osition at Bisland might be
held against a front attack, but could be turned by the way of Grand
Lake. With five thousand infantry I would engage to prevent the
investment of Port Hudson; and as such a reenforcement must come from
Holmes, and could not reach me for a month, I hoped immediate orders
would be issued.

On the 28th of March Weitzel, who had been quiet at Berwick's Bay for
some time, sent the gunboat Diana, accompanied by a land force, up the
Teche to drive in our pickets. The capture of the Queen of the West and
destruction of the Indianola had impaired the prestige of gunboats, and
the troops at Bisland were eager to apply my theory of attacking them
at close quarters. The enemy's skirmishers were driven off; a section of
the "Valverde" battery, Captain Sayres, rapidly advanced; the fire of
the gunboat was silenced in a moment, and she surrendered, with two
companies of infantry on board. She was armed with a thirty-pounder
Parrott and two field guns, and had her boilers protected by railway
iron. Moved up to Bisland, her "Parrott" became a valuable adjunct to
our line of defense.

CHAPTER IX.

ATTACKED BY THE FEDERALS--ATTEMPT TO RELIEVE VICKSBURG--CAPTURE OF
BERWICK'S BAY.

Increased activity of the enemy at Berwick's Bay in the first days of
April indicated an advance; and to guard against the danger from Grand
Lake, Fuller, whose wounds in the Cotton affair were partially healed,
was sent to Alexandria to complete repairs on the Queen and convert one
or two other steamers into gunboats. It was hoped that he might harass
the enemy on Grand Lake, delay the landing of troops, and aid the little
garrison at Butte a la Rose in defending the Atchafalaya. Fuller was as
energetic as brave, but the means at his disposal were very limited.
Accompanied by a tender, he descended the Atchafalaya on the Queen,
leaving orders for his steamers to follow as soon as they were armed.
They failed to reach him, and his subsequent fate will be mentioned.

On the 10th of April the enemy had assembled at Berwick's sixteen
thousand men under Weitzel, Emory, and Grover ("Report on the Conduct of
the War," vol. ii., page 309). On the 12th Weitzel and Emory, twelve
thousand strong, advanced up the Teche against Bisland, while Grover,
with four thousand men, embarked on transports to turn our position by
Grand Lake. Weitzel and Emory came in sight of our lines before
nightfall, threw forward skirmishers, opened guns