. The history of our country from its discovery by Columbus to the celebration of the centennial anniversary of its declaration of independence ... ed to their rigging to simulate the forest. As they CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS. 491 steamed slowly up the river they must have looked like :Macditffsarmy when it marched to Dunsinane with the branches of Birnamwood on its shoulders. On the 17th of April twentj^-one mortar steamers, led by Com-modore Porter, started up the river to bombard Fort were met at the first by a huge fire-monster which cameslowly floating down into tlie middle of t
. The history of our country from its discovery by Columbus to the celebration of the centennial anniversary of its declaration of independence ... ed to their rigging to simulate the forest. As they CAPTURE OF NEW ORLEANS. 491 steamed slowly up the river they must have looked like :Macditffsarmy when it marched to Dunsinane with the branches of Birnamwood on its shoulders. On the 17th of April twentj^-one mortar steamers, led by Com-modore Porter, started up the river to bombard Fort were met at the first by a huge fire-monster which cameslowly floating down into tlie middle of their fleet. It was a raftpiled high with wood soaked in turpentine, and set on fire. A boatfrom the fleet pushed out boldly, threw grappling irons on the mon-ster, and towed her to shore out of reach of the Union she burned sloAvly to the waters edge, a magnificent the 18th, the bombardment begaii. Fort Jackson was a littlelower down than Fort St. Philip, and the first attack fell upon vessels and fort, crossing each other in the air, came cannon-ball and bomb-shell, with smoke, a flash, and then a roar, that. Ram attacking Union Vessel below New Orleans seemed to shake the solid earth to its foundations. Combine allyou ever heard of thunder with all you ever saw of liglitnino-,* saidone of the officers who was in the bombardment, and you willhave a faint idea of the scene. For three days the gun-boats kept up the bombardment, and therewere no signs of yielding in the fort. Whatever is done must bedone quickly, said Farragut. The forts must be run, and thefleet be brought to New Orleans. Then our troops can attack thestrongholds in the rear, and take them by assault. But there wasan obstacle to a passage up the river even more formidable than thecannon that swept it from the two fortresses. Several schoonerswere strongly anchored at intervals, all the way across the these vessels, wound firmly round the capstan of each, a strong 492 S
Size: 2094px × 1193px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectuniteds, bookyear1881
