FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203  
204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   >>   >|  
suddenly upon the coast at that point with a force sufficient to march to Houston and take Galveston in reverse. He selected the troops, and collected the transports and the stores. When he was ready he gave the command of the expedition to Franklin, and caused Beckwith to replace Emory in command of the defences of New Orleans, to enable him to rejoin his division for service in the field. Franklin had the brigades under Love and Merritt of Weitzel's First division, with Bainbridge's, Closson's, and Bradbury's batteries, and the two brigades, Nickerson's and McMillan's, of Emory's Third division, with Duryea's, Trull's, and Hebard's batteries. For cavalry there were the two squadrons of the 1st Texas. Commodore Bell, who then commanded the West Gulf Squadron, gave the command of the gunboats, destined to keep down the fire of the shore batteries and cover the landing of the troops, to Lieutenant Frederick Crocker, from whose personal observation while serving on the blockade the information that led to the choice of the point of attack had been largely drawn. Crocker, besides his own vessel, the _Clifton_, had the _Sachem_, Lieutenant Amos Johnson; the _Arizona_, Acting-Master Howard Tibbetts; the _Granite City_, Acting-Master C. W. Lamson. Crocker's belief was that the defences ashore and afloat consisted of two 32-pounder guns in battery, and two small steamboats converted into rams. Franklin's orders were to proceed to Sabine Pass; there, if the Navy should be able to secure the landing, he was to debark his whole force rapidly, take up a strong position, seize Beaumont, or some other point on the railroad to Houston, and then reconnoitre the enemy to learn their position and strength. He was not to go farther into the country until reinforced. After landing, he was to turn back the transports to Brashear, where Benton's division of the Thirteenth Corps would be found waiting to join him. After many delays, due to the state and inadequacy of the transports, which, besides ten ocean steamers, fit and unfit, included six river steamers wholly of the latter class, Weitzel sailed from New Orleans on the evening of the 4th of September. Leaving the Southwest Pass on the morning of the 5th, under convoy of the _Arizona_, and steering westward, he was joined, early on the following morning, off Berwick Bay, by the _Clifton_ and the _Sachem_. A detachment of about 100 sharp-shooters, mainly from Companies
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   179   180   181   182   183   184   185   186   187   188   189   190   191   192   193   194   195   196   197   198   199   200   201   202   203  
204   205   206   207   208   209   210   211   212   213   214   215   216   217   218   219   220   221   222   223   224   225   226   227   228   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
division
 

Crocker

 

transports

 

command

 

Franklin

 

batteries

 

landing

 
Weitzel
 

morning

 
Master

brigades

 

Acting

 

steamers

 

Arizona

 

Sachem

 
position
 

Lieutenant

 
Clifton
 

defences

 

Houston


troops

 
Orleans
 

farther

 

country

 

strength

 

reinforced

 

Thirteenth

 
Benton
 

Brashear

 

reconnoitre


secure
 

debark

 
rapidly
 

Sabine

 

strong

 

railroad

 

waiting

 

Beaumont

 

delays

 

joined


westward

 

steering

 

Southwest

 
suddenly
 
convoy
 

Berwick

 
shooters
 

Companies

 

detachment

 

Leaving