lip,
with reference to the direction of the river through the short reach
on which they are placed, but having regard to the general southeast
course, may be said to be lower down by 800 yards; the width of the
river actually separating the faces of the two works. At the time the
fleet arrived, the woods on the west bank had been cleared away below
Jackson almost to the extreme range of its guns, thus affording no
shelter from observation; the east bank was nearly treeless. Extending
across the river from below Jackson, and under the guns of both works,
was a line of obstructions which will be described further on.

The works of St. Philip consisted of the fort proper, a structure of
brick and earth mounting in barbette four VIII-inch columbiads and one
24-pounder; and two water batteries on either side of the main work,
the upper mounting sixteen 24-pounders, the lower, one VIII-inch
columbiad, one VII-inch rifle, six 42-pounders, nine 32s, and four
24s. There were here, then, forty-two guns commanding the river below
the bend, up which the ships must come, as well as the course of the
stream in their front. Besides these there were one VIII-inch and one
X-inch mortar in the fort; one XIII-inch mortar, whose position does
not appear; and a battery of four X-inch sea-coast mortars, situated
below and to the northeast of the lower water battery. These last
pieces for vertical shell-firing had no influence upon the ensuing
contest; the XIII-inch mortar became disabled at the thirteenth fire
by its own discharge, and the X-inch, though 142 shell were fired from
them, are not so much as mentioned in the reports of the fleet.

Fort Jackson, on the southern bank of the bend, was a pentagonal
casemated work, built of brick. In the casemates were fourteen
24-pounder smooth-bore guns, and ten flanking howitzers of the same
calibre. Above these, in barbette, were two X-inch and three VIII-inch
columbiads, one VII-inch rifle, six 42-pounders, fifteen 32s, and
eleven 24s; total in the fort, sixty-two. Just outside of and below
the main work, covering the approach to it, was a water battery
carrying one X-inch and two VIII-inch columbiads, and two rifled
32-pounders.[4] Of the guns in Jackson, the flanking howitzers and
half a dozen of the 24- and 32-pounders could, from their position,
have had little or no share in the battle with the fleet.

The number and calibre of the guns have been thus minutely stated
because it can scarc