ained for forty minutes, after which she withdrew, having been
hulled eleven times, her spars and rigging seriously injured, and
having lost two men killed and four wounded. The force was too small
to grapple successfully with the work, so Lieutenant-Commander Hart
gave the order to return.

On the way down the vessels met Admiral Porter, who had delayed at
Grand Gulf no longer than was necessary to take possession. Leaving
there at noon of the day of its occupation he reached the mouth of the
Red River on the 4th, and communicated with Farragut. The next day he
went up the Red River, taking with him, besides the flag-ship Benton,
the Lafayette, Pittsburg, and Price. The ram Switzerland, which
Farragut no longer needed, and the tug Ivy accompanied him.

When he fell in with Hart's expedition, Porter took the Estrella and
Arizona in addition to his own force, leaving the Albatross to rejoin
Farragut alone. On the 5th, toward sundown, Fort De Russey was
reached, but found to be abandoned and the guns removed, except one
64-pounder. Losing no time in destroying the abandoned works, the
squadron pushed on at once for Alexandria; a passage through the raft
being opened by the Price's ram. The Arizona having speed was sent
ahead to surprise any steamer that might be at the town, where she
arrived the evening of the 6th, the rest of the vessels coming up the
following morning. Most of the Confederate public property had been
already removed to Shreveport, three hundred and fifty miles farther
up, in the northwest corner of Louisiana, where the gunboats in that
stage of the river could not follow. General Banks arrived on the
evening of the 7th from Opelousas.

As the river was beginning to fall, Porter went down again on the 8th
with all the vessels but the Lafayette, Captain Walke, who was left at
Alexandria to co-operate with the army. The Benton stopped for a short
time at Fort De Russey, while a detached expedition, consisting of the
Price, Switzerland, Pittsburg, and Arizona was sent up the Black
River. They got as far as Harrisonburg, seventy miles up, where were
found batteries on high hills too heavy for the force, which was
recalled after communicating with the admiral, having succeeded in
destroying $300,000 worth of the enemy's provisions. The Switzerland,
Estrella, and Arizona were now sent up to Captain Walke at Alexandria,
and the admiral returned to Grand Gulf on the 13th. The Black River
expedition was in it