rly seventy. In his front, Smith found Scurry's brigade of
Walker's division partly entrenched on Yellow Bayou; but Mower
quickly brushed Scurry aside, and Walker, after observing the
strength of his enemy, concentrated on the Bayou De Glaze, to avoid
being shut up in the elbow at Marksville, as well as to get Mouton
in support; and thus the way was open to Smith. On the afternoon
of the 14th, Mower arrived before Fort De Russy, and just before
nightfall the brigades of Lynch and Shaw swept over the parapet
and forced a surrender, with a loss of 3 killed and 35 wounded.
The captures included 25 officers and 292 men, and ten guns, of
which two were 9-inch Dahlgrens from the spoils of the _Indianola_
and the _Harriet Lane_, once more restored to their first owners.

Phelps, who had with great energy burst through the formidable raft
nine miles below Fort De Russy, came up in _Eastport_ in time to
fire one shot from his 100-pounder Parrott, and to see the white
flag displayed.

When this news reached him, Porter at once ordered his fastest
boats to hasten to Alexandria. The advance of the fleet arrived
off the town on the 15th of March, just as the last of the Confederate
boats were making good their escape above the falls. Kilby Smith
and his division followed on the transports with the remainder of
the fleet, and, landing at Alexandria during the afternoon of the
16th, relieved the naval detachment sent ashore some hours earlier
to occupy the town. On the 18th of March, A. J. Smith marched in
with Mower's two divisions. Thus the advance of Porter's fleet
was in Alexandria two days, and the head of A. J. Smith's column
one day, ahead of the appointed time.

Walker retreated on Natchitoches, accompanied by Gray's brigade of
Mouton's division from the Huffpower. Taylor, quitting his
headquarters at Alexandria, called in Polignac's brigade from the
line of the Tensas and concentrated his force at Carroll Jones's
plantation, on the road between Opelousas and Fort Jesup, distant
forty-six miles in a south-southeasterly direction from Natchitoches,
twelve miles south from Cotile, and twenty miles southwesterly from
Alexandria. Here he was in a good position for receiving supplies
and reinforcements, for covering Natchitoches, and for observing
any approach of the Union forces either from Opelousas or from
Alexandria.

Meanwhile Banks had called in from Texas the divisions of Cameron
and Ransom of the Thirteenth Co