ranged in line, close together, along the western shore, behind the forest; the one in advance being a mile and three-quarters below Fort Jackson. Six were stationed near the eastern bank, in full view of both forts, two miles and three-quarters from St. Philip. The orders were to concentrate the fire upon Fort Jackson, the nearest to both divisions; since if that were reduced, St. Philip must necessarily yield. At nine, before all the mortar-vessels were in position, Fort Jackson began the conflict, the balls plunging into the water a hundred yards too short. The gun-boat Owasco, whicn had steamed up ahead of the schooners, was the first to reply. In a few minutes, however, the deep thunder of the first bomb struck into the overture, and a huge black ball, two hundred and fifteen pounds of iron and gunpowder, whirled aloft, a mile into the air, with the "roar of ten thousand humming-tops," and curved with majestic slowness down into the swamp near the fort, exploding with a dull, heavy sound. The mortar men were in no haste. For the first half hour, they fired very slowly, while Captain Porter was observing the effect of the fire and giving new directions respecting the elevations, the length of fuse, and the weight of the charge of powder. The calculations were made with such nicety that the changes in the weight of the charge were made by single ounces, when the whole charge was nearly twenty pounds. The enemy, too, fired slowly and badly during the first half-hour. By ten o'clock, however, both sides had ceased to experiment, and had begun to work.

The scene at this time was in the highest degree exciting and picturesque. The rigging of the Union fleet, just below the mortarvessels, was filled with spectators, from rail to mast-head, who watched with breathless eagerness the rise and descent of every shell, and burst into the heartiest cheers when a good shot was made. Four or five of the gun-boats were moving about in the middle of the river, between the two divisions of mortars, keeping up a vigorous fire upon the nearer batteries. Both forts were firing steadily and well, their shots splashing water over the mortar-vessels on the eastern side, and throwing up the soft soil of the bank high over the masts of those on the western. It is wonderful how many splendid shots may be made at a distant object without one hitting it. The balls fell all around the mortar-boats all day, and only two of them were struck, and they not seriously

injured. Not a man was hurt in the mortar-fleet the first day, except those who were sickened by the tremendous concussion which followed every discharge. The men stood on tip-toe and with open mouths to lessen the effect of the stunning sound. But men can get used to anything. They came, at length, to be able to sleep upon the deck of the mortar-boats, while the bombs were going off at the rate of two in a minute. It was exhausting work handling those huge globes of iron; and the men, too tired to go below, would lie down along the forecastle, fall instantly asleep, and never stir till they were called to duty again.

Men can bear what no other creatures can. As the firing grew hotter, the very bees in the woods could not endure it, but came in swarms over the river, and buzzed about the ears of the men in the rigging of the fleet. It was too much even for the fish in the river; large quantities of dead fish floated past, killed by the close thunder of the guns. Those who looked over the side at this new wonder did not see any of those sealed bottles of news go bobbing by, which the Union men in the forts afterward said they had sent down the river.

When the fire had lasted an hour and a half, the scene was enlivened by a new feature. "Over the woods, beyond the forts," says a highly competent witness, "we can count seven or eight moving columns of smoke, which indicate that the rebel steamers are passing about, probably plotting some mischief against us. Soon one, and then another, and afterward a third, appear in view, steering toward the forts. Before reaching them, however, the steamers dash to cover again, and we see that three huge burning rafts have been set adrift. The swift current sweeps them toward us; below they are a brilliant blaze, and rising from the flames is a spiral, funnel-shaped cloud of grayish black smoke, so dense as to shut from sight the fort and all else in that direction. Nearer and nearer these seemingly formidable rafts approach, but they occasion very little anxiety. We know how to dispose of them. The sailors from the large ships are called out of the rigging, which they have been permitted to occupy as interested spectators of the battle, and in a short time boats have the rafts in tow, and they are landed on the river bank to burn away. We all confess to an adiniration of these pyrotechnic displays. They add vastly to the picturesqueness of our surroundings, and are perfectly harmless.

The brave fellows on the schooners did not relax their fire during this exciting interlude."*

The day wore on. Noon came and passed. The charm of nov elty subsided. At four, General Butler's little steamer, Saxon, arrived, with the news that the general and his troops were below, and ready, and that the Monitor had sunk the Merrimac. Captain Farragut telegraphed the tidings to the fleet. It had a wonderfully inspiriting effect.

An hour later, the fleet was further cheered by witnessing an indication that the fire had not been ineffectual. Flames were seen bursting from Fort Jackson, and the fire of its guns slackened. It soon became evident that the citadel and the wooden barracks within the fort were on fire, as the barracks of Fort Sumter had been when it was defended by Major Anderson. Both forts ceased firing, and all the evening, till two o'clock the next morning, a magnificent conflagration illumined the scene. At half-past six, Captain Porter gave the signal to cease firing, and the night passed in silence. After dark, he withdrew the six schooners from their exposed situation on the eastern shore, and stationed them in the line upon the western side of the river. This appears to have been an excess of caution, for the most effective shots made during the bombardment came from that division, and none of the vessels had been disabled. It is not improbable that the bombardment might have silenced the fort, if that division had been doubled instead of removed. Its transfer to the shelter of the forest on the western shore, was a great relief to the enemy.

The next morning disappointed those who had indulged hopes from the burning of the wooden barracks. Fort Jackson was prompt and vigorous in responding to the fire of the mortars. At half-past eleven, a rifle-ball crushed completely through one of the bomb-schooners, and sunk her in twenty minutes, but harming no man. The Oneida, Captain Lee, was twice hit in the afternoon, as she was steaming about in advance; two gun-carriages were knocked to pieces, and nine men wounded. The fort, too, suffered so much, that its fire sensibly slackened long before the day closed. Oue shell bursting in the levee had flooded the interior of the fort with water. Another broke into the officers' mess-room while they were at dinner, and the ugly thing lay smoking on the ground between

New York Times, May 8th, 1862.