The right section, in command of Lieutenant Webster, moved forward a short distance and bivouacked for the night.

On the morning of the 11th the right section moved on to within 1,000 yards of the fort and opened fire about 12 m. upon the right casemated gun of the enemy. This gun after a short time ceased firing which was evidence that it was silenced; whether done by the gunboats or us is but little matter; it was done. The attention of this section was then called to a heavy 8-inch gun, mounted en barbette, and after firing several times it was also disabled and rendered useless, the muzzle being shot off. This work we claim to have done; First, that no other guns were firing at this time upon it; second, that the indentation and breaking show plainly that the shot proceeded from the same caliber as our 20-pounder shell found in it. The unmistakable evidence of the holes through boards being found where the shell had gone through sidewise just fitting our seized shell, and the distance from whence they came, gave proof conclusive that our efforts to do our enemy great injury were not unavailing, and to us the satisfaction that the enemy to our beloved country bled in a cause as unjust and shameful as is ours right and glorious.

As before mentioned, the left section, ordered to report to Colonel Lindsey, was placed on board the Post Boy and went 8 miles down the river to Fletcher's Landing, where we disembarked at 10.30 p.m. and marched through the woods and over a terribly muddy road, arriving at Colonel Lindsey's camp at midnight. This point is about 2 miles above the fort and obscured from view by a bend in the river.

Here we bivouacked for the remainder of the night, and in the morning placed our guns in an epaulement, which had been thrown up during the night for this section of my battery. We remained here until 2 p.m. the of 11th, when, to our surprise and great joy, we saw one of the gunboats passing the fort. Three of the gunboats soon followed, the last being the flag-ship of the fleet, which landed below us on the same side of the river. An officer from the boat came rapidly to us on foot, saving," Now is your time to do something. Where is the officer in command?" I directed him to Colonel Lindsey, then present. After a moment's conversation with the officer Colonel Lindsey gave me permission to move down the river opposite the fort, or nearly so, and ordered me to open upon the enemy where we could be the most effective. This we found to be a position enfilading the enemy's rifle-pits to the left of the fort; that is, the enemy's left. We then fired upon them with fuse-shell, and to my great satisfaction all exploded, causing great commotion among the enemy's troops in the rifle-pits. I feared the time of the fuse was too short, but it seemed to cause such destructions that we continued to use to same length fuse and with great effect. Every shell burst and just at the right point. As a proof more positive of the destruction we had caused, I immediately after the surrender hurried to the ground upon which we had been firing and found 10 mutilated bodies of 20-pounder Parrott shell, some of which I now have in my possession.

While we were firing we saw the rebel flag fall at this point, and the body of a rebel soldier was found blown over the epaulement, the flag lying down not 20 feet distant. We had fired about twenty minutes into this place, when, with indescribable pleasure, we saw the white flag first at the point we had been firing upon. In a few minutes we saw the flag for which we are ready to waste our last drop of blood proudly waving over the rebel Post Arkansas.