[201] had been occupied by the Brashear City expedition and the cares of governing New Orleans, where the despotic rule of his predecessor had left him an extremely difficult task to perform. Farragut had seen all his forces absorbed by his operations along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The blockade of Mobile and the unfortunate occurrences at Galveston and Sabine Pass had not permitted him to remain in the waters of the Mississippi, where, to blockade Port Hudson, he had left only a few rams and mortarboats, unfit for navigation in the open sea.
But in the beginning of March an attack upon this place was finally resolved upon. Banks collected all his available forces at Baton Rouge, amounting to about twelve thousand men, and Farragut, entering once more the river with his sloops-of-war, got his fleet together a little below Port Hudson. In order to invest the place he determined to force the passage of its batteries, so as to command its approaches both from above and below. This difficult operation once accomplished, Banks was to commence the siege by land, while some of Farragut's ships would ascend the river to within sight of Vicksburg.
On the 13th of March everything was ready, and Farragut was giving his last instructions, always practical and clear, to the captains whom he had already led in enterprises not less perilous. The fleet which was to force the passage was composed of the sloops-of-war Hartford, Richmond, Mississippi, and Monongahela, and the three gunboats Albatross, Genesee, and Kineo. During this operation the mortar-boats were to bombard the enemy's batteries; and on the 13th, Banks, having arrived at Baton Rouge a few days previously, had pushed his reconnoissances as far as in front of Port Hudson in order to harass the garrison.
At half-past 9 o'clock on the evening of the 14th the fleet received the signal for departure. The three gunboats were each fastened to a sloop-of-war in order to facilitate their motions, as these large ships had great difficulty in ascending the current, which is very strong at this point: lashed to the port side, the gunboats were protected by the hulls of the sloops-of-war against the shots of the enemy. The Hartford, leading as usual, had the Albatross at her side; the Richmond followed her, and, as she was the slowest sailer, the best gunboat, the Genesec, had been
