He had undertaken
the impossible and at last had accepted the fact.
But the people of New Orleans had not reckoned on the character of the
daring commander of the Federal fleet. He coolly decided that since he
could not silence the guns of the forts he would run past them with his
swift steam craft and take the chances of their batteries sending him to
the bottom.
Once past these forts and the city would be at his mercy.
He must first clear the river of the obstruction placed below the forts.
Farragut ordered two gunboats to steal through the darkness without
lights and clear this raft. The work was swiftly done. The task was
rendered unexpectedly easy by a break caused by a severe storm.
At three o'clock in the morning of the twenty-fourth, the lookout on the
ramparts of the forts saw the black hulls of the fleet, swiftly and
silently steaming up the river straight for the mouths of their guns.
The word was flashed to the little nondescript fleet of the Confederacy
lying in the smooth waters above and they moved instantly to the support
of the forts.
The night was one of calm and glorious beauty. The Southern skies
sparkled with jeweled stars. The waning moon threw its soft, mellow
light on the shining waters, revealing the dark hulls of the fleet with
striking clearness.
Pages:
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335