The many bayous leading to the rear of Fort Jackson were always a source of anxiety, for this whole section seemed to be cursed by or with guerrillas; and it was our fortune to capture and disperse several gangs of these wretches.
Within a few weeks after our arrival, the Hartford and Brooklyn dropped anchor off the forts. It was Admiral Farragut's first and only visit after the capture, and as he remained over night, the garrisons proceeded to burn powder and send up rockets in his honor, and in various other ways demonstrated to the illustrious hero that his name and record were as dear to us as they were to the blue-jackets, and I may add that his visit was a God-send to us. At 9 o'clock the next morning the Hartford and Brooklyn went to sea. The echo of our guns fired in salute had hardly died away, when the signal gun brought every soldier to the parapet. Then a solid shot went whistling across the river, and then another. Every gun in both forts was trained for business. At this juncture ‘H. B. M. S. S. Rinaldo’ rounded to, and with loud protests and threats (!) her commander demanded of the boarding officer ‘by what authority he was fired upon.’ He was courteously informed ‘by what authority,’ although he was already informed as regards General Butler's orders in general and particular. The Hartford, flying the admiral's flag, was amenable to this particular order.
Luckily for this irate Englishman, he had level-headed New England men to deal with. Had we observed strictly the letter of our orders, the Rinaldo would have been knocked into kindling wood. The commander was kindly earned in regard to his future behavior while passing this outpost and I am sure that the boarding officer indulged in no ambiguous language. At this time the notable General Order No. 28 had been in force about four months, and had become of almost international importance. Rebels and their sympathizers, foreign as well as American, were using their utmost endeavors to bury its author under a world of obloquy. The world now knows that General Order No, 8 was productive of good, and only of good, to all
