pany fought them half an hour, killing and wounding 17. The rainy season had now set in, and all the lowlands below Jacksonport were under water; but on the 15th I started for Clarendon, on White River, determine to see what was going on there. The march was terrible. Cache and Bayou De View bottoms were on an average 3 feet deep, but struggling through I reached the vicinity of Clarendon of the 23 d, and found the guns-boat Queen City lying off the place, Placing pickets on every road, and arresting every man, woman, and child who came out and all who came in, I kept my proximity silent as the grove. Determining to attack it and surprise it if possible, I waited until 12 o'clock at night, moved the artillery to within a mile by horses, unlimbered and dragged the guns up to within 50 feet of the boats, covered all brigades with weeds, carried the ammunition by hand to the guns, dismounted my entire brigade, stationed them along the bank, and waited for the coming daylight.

It was a beautiful moonlit night. White, fleecy clouds hovered over the sleeping river, over the doomed craft with all her gala lights in bloom, and over the crouching lines of infantry and the yawning canon. The silence was broken only by the measured tread of the sentinels and the deep striking of the time-bell. Just as the with hand of morning put away the sable clouds of night four pieces of artillery sent their terrible messengers crashing through the boat. Then the infantry opened with terrific effect, and in ten minutes the Queen City was a helpless wreck upon the water, her captain surrendering unconditionally. With this capture there fell into my hands her splendid armament of 9 guns-6 30 pounder Parrotts, 2 beautiful Dahlgren boat howitzer, an d 1 24-pounder howitzers, with all kinds of the best ammunition-60 officers and seamen, large quantities of supplies and clothing. Everything that could be removed was taken off. The two Dahlgren guns placed in position on the bank to help the river, with plenty of ammunition. The magazine was opened, a train laid, and in ten seconds the unfortunate boat was blown into a thousand fragments, the splinters and pieces of iron and wood coming for hours. I hated to see the six splendid guns go down, but no time was left to tarry over an effort to secure them.

I had scarcely changed the position of my battery, got volunteers for the new guns, and reformed my infantry when the shrill whistling of tree boats above warned me to be on the alert. Vary soon the Tyler, the Grace [Fawn], and the Naumkeag, there formidable gunboats, came round the bend opened furiously upon me. For two hours the conflict lasted. Without shelter, on open levee, my gunners stood pieces, and the infantry lines charged up to the bank of the river and kept the port-holes closed for a while. I ow learned that their vast superiority of metal was telling heavily on my command, and with the two guns dismounted, and the Tyler within 50 yards vomiting bushels of grape and canister at every discharge, I withdrew in fine order from the unequal contest, the gun-boats patrolling the river until night. They were severely handled in the contest. The Tyler received thirteen shots through her, the Grace [Fawn] was towed off, and the Naumkeag was reported sunk while being towed to Devall's Bluff.

The next day I threw up some rifle-pits and earth-works, with were shelled furiously and the working party driven off.

59 R R-VOL XXXIV, PT I