kentucky and Tennessee, before the Eastern army was prepared.

Many thought that a great army need only advance on the rebel capital and at once grasp the victory. Military men knew that an immense body of the enemy was concentrated in a country intersected by rivers, whose bridges could be destroyed, and with railroads running to Richmond. This latter place was sure for a retreat, and as being an interior line, had always great facilities for transporting and concentrating troops.

The plan for the peninsular campaign, approved by their corps commanders, and adopted by McClellan, was a distri

ADVANCE ON YORKTOWN.

155

bution into three grand divisions. The first, consisting of three corps, under General McClellan, was to land at Fortress Monroe. General Banks was to move to the Rappahannock, down to Fredericksburg, and thence south to Hanover Junction, on the north of Richmond. McDowell was to land his corps on Severn river, in Hopjack bay; from thence he was to march to a position almost opposite West Point, cross on a pontoon bridge, and cut off the rebel army from the peninsula. When McDowell was ready for embarkation, the advance of McClellan was to be made from Fortress Monroe.

The best military men considered this plan almost certain of success. Had it been carried out, the march of McDowell would either have enclosed the rebel army between him and McClellan, or compelled it to fall back on Richmond. This would have rendered any delay at Yorktown unnecessary, and no battle would have occurred till the army stood before Richmond.

General McClellan arrived at Fortress Monroe, General Nathaniel P. Banks had reached Warrenton, with nearly all his troops. The troops of McDowell's division had partly embarked, when the Government ordered them to remain where they were. Thus McClellan was deprived of the assistance of eighty thousand men, upon whose co-operation he had calculated. He then requested, and obtained the division of General Franklin, his army being thereby increased to one hundred and fifteen thousand men. The plan of the campaign thus broken up, threatened to prove a failure, when the Secretary of War promised that McDowell, upon the advance of the main body on the rebel capital, should close up the right wing, by way of Hanover Court House.

The Federal army before Yorktown, had been engaged in the erection of formidable works, which, by their superior construction and greater strength, would command the rebel defences. This task, of immense labor and great skill, had already produced important results. On the 16th of April, an engagement took place between the rival armies. At Lee's Mill, about eight miles south of Yorktown, the rebels had erected a fort to protect the road leading to the latter place, and placed some guns in position. The mill was on Warwick river. There was a bog, some hundreds of feet wide, above the fort, and a large dam near the bog. Captain Mott, at nine o'clock on the 16th, placed his battery in posi