tional arms were nominally paramount, the guerrillas were employed to drive conscripts into the ranks. East Tennessee suffered still more severely, and it is stated that particular care was had to draft into the Confederate ranks those persons who were most conspicuous for their devotion to the Union.

In accordance with the President's order of

October 21st, Governor Johnson, in the early part of December, issued a proclamation, calling for an election of Representatives to the 37th Congress, to be held on the 29th, in the Ninth and Tenth Districts of Tennessee. The Ninth District embraces the counties of Henry, Weakly, Dyer, Oberon, Lauderdale, Tipton, Gibson, Carroll, and Henderson, and the Tenth includes the counties of Haywood, Madison, Hardeman, Fayette, and Shelby. The governor ended his proclamation with the notice that "no person will be considered an elector qualified to vote who, in addition to the other qualifications required by law, does not give satisfactory evidence to the judges holding the election, of his loyalty

to the Government of the United States."

About the same time Gov. Johnson reissued a former order assessing the wealthy secessionists of Nashville and the vicinity to the amount of $60,000, for the support of the poor during

the winter. The first order was as follows:

NASHVILLE, August 18, 1862. SIR: There are many wives and helpless children in the city of Nashville and county of Davidson, who have been reduced to poverty and wretchedness in consequence of their husbands and fathers having been forced into the armies of this unholy and nefarious rebellion. Their necessities have become so manifest, and their demands for the necessaries of life so urgent, that the laws of justice and humanity would be violated unless something was done to relieve their suffering and destitute condition.

of

You are therefore requested to contribute the sum dollars, which you will pay over within the next five days to James Whitworth, Esq.,

Judge of the County Court, to be by him distributed among these destitute families in such manner as may be prescribed. Respectfully, &c., ANDREW JOHNSON, Military Governor. Attest: EDWARD H. EAST, Secretary of State.

made a raid on the railroad near Jackson, in the On the 20th a body of Confederate horsemen western part of the State, burned a long trestle work, and tore up the track for a considerable distance. The day following a small guerrilla force entered the suburbs of Memphis, pillaged several shops, and carried off 100 cattle and 180 mules.

As the armies of Gens. Bragg and Rosecrans began to prepare for battle, the guerrilla raids became more numerous and more destructive; Nashville was again almost isolated, and the situation of the Union troops, in conbecame extremely precarious. Soon after the tinual danger of having their supplies cut off, close of the year, the Chattanooga "Rebel" published the following from an official source:

Gen. Morgan's report of his expedition shows that of the enemy killed and wounded, and an immense 2,000 prisoners were paroled, and several hundred quantity of arms and property destroyed.

Forrest's report shows 1,500 prisoners taken, 1,000 of the enemy killed and wounded, an immense quantity of arms, ammunition, and stores destroyed, and his whole command splendidly equipped from their

captures.

Our operations at Murfreesboro', including the cap. ture of 5,000 prisoners and the capture of 2,000 at Hartsville and around Nashville, sum up 10,000 prisoners in less than a month.

We have also captured and sent to the rear 30 cannon, 60,000 small arms, with 2,000 more in the hands of our troops; 1,500 wagons destroyed, and the mules and harnesses secured. The enemy's loss in killed and wounded is estimated at 20,000, including 7 generals.

The exploits of Cols. Forrest and Morgan referred to in this summary were performed principally in the latter half of December and early part of January, 1863.

PREPARATIONS for the capture of New Orleans had early in the war been commenced. As a preliminary movement an expedition to Ship Island was projected in September, 1861, almost immediately after Gen. Butler's return from the expedition to Hatteras Inlet, and he was authorized to enlist troops for it in New England. Coming into collision with Gov. Andrew of Massachusetts, in relation to the appointment of persons as field-officers for the regiments he raised in Massachusetts, whom the Governor regarded as unfit for their posts, and refused to commission, the expedition was

delayed for a time. The first instalment of troops for it were embarked at Boston, on the 19th of November, on the U. S. transport Constitution, and sailed at first for Portland, Me., and thence for Fortress Monroe, which they reached on the 26th November, and sailed the next day for Ship Island, where they arrived on the 3d December. They consisted of the Twenty-sixth Massachusetts regiment, Col Jones, the Ninth Connecticut, Col. Cahill, and the Fourth battery of Massachusetts artillery, Capt. Manning, and were under the command of Brig.-Gen. John W. Phelps, a native of Ver

mont, and graduate of West Point in 1836. He served for 23 years in the army, but resigned in 1859, and was living at Brattleboro', Vt., at the commencement of the war.

Having completed the debarkation of his command, Gen. Phelps issued a proclamation to the loyal citizens of the Southwest, for which there seemed no occasion, as his superior in command, Maj.-Gen. Butler, had not arrived, and there were on the island none but U. S. troops, and no invasion had been made upon the territory claimed by the Confederate Government. The proclamation was not circulated upon the mainland to any considerable extent; but it created much dissatisfaction among Gen. Phelps's own command.

The Constitution left Ship Island on the 7th of December on her return to the North, and arrived at Fortress Monroe on the 15th; in January, 1862, she returned with another considerable body of troops. Thus the military part of the expedition for the capture of New Orleans under Gen. B. F. Butler, was transferred to a position in the neighborhood of that city.

On the 3d of February Capt. D. G. Farragut sailed from Hampton Roads in the U. S. steamer Hartford to assume the duties of flag-officer of the Western Gulf blockading squadron. In addition to the ordinary duties of the blockade, he was specially charged with the reduction of the defences guarding the approaches to New Orleans. "There will be attached to your squadron," said the Secretary of the Navy in his letter of instructions, "a fleet of bomb vessels, and armed steamers enough to manage them, all under command of Commander D. D. Porter, who will be directed to report to you. *** When these formidable mortars arrive, and you are completely ready, you will collect sach vessels as can be spared from the blockade and proceed up the Mississippi River, and reduce the defences which guard the approaches to New Orleans, when you will appear off that city and take possession of it under the guns of your squadron, and hoist the American flag therein, keeping possession until troops can be sent to you. If the Mississippi expedition from Cairo shall not have descended the river, you will take advantage of the panic to push a strong force up the river to take all their defences in the rear."

This fleet of mortars spoken of by the Secretary was fitted out at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and was for some months in preparation. It consisted of one gunboat, the Octorara, mounting 18 guns, and serving as Com. Porter's flag-ship, but subsequently diverted from the expedition to Fortress Monroe, and 20 schooners, of from 200 to 300 tons each, of great strength and solidity, and carrying each a mortar, weigh ing 8 tons, of thirty-nine inches length of bore, forty-three inches external and fifteen inches internal diameter, and intended to throw a 15-inch shell, weighing, when unfilled, 212 lbs. They are elevated or depressed by means of projections

on the breech. Each vessel also carried two 32pounders, rifled.

This class of vessels had been selected because they were stronger in proportion to their size than larger ones, at the same time that their light draft enabled them to go into shallow water; and from their small tonnage they could be handled by a small number of men.

To fit them to receive the mortars, a bed had been prepared, which was supported by an almost solid mass of wood, built from the keel to the deck. This consisted of timbers over one foot square and twelve feet in length, interlaced and firmly fastened. The bed rose two or three inches above the deck, and consisted of a solid horizontal surface, circular in form, with a truck near its edge, upon which run rollers bearing a revolving platform. The bed itself was carefully braced and supported by the entire strength of the vessel, so as to sustain the recoil of the mortar.

The circular platform surmounting the bed and bearing the mortar carriage, was constructed of heavy timbers, and was one foot in depth and nearly twelve feet in diameter. When in position for a discharge, it laid flat and firmly on the bed, but by ingenious mechanism it might be made to revolve, in order to aim the mortar in any direction, or to resight it if the vessel shifted its position. The change of direction was easily and quickly accomplished. By means of four eccentric axles in the platform, to which levers were fitted, the mortar and machinery (weighing altogether over ten tons) might be raised, and the weight transferred by the same movement to a great number of metallic rollers attached to a framework of immense strength under the platform. Then, by means of tackle, already arranged, the whole mass might be moved to its desired position, and instantly, by a reverse movement, replaced on the bed. In the centre of the platform, and extending into the solid mass beneath, was an iron cylinder or spindle which prevented any side movement.

The mortar carriage was constructed almost exclusively of wrought-iron. Its length was about nine feet, and its height and width each four feet. In form it had the slightest possible resemblance to a land carriage-gradually sloping at the point where the mortar rested, in the direction of the breech; and having wheels, yet not resting on them when the mortar was discharged. The carriage was composed principally of plate iron, riveted together, braced and bolted. It was a framework of excellent design, and though weighing probably not more than two tons, was capable of resisting a pressure of one to two hundred tons.

Two wheels were set close to the framework, directly under the mortars; and connected with them were eccentric axles, so arranged as to permit so large a part of the weight to be thrown on the wheels, that the carriage might be moved on them.

It was not intended, however, that the recoil of the mortar should in any degreo be taken up

or lessened in its effect by the moving of the wheels. The carriage laid firmly on the platform when the mortar was discharged, and the only possible motion was that of the vessel in the water.

The bombs were the most formidable ordnance missile known, except those used in the Rodman columbiad of 15-inch bore. In addition to the two 32-pounder guns, the vessels were provided with pikes, cutlasses, and other necessary weapons.

The mortars could not be fired directly over the sides of the vessels, and therefore the latter were partially headed toward the point of attack. The vessels were therefore anchored, and a part of the rigging removed. The extraordinary weight and strength of the mortars, the unprecedentedly large charge of powder, the long range and high velocity of the projectiles, with their destructive character, combined to render this novel expedition one of the most important undertaken during the war. The vessels made their first rendezvous at Key West, and subsequently proceeded to Ship Island, Mississippi.

Captain Farragut arrived at Ship Island on the 20th, having been detained for some time at Key West, and immediately began to organize his squadron for the important duty which had been assigned to him. There are two routes by which New Orleans may be approached by water, one through Lake Borgne and Lake Pontchartrain, and the other directly up the Mississippi River; but the former, on account of the shallowness of the water, is i npracticable for any but vessels of very light draft. The Confederates had consequently devoted their labors chiefly to the fortification of the Mississippi. Some seventy-five miles below the city, and about twenty-five miles from the "Passes" or mouths of the river, they had possession of two strong works constructed many years before by the United States Government, Fort St. Philip on the left, or north bank, and Fort Jackson on the right. Their united armament was one hundred and twenty-six guns, many of them of the very largest calibre. Starting opposite Fort Jackson and extending to a point a quarter of a mile below Fort St. Philip, a stout chain cable was stretched across the stream (here seven hundred yards wide) supported by a raft of logs and eight hulks securely moored. Adjoining Fort Jackson was a water battery. Under cover of the forts was a fleet of thirteen gunboats, the powerful iron-clad battery Louisiana, and the iron-clad ram Manassas, the naval forces being commanded by Commodore G. N. Hollins. Between New Orleans and the forts several earthworks, well armed, commanded the channel. "Our only fear," said the press of New Orleans of April 5, "is that the Northern invaders may not appear. We have made such extensive preparations to receive them that it were vexatious if their invincible armada escapes the fate we have in store for it."

To reduce these formidable defences, Capt. Farragut was able to collect the following vessels: steam sloops Hartford, 24 guns (flag-ship), Richmond, 26, Pensacola, 24, Brooklyn, 24, Mississippi, 12, Iroquois, 9, Oneida, 9, sailing sloop of war Portsmouth, 17, gunboats Varuna, 12, Cayuga, 6, and Winona, Katahdin, Itasca, Kineo, Wissahickon, Pinola, Kennebeck, and Sciota, 4 each. The frigate Colorado, 48, could not pass over the bar, and the entrance of some of the other large ships was only effected with the expenditure of much time and labor. The mortar fleet comprised twenty schooners, each mounting one large mortar and two small guns. They were accompanied by the steamers Harriet Lane, 4, the flag-ship of Commodore Porter, Miami, 7, Westfield, 6, Clifton, 6, and Owasco, 5. Some of these were merely armed tugs, intended principally to serve the purpose of towing the bomb vessels into position. Including the coast-survey steamer Sachem, the number of vessels under Capt. Farragut's command was therefore forty-six, and their aggregate armament, counting boat howitzers placed in the maintops, was about three hundred guns and mortars. There were no iron-clads in the fleet.

Nearly three weeks were consumed in getting all the ships of the squadron over the bars at the mouths of the Mississippi. Capt. Farragut found the depth considerably less than it had been laid down on the official maps; no doubt for the reason that the daily passing of large ships, before the port was blockaded, had kept the channel open. On the 28th of March, Fleet Captain H. H. Bell made a reconnoissance with two gunboats from the head of the Passes up toward the forts. He found the left bank quite clear of trees and bushes, but on the west side a thick wood extended about four miles below Fort Jackson. By the 8th of April the Mississippi and Pensacola were over the bar, and the mortar boats were moving up toward their appointed stations. On the 13th a detachment from the coast survey party set out under protection of the Owasco, and spent three days in making a minute boat survey of the river and banks, much of the time under fire, and marking the positions which the mortar vessels were to occupy. On the 18th two divisions of Commander Porter's flotilla were moored under the lee of the wood on the right bank of the river, screened from observation by the thick growth of trees interwoven with vines; the masts and rigging were dressed off with bushes, which were renewed as often as they were blown away. The head vessel was 2,850 yards from Fort Jackson and 3,680 from Fort St. Philip. The remaining division, composed of six vessels, was stationed under the opposite bank, the nearest being 3,680 yards from Fort Jackson. There was nothing on this side to screen them from observation, but their hulls were covered with reeds and willows.

The bombardment opened on the 18th, the mortar vessels taking the lead, and the gunboats

running up occasionally to draw the enemy's fire when the mortars required relief. Each boat having its precise distance from the forts marked out by the surveyors, the firing was remarkably accurate. At the given signal they opened in order, each one throwing a shell every ten minutes. Fort Jackson was the principal object of attack. On the first day the citadel was set on fire and burned until two o'clock the next morning, all the clothing and commissary stores in the fort being destroyed, and great suffering caused by the intense heat. During the night the firing ceased on both sides. Two of the mortar vessels had been injured by the enemy's fire and were accordingly moved to another position. On the 19th the mortar schooner Maria J. Carleton was sunk by a rifle shell passing down through her deck, magazine, and bottom, but nearly all her stores and arms were saved. One or two men were wounded, but very little other damage was done except to the masts and rigging of some of the schooners. On the other hand the officers' quarters in Fort Jackson were set on fire and entirely consumed, the artillerists were driven from the parapet guns, and the batteries were silenced every time the shells were concentrated on any one point. The fuzes being bad, however, a great many exploded prematurely in the air. Commander Porter accordingly gave up timing them and put in full-length fuzes, to burst after they had entered the ground. The soil being wet and soft, the shells penetrated 18 or 20 feet into the ground, and then exploded with an effect like an earthquake. The levee was broken in more than 100 places, and the water rushing into the fort flooded the parade ground and casemates. On the night of the 20th an expedition was sent up under Commander Bell to break the obstructions across the river. With the gunboats Pinola, Lieut.-Com. Crosby, and Itasca, Lieut.-Com. Caldwell, he made for the hulks, under a heavy fire, while all the mortars opened at once upon the forts to distract the enemy's attention. Petards were arranged to blow up the boom by means of a galvanic current, but they failed to ignite. Lieutenant Caldwell however, boarding one of the hulks, managed to slip the chain, and thereby made an opening sufficiently large for the fleet to pass. His vessel was swept ashore by the current, which was running with great violence, but the Pinola got her off after about half an hour's labor in full sight of the forts, the terrible fire of the mortar fleet being probably the only thing that saved the two boats from destruction. The bombardment continued with undiminished vigor for 3 days longer, with little damage to the squadron. Almost every night the Confederates sent down fire rafts, but Capt. Farragut easily avoided them, and had them towed ashore. On the 23d Commander Porter succeeded in breaking a heavy rifled gun on Fort St. Philip, which had been annoying him seriously for some time. Wth this single exception the 6 days' bombardment had not dimin

ished the fire of the forts in any perceptible degree.

On the 23d orders were issued to the fleet to prepare for attacking and passing the forts. The mortars were to continue the bombardment while this movement was in progress, and to try to drive the garrisons from their guns. The five steamers of Porter's flotilla, assisted by the Portsmouth, were assigned the duty of enfilading the water battery of six guns, and the barbette of guns which commanded the approach to the forts. The rest of the ships and gunboats were to push on past the forts, engage the Confederate fleet, and if victorious proceed to New Orleans, leaving the final reduction of the forts to Commander Porter and the land forces under General Butler. Flag-Officer Farragut now separated his gunboats into two divisions, of six boats each, the first under Capt. Theodorus Bailey, his second in command, and the second under Fleet Capt. H. H. Bell. The first division of ships comprised the flag ship Hartford, Commander Wainwright; Brooklyn, Captain Craven; and Richmond, Commander Alden. The second was composed of the Pensacola, Captain Morris, and Mississippi, Commander Melancton Smith. "Every vessel," says Captain Farragut, "was as well prepared as the ingenuity of her commander and officers could suggest, both for the preservation of life and of the vessel, and perhaps there is not on record such a display of ingenuity as has been evinced in this little squadron. The first was by the engineer of the Richmond, Mr. Moore, by suggesting that the sheet cables be stopped up and down on the sides in the line of the engines, which was immediately adopted by all the vessels. Then each commander made his own arrangements for stopping the shot from penetrating the boilers or machinery that might come in forward or abaft, by hammocks, coal, bags of ashes, bags of sand, clothes-bags, and in fact every device imaginable. The bulwarks were lined with hammocks by some, with splinter nettings made with ropes by others. Some rubbed their vessels over with mud, to make their ships less visible, and some whitewashed their decks, to make things more visible by night during the fight." On the night of the 23d Lieut. Čaldwell made a second visit to the obstructions, and ascertained that the passage was still clear. He was discovered and fired upon by the enemy, who had chosen that time to send down some of their fire rafts, and had lighted fires on the shore near the chain. At two o'clock on the morning of the 24th the signal was given to get under way, and the whole squadron moved up the river in two columns, Captain Bailey in the Cayuga leading the right, composed of the 1st division of gunboats and the second division of ships, and the Hartford, with Captain Farragut, taking the post of honor on the left. On passing the barrier chain the right column attacked Fort St. Philip, and the left Fort Jackson. They were discovered some time before they reached the barrier, and both