it also disclosed the outline of the shore, enabling the pilots to steer
with certainty. The boat was pushed near to the Tennessee shore and to
the island, and put to its greatest speed. Impeded by the barge in tow,
its greatest speed was slow progress, and for half an hour the gunners
in the batteries watched the black night to see the hurrying Carondelet
shot for an instant out of the darkness at every lightning flash. Beyond
the batteries lay the floating battery, carrying nine guns, which had
been driven from its moorings the day before by the heavy fire of the
fleet. A light on the floating battery marked its position. A few shots
left it, but it evinced no eagerness to join in conflict. The
Carondelet, unharmed, untouched, fired the agreed signal, and fleet and
army knew at midnight the passage was a success.

On the morning of the sixth, Commander Walke, taking on board General
Granger, Colonel Smith, of the Forty-third Ohio, and Captain L.H.
Marshall, of General Pope's staff, steamed down the river under a heavy
fire from the batteries that lined the Tennessee shore, ascertained the
position of the batteries, and, on the return silenced the batteries
opposite Point Pleasant. Captain Marshall landed with a party and spiked
the guns. In the night of the 6th, Commodore Foote, in compliance with
General Pope's earnest request, sent the gunboat Pittsburg down to New
Madrid, where it arrived, like the Carondelet, untouched.

At the break of day of the 7th, in a heavy rain, Captain Williams, of
the First United States Infantry, opened with his thirty-two pounders
upon the batteries opposite him at Watson's Landing, where General Pope
proposed to land his troops. Commander Walke, with the two gunboats,
silenced the batteries along the shore. Three sixty-four pound guns,
standing half a mile apart, were spiked. A battery of two sixty-four
pound howitzers and one sixty-four pound gun maintained a contest till
two of the pieces were dismounted and the other disabled. The four
steamers came out of the bayou and took on board Paine's division. At
noon, Commander Walke signalled that all the batteries to Watson's
Landing were silenced and the way was clear. A spy in the employment of
General Pope, who had been taken from the Tennessee shore by Commander
Walke and forwarded by him to General Pope, brought the news that the
forces about Madrid Bend were in full retreat to Tiptonville. Paine's
division, sailing by just at that