Commandant Samuel F. Dupont to Gustavus V. Fox, Monday, October 28, 1861 – 2 p.m.

Confidential

Wabash H Roads       

Monday, 2 P.M. 28th Oct.

My Dear Sir

The very rough weather continued until eleven today, the sun is bright and sea getting down.

Shawsheen nearly lost, has come on disabled, and I sent her to Balt^o for repairs. I see Ellen and Whitehall had also to take refuge.

Calhoun stopped at Barnegat and then Abesecomb.

Vixen just in, our Coast Survey vessel. Her executive off. Mr. Platt, a most experienced coaster tells me he has never seen a worse sea running on the coast. I am satisfied now we should have lost our ferry boats and tugs and some two or three transports would have had to return. The tide will let us swing so as to go at 5 in the morning.

I have been reminded of the Panic about the safety of city of Washington — it is repeated here on the water talk. My cabin has been full all day of army QrMasters, Generals, and Steamer Captains. It is now ascertained the Ocean Queen can make 15,000 Galls a day, and the Vanderbilt 25,000! So the enemy has retired or is outnumbered for a time anyhow. Vandalia is off with the coal ships.

Between ourselves old Wool is an old goose and not at all fit to be here.

I made the Midship here and one on the Vandalia Masters because their juniors had appointments, and a master's mate was promoted over the one in the Vandalia. I felt sure you would approve under the circumstances and they are very grateful.

Long and deep pouring over of charts. I think the Genl feels anxious at the amount of men the rebels can throw by rail to B. S. is impatient and frets when his QrMasters have doleful reports to make, but I am more and more impressed by his evident military knowledge and spirit.

In haste

Faithfully       

S. F. Dupont

Hon. G. V. Fox

Ass. Secretary

SOURCE: Robert Means Thompson & Richard Wainwright, Editors, Publications of the Naval Historical Society, Volume 9: Confidential Correspondence of Gustavus Vasa Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1861-1865, Volume 1, p. 61-2

Diary of Sergeant George G. Smith: April 13, 1863

The army had passed up the lake and had a fight at Franklin on the Tache Bayou, whipping them badly and capturing two thousand prisoners. The battle was fought on the twelth and thirteenth of April, Major Fiske of the First Louisiana and several privates were wounded besides two or three killed. My old regiment the thirteenth C V was said to have lost heavily in this battle. The troops were hot in the pursuit. Three gunboats', the Estella, Arazona, and Calhoun came down the lake with eighty prisoners, a part of the crew of the Queen of the West, our gunboats had destroyed in the morning. The commander of the Queen, Captain Fuller was among them. At 4 p. m. eighty more prisoners came in on a transport. As I stood by the gang plank of the transport, Captain Fuller was brought out on a stretcher. Seeing me with my orderly sergeant's insigna he saluted me and I returned the salute. His feet were scalded. Went on board the St. Mary with the wounded, steamed up the lake ten miles and came to anchor with three gunboats. The three wounded soldiers' wives were left behind as being too cumbersome and they return to New Orleans. Ten miles further up meeting with obstructions in the Bayou, we were compelled to leave the steamer and march fifteen miles to Franklin. On the way ravages of war was seen almost everywhere. But my gun, sword knapsack and equipments were my chief concern on account of their great weight and I was not sorry when we arrived in Franklin. The town was full of soldiers and prisoners of war but we found an empty negro shanty and turned in. The former occupants in their flight had left some of their live stock which annoyed us so much that our rest was not as quiet as might have been desired.

SOURCE: Abstracted from George G. Smith, Leaves from a Soldier's Diary, p. 44-6

From Corinth and New Orleans

More Heavy Skirmishing – Gen. Butler Dispensing Beef and Sugar to the Poor.

ST. LOUIS, May 21. – Special dispatches from below this evening state that every heavy skirmishing is constantly going on at Corinth, and a general engagement is likely to take place at any time, as the federal lines extend close to the rebel pickets.

The steamer Platte Valley was fired into on her way up the Tennessee River, but nobody was hurt.

The rams have reached the fleet, and everything is ready for any emergency.

The Memphis Appeal of the 15th contains the following dispatch addressed to the Rebel Secretary of State:

CAMP MOORE, Louisiana,

May 13, 1862.

To Hon. J. P. Benjamin:

Gen. Butler on the 11th inst., took forcible possession of the office of the Consul of the Netherlands and searched the person of the Consul and took from him the key of the bank vault.  Butler also took possession of the offices of the French and Spanish Consulates, in the old Canal Bank, and placed a guard there.  The French Consulate went on board the steamer Milan, and had not returned up to Sunday morning.  It is said that the guard has been removed from the offices of the French and Spanish Consulates.  In the vault of the Canal Bank $800,000 had been transferred by the Citizens’ Bank to Hoper, banker of Amsterdam, to pay interest on bonds.  Butler also seized the Canal Bank and Smith’s banking house, and has issued an inflammatory proclamation to incite the poor against the rich, promising to distribute among the poor 1,000 hogsheads of beef and sugar.  He is recruiting in New Orleans. – The poor will soon be starved.  The enemy have sent a force up to Bennett’s Cave, which were marched through the swamp and destroyed the railroad bridge.

The Pittsburg Citizen of the 12th instant, says:

“The latest we can ascertain of the whereabouts of the Yankee gunboats, is that they are between Fort Adams and Bayou [Tonica], and are supposed to be in or about the Red River cut off.  The little freight steamer Whitman, which has made so many daring trips to and from New Orleans, has been captured by the Federal gunboat Calhoun.”

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 24, 1862, p. 3

Letter from New Orleans

New York, Jan. 27.– The New Orleans Delta of the 16th contains the following:

A letter from Brock’s Bay of San. [sic] 15, says, I have just learned of the particulars of an affair of some importance which took place yesterday.

Early in the day Commodore Buchanan went up the Teche with the Calhoun until he came to the obstructions placed in the river by the rebels, at this pint unluckily they got aground.– Commodore Buchanan, however, it is said went forward some distance and was shot throug[h] the head, from one of the riflepits [sic] near by; a man named Whitehurst, belonging to the Calhoun, was killed at the same time, Col. Thomas of the 8th Vermont, hearing the firing ordered his regiment to charge the pit which resulted in the capture of 30 rebels and the dispersion of the rest. I have been told that 6 rebels were killed. I learn on good authority that the Captain of the rebel gunboat Tallieu was killed, it is also reported that the gunboat was captured.

The steamer Northern Light, from New Orleans 17th, has arrived, news anticipated by the Mary Boardman last evening.

Gen Banks has issued orders requiring the [r]ebels to support the poor, disposing of confisticated estates, &c; allowing produce to be sold in open market by well disposed persons, and requiring all registered enemies to take the oath of allegiance. Also that insult to soldiers will be punished.

It was reported at Key West 22nd, that the rebel pirate Oveito had escaped from Mobile and captured and burned a Boston Brig off Tortugas on the 17th.

– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, January 18, 1863