to say that the Water Witch, a small vessel of under
four hundred tons, with three light guns, commanded by Lieutenant
Francis Winslow, held her ground, steaming up beyond the fire-rafts
until daylight showed her the larger vessels in retreat.

During the night of November 7th the U.S. frigate Santee, blockading
off Galveston, sent into the harbor two boats, under the command of
Lieutenant James E. Jouett, with the object of destroying the
man-of-war steamer General Rusk. The armed schooner Royal Yacht
guarding the channel was passed unseen, but the boats shortly after
took the ground and were discovered. Thinking it imprudent to attack
the steamer without the advantage of a surprise, Lieutenant Jouett
turned upon the schooner, which was carried after a sharp conflict.
The loss of the assailants was two killed and seven wounded. The
schooner was burnt.

On November 22d and 23d Flag-Officer McKean, with the Niagara and
Richmond, made an attack upon Fort McRea on the western side of the
entrance to Pensacola Bay; Fort Pickens, on the east side, which
remained in the power of the United States, directing its guns upon
the fort and the Navy Yard, the latter being out of reach of the
ships. The fire of McRea was silenced the first day; but on the second
a northwest wind had so lowered the water that the ships could not get
near enough to reach the fort. The affair was entirely indecisive,
being necessarily conducted at very long range.

From this time on, until the arrival of Flag-Officer David G.
Farragut, a guerilla warfare was maintained along the coast, having
always the object of making the blockade more effective and the
conditions of the war more onerous to the Southern people. Though each
little expedition contributed to this end, singly they offer nothing
that it is necessary to chronicle here. When Farragut came the
squadron was divided. St. Andrew's Bay, sixty miles east of Pensacola,
was left in the East Gulf Squadron; all west of that point was
Farragut's command, under the name of the Western Gulf Blockading
Squadron. Stirring and important events were now at hand, before
relating which the course of the war on the Upper Mississippi demands
attention.

[Illustration: MISSISSIPPI VALLEY--CAIRO TO MEMPHIS.]

CHAPTER II.

FROM CAIRO TO VICKSBURG.

At the 37th parallel of north latitude the Ohio, which drains the
northeast portion of the Valley of the Mississippi, enters that river.
At the poi