ing the Sait Mary's Cannoneers, volunteers and regulars, non-commissioned officers and privates, and among them many of the very men who had stood last and best to their guns throughout the protracted bombardment and the final action when the enemy passed. It was soon evident that there was no further fight in the men remaining behind; that they were completely demoralized, and that no faith or reliance could be placed in the broken detachments of companies left in the forts.

In the mean time we were totally ignorant of the condition of affairs at Fort Saint Philip, and as all our small boats had been carried away by the mutineers, we could not communicate with that fort until the next morning. As the next attack upon the forts was likely to be a combined operation by land and water, and as Fort Saint Philip was the point most threatened, from the nature of the country around it and from the character of the work itself, with narrow and shallows ditches, and but little relief to the main work, it was self-evident that no reduction could be made in its garrison to strengthen that of Fort Jackson, even if all the men there remained true. In fact, two additional regiments had been asked for at the quarantine in anticipation of such an attack, to act as a reserve to strengthen the garrisons of both forts.

With the enemy above and below us, it will be apparent at once to any one at all familiar with the surrounding country that there was no chance of destroying the public property, blowing up the forts, and escaping with the remaining troops. Under all these humiliating circumstances there seemed to be but one course open to us, viz, to await the approach of daylight, communicate them with the gunboats of the mortar flotilla below under a flag of truce, and negotiate for a surrender under the terms offered us by Commander Porter on the 26th instant, and which had previously been declined.

April 28.-A small boat was procured and Lieutenant Morse, post adjutant, sent over to convey the condition of affairs at Fort Saint Philip, as well as to Captain Mitchell, on the Louisiana. Captain Mitchell and Lieutenant Shryock, C. S. Navy, came on shore and discussed the whole question, after which they left, remarking that they would go on board and endeavor to attack the enemy above, at the quarantine, notwithstanding that reasons had been given from time to time for not moving this vessel into her proper position, only a few hundred yards distant.

Captains Squires and Bond, Louisiana Artillery, and Lieutenant Dixon, commanding the company of Confederate States regular recruits, came on shore shortly afterwards from Fort Saint Philip, and concurred with us that, under the circumstances, we could do nothing else than surrender, as they were not at all confident of the garrison there after the unlooked-for revolt at Fort Jackson, although none of their men had left or openly revolted. For these reasons a flag of truce was sent down to communicate with the enemy below and to carry a written offer of surrender under the terms offered on the 26th instant. (See attached document V.)

This communication brought up the Harriet Lane and three other gunboats opposite the forts, with white flags at the fore, white flags being displayed from the yards of the flag-masts at both forts, while the Confederate flags waved at the mast-heads.

While negotiations were pending on the Harriet Lane, it was reported that the steamer Louisiana, with her guns protruding, and on fire, was drifting down the river towards the fleet. As the wreck in descending kept close into the Fort Saint Philip shore, the chances were taken by the enemy without changing the position of his boats. The guns of the