. The photographic history of the Civil War : in ten volumes . Federal Floating Mortar Battery atFort Pillow. There would have beenno engagement at Fort Pillow had itnot been for the continued annoyanceinflicted upon that position by thecurious little craft—one of which wesee tied up to the wharf in the lowerpicture. Secure in the knowledgethat Beauregards presence with alarge force at Corinth had precludedthe Federal land attack. General\illepigue awoke one morning to thesound of bursting shells which a Fed-eral mortar boat was rapidly droppingover his ramparts. Every day there-after, Flag-Of
. The photographic history of the Civil War : in ten volumes . Federal Floating Mortar Battery atFort Pillow. There would have beenno engagement at Fort Pillow had itnot been for the continued annoyanceinflicted upon that position by thecurious little craft—one of which wesee tied up to the wharf in the lowerpicture. Secure in the knowledgethat Beauregards presence with alarge force at Corinth had precludedthe Federal land attack. General\illepigue awoke one morning to thesound of bursting shells which a Fed-eral mortar boat was rapidly droppingover his ramparts. Every day there-after, Flag-Officer Foote continued topay compliments to Fort Pillow bysending down a mortar boat towedby a gunboat of the type seen in thepicture. There was nothing for theConfederates to do but take to theirbomb-proofs, so long as the Federalgunners continued the last General Villepigue, chafingimder the damage done to his works,called urgently upon the Confederateflotilla to come up and put an end to the mortar boats. GENER.\L J. B. VILLEPIGUE THE DEFENDER OF FORT PILLOW Early on the morning of May 10, 1862, the day after Flag-OfficerFoote went North, leaving Captain Davis in charge of theFederal flotilla, the Cincinnati towed mortar No. 16 do«-n to the usual position for shelling thefort, and then tied up to the edge ofthe stream to protect her. Themortar fired her first shot at fiveoclock. One hour and a half laterthe eight rams of the ConfederateRiver Defense fleet suddenly and un-expectedly appeared bearing downupon the Cincinnati. The latterquickly slipped her moorings, andopened her bow guns upon the ap-proaching vessels. One of these, theGeneral Bragg, passed quickly abovethe Federal ironclad, turned andstruck her a violent blow on the star-board quarter. After that the Braggdisappeared down the river, but theGeneral Price and the Sutiiter con-tinued the attack. One struck theCincinnati again, but the other re-ceived a shot through her boilers fromthe Benton, and
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