Cruise of the U.S. Flag-Ship Hartford–Wm. C. Holton

May 9th. At nine A. M., inspected crew at quarters; Albatross under way at ten A. M., steaming up the river; at four P. M., the Albatross returned from up the river and anchored ahead of us; at ten thirty P. M., heard very heavy firing from the southward and eastward; heard the last report at eleven twenty.

May 8th. Lying to an anchor in the Mississippi off the mouth of Red river; all quiet on the “Father of Waters,” up to four A. M., when a scene of great excitement occurred on board of the Flag-ship Hartford. The reader may ask what was the cause of it? Was the enemy near? No; but our friends were, and about bidding us, maybe, a long adieu, and leaving the good old ship for other parts; and they were our best of friends,—those who had left their wives and children, homes, relations, all that tends to make home dear, to be with us, and by their presence, kind words, and noble example, encourage us to deeds of noble daring; and well, dear reader, have they performed this duty, as the preceding pages of this book will testify, having been under their command in nine general engagements with the enemy, and have come out of all victorious, with little loss of life or limb, and the least damage to ship, while other vessels of the fleet had to succumb to the destructiveness of the enemy’s shot and shell, losing many valuable lives. This will appear more wonderful when it is taken into consideration that we always took the lead; we never asked others to go where we were afraid to go ourselves, and by this course of proceeding the Hartford has earned herself and brave Commander a name and fame at home and abroad. The rebels upon the banks of the Mississippi call her the black devil, and honorably acknowledge him who flies his broad blue pennant in defiance to them from her masthead, to be a bold, brave, and daring old warrior. I think it is a well-deserved compliment to the old naval hero, who never knew what fear or defeat was, and also to the staunch and noble old vessel whose decks he has trod with such a courageous tread and quiet mien, while guiding her movements when engaged with the enemy at close quarters, and running the gauntlet of their terrible batteries under a storm of iron hail. Success to him and his brave companions in all their future operations is the wish of the writer of these few lines, and may he be spared many years yet to brighten the rage of history with an account of his glorious deeds in the service of his country. Although rumored the day previous, the ship’s company could not be made to believe that we were going to lose one who held such a place in the hearts of all, and had become so dear—whose name was a household one; but alas! the dawn of this day proved the rumor too true, and many a countenance of these tars, tried by fire and water, every one a hero and able to relate an account of his hair-breath escapes from the enemy, was darkened and clouded over from the effect of this sad news; others’ eyes were wet with the tears they would fain conceal, but could not; their grief would find vent through this channel. All things being in readiness, at four, forty this morning, precisely, the following officers left the ship, viz . Rear-Admiral D. G. Farragut, Fleet Captain T. A. Jenkins, Fleet Surgeon J. M. Foltz, Rear-Admiral’s Secretary, E. C. Gabaudan, Fleet Captain’s Clerk, E. A. Palmer; also Lieut. Eaton of U. S. A. Signal Corps, and two soldiers of same; at five A. M., the Sachem got under way with them on board, when the lads manned the rigging, and gave three times three with a will; such cheers were seldom given by our noble sailors to any person or persons, and the honored recipients of same will long remember the event.

May 7th. Commences with pleasant weather; at six forty-five A. M., sent the Albatross down the river in search of the Sachem; at 9 A. M., inspected crew at quarters; at two P. M., the Albatross came up the river and made fast inshore ahead of us; at two forty P. M., the Sachem came up the river and anchored.

May 6th. Commences with clear and pleasant weather, and light breezes from the northward and westward; at six thirty-five A. M., the steamer Sachem got under way and steamed up the river, exchanging signals with lower fleet from mast-head; at eight forty-five called all hands up anchor, got under way, and proceeded up the river; at eleven thirty came to anchor off Point Coupée; sent forth cutter, in charge of an officer, and with six marines and an armed boat’s crew, to destroy some Confederate property; at one thirty P. M., under way steaming up the Mississippi; at 3 o’clock passed the Sachem; at seven o’clock came to anchor off the mouth of Red river; Albatross also came up and anchored.

May 5th. Commences with a sky overcast and cloudy, and thunder and lightning, precursors of a storm; finished repairing Albatross’s wheel broken in action of 4th inst.; at three A. M., at daylight, sent a party on shore to dig a grave; at five fifteen sent the body of Mr. Hamilton, pilot, on shore, in charge of Lieut. Watson, for interment; the grave was dug on the left bank of the river, a short distance below Col. Ackelon’s house; at eight A. M., got under way, and steamed down the river, Albatross and Sachem in company with us; at eleven o’clock saw a flat boat ahead crossing the river opposite Bayou Sara, having two hogsheads of sugar on board; called one gun’s crew to quarters, and fired the Sawyer rifle on forecastle ahead of same to bring it to, and sent the second cutter in charge of an officer and an armed crew to take it in tow; took her in tow, and brought her alongside of us and made her fast: received a white man and boy, and several negroes, prisoners from off the scow, on board; at eleven forty-five called all hands to bring ship to anchor; at twelve, noon, came to anchor five miles above Port Hudson; at one P. M., the Albatross and Sachem engaged shelling the woods on the point opposite Port Hudson, and in burning two frame buildings used by rebel pickets. Making signals from masthead to U. S. sloop-of-war Richmond, and receiving answers from her to same; paroled the two white prisoners; received no mail this time from lower fleet.

May 4th. Commences with clear and pleasant weather; at one-thirty A. M., lights reported coming down the Mississippi river; the rattle was sprung, calling crew to quarters; soon however, signals were exchanged between us and the approaching vessels, each vessel making her number by means of displaying different colored lights, by means of which we ascertained their names. They proved to be a portion of Rear-Admiral Porter’s fleet of iron-clads, having but lately run the gauntlet of the Vicksburg batteries, under a tremendous fire from the enemy, and still later engaged the rebel fortifications at Grand Gulf, and with the aid of some of our forces under General Grant drove the rebels out of the same, making many prisoners and taking possession of the place; as they passed on clown and rounded our stern, the excitement on board the old sea-dog Hartford was more than I can describe. These western iron-clads are very queer looking specimens of river craft. The above-noticed iron-clads and gunboats proved to be the Benton, (Flag-ship of Rear-Admiral Porter), Pittsburgh, LaFayette, ram General Sterling Price, and tug-boat Ivy; the ram Switzerland accompanied them down.

The Ivy, tender to the Benton, came alongside of us, and Rear-Admiral D. D. Porter came on board to communicate with Admiral Farragut. Clear and pleasant, but rather warm weather; all the forenoon of this day employed supplying iron-clads Benton and Pittsburgh, and LaFayette with ammunition; received a mail on board; at three P. M., Admiral Porter’s fleet of vessels, with him in charge, got under way, rounded our stern, and entered the mouth of Red river, ram Switzerland taking the lead, intending before returning to clear out this stream of all obstructions placed in the way of the free navigation of same by the rebels, and accomplish the capture of Alexandria; at four P. M., the gunboat Albatross returned from reconnoissance up Red river; she anchored ahead of us; her Captain came on board with the information that they had had a fight in the morning with the rebels, a short distance from the mouth of the river, at a battery called Fort De Russy, and had two men killed in the action, which lasted about an hour, and had her wheel shot away; one of the parties killed was a Mr. Hamilton, a pilot of this ship. The Albatross was successful in putting a shot through the boilers of a rebel steamboat, from which an explosion took place, and a large number of the enemy were scalded beyond recovery, their awful cries of agony and for help pierced the hearts of many of the brave tars on board the Albatross, causing a feeling of sympathy for the poor fellows. The Albatross, I must not omit to say in closing this, could not get nearer to this battery than five hundred yards, on account of a barrier or raft of logs obstructing the navigation of the river at this place, constructed by the rebels. About five P. M., Mr. J. Hamilton’s body was received on board from gunboat Albatross; also the steering wheel of same vessel in a badly damaged condition; and I will here remark the shot which struck this wheel knocked over a bale or more of cotton, which was used as a barricade around it, upon our pilot, causing such injuries internally that lie died therefrom.

May 3d. Commences with clear and pleasant weather; inspected crew at quarters, and performed Divine service at ten o’clock, this morning, on quarter-deck. While at service the gunboats Albatross, Estrella, and Arizona got under way and started up Red river on a reconnoissance,—the little Albatross taking the lead.

May 2d. Commences with clear and pleasant weather. Nothing occurred worthy of mention during nearly the entire day, the regular routine of naval discipline being gone through with on this day as upon all other days; at eight thirty o’clock, P. M., lights seen up Red River and reported from lookouts at mast-head; beat to quarters, and got ship ready for action. In a short time they made their appearance coming out of Red River, signalizing to us by different colored lights; as soon as they came within hailing distance, hailed them; they gave us to understand that they were respectively the U. S. gunboats Arizona and Estrella from Brashear City; they steamed on ahead of us, and anchored close in shore.

May 1st. The first day of May commences with clear and pleasant weather. This afternoon the Admiral despatched the ram Switzerland up the river as far as Grand Gulf, for news of what was going on in that quarter. At nine o’clock this evening, a rocket was reported as seen sent up Red River, and soon after a steamer’s light was seen coming down. Immediately the rattle was sprung, giving the alarm, and a few minutes afterwards all hands were at their guns and stations, while nearly all, officers and men, believed it was one of our own transports from Brashear City, via Berwick’s Bay and Atchafalaya River; still, they might be mistaken, and it was proper to be prepared against a surprise should it prove to be the enemy. Soon the vessel made her appearance, coming out of Red River, and signalized, by means of different colored lights, her number. Had she been a little dilatory in doing so, I have no doubt but a fight would have been the upshot of the matter, since the men were all anxious for the fray, and ready, with fifteen broadside guns, twelve of them nine-inch, bearing on their target, and only waiting for the old hero, the Admiral, to give them the order. She proved to be the U. S. gunboat and transport Arizona. Upon our hailing her and asking in trumpet voice what steamer that was, all was excitement unbounded among officers and crew, and a few moments of stillness and suspense followed ere she returned an answer to our inquiry; when her answer was known, joy pervaded the hearts of all ; three cheers were heartily given, the retreat beat, and every one left his quarters, thanking Him whose sun is made to shine upon the just and the unjust, that such success had crowned our efforts, and communication through another channel with our army, and New Orleans was now open to us, by the arrival of this long-expected visitor and stranger. The Arizona came to off our starboard quarter, and sent a boat with her Captain in same on board of us, with despatches from General Banks to Admiral Farragut ; after communicating with us, she wended her way back again, via Red and Atchafalaya Rivers to Brashear City.

Jeff has had the laugh on us for a long time, but now the tables are turned, and we come in to relieve him and take a spell at this pleasant recreation. I wonder how he likes it? Any how, we can now say, “Jeff, as you like it; this is kind of hard treatment of you, showing that we d_______ d Yankees have very little respect for your feelings; we know how arduously you have served your constituents, and that you need some rest. It shall not be denied you, and we shall take sole charge of affairs on the Mississippi, likewise Red River, until Port Hudson and Vicksburg fall.”