that a shot from me, or a call, would bring down on him, and that we had entire possession of the place.  After sending two officers from the nearest troops to explain the condition to Steele, and to warn every officer they met to pass the word for everybody to be on the sharp lookout, I arranged with Deshler to keep quiet until I could bring his own commander, or orders from him.  Returning to General Sherman, I found a party of young rebel officers, including Robert Johnston’s son (rebel Senate) and Captain Wolf, quartermaster, of New Orleans, who declined to surrender except to gentlemen.  Some German Missouri soldiers didn’t relish the distinction, and were about clubbing them over the head, when I interfered and received their surrender.  Hurrying back to the general, I reported the dangerous condition of things.  He and General Churchill, commanding officer of the enemy, started for Deshler’s brigade; meeting Garland, a quarrel and some recrimination followed between him and Churchill, as to where the fault of the surrender belonged, which was rather promptly silenced by General Sherman, who hurried to the scene of trouble.  There, after some ill-natured talk, Deshler ordered his men to lay down their arms.  I rode into the fort, and found the parapet badly torn up by the fire from the fleet.  On going to the embrasure where I had seen the gun while on the river-bank talking to Captain Shirk, the piece was found split back about eighteen inches, and the lower half of the muzzle dropped out.  A battered but unexploded shell lying with the piece explained that it must have struck the gun in the muzzle, almost squarely.  On passing along the inside I saw from the torn condition of the earthworks how tremendous our fire was, and how the fire of the enemy was kept down.  The fire of the navy had partly torn down the side of the fort next the river.  A good many sailors were in the fort.  General A. J. Smith, Admiral Porter, and General Burbridge were there—­all in high spirits, but in some contention as to who got in first.  Toward dark, or nearly so, an Arkansas regiment came in as reenforcements, but surrendered without any trouble.  About the same time General Sherman received orders to put General A. J. Smith in charge of the fort, and stay outside with his men.  As his troops were nearly all inside, and had four-fifths of the prisoners in charge, these orders were not very clear, and the general left for headquarters to find out what was meant.  I went on collecting arms, and as our men were scattering a good deal and were greatly excited, I took the precaution to pass along the line and march the prisoners far enough from the stacked arms to be out of temptation.  I was especially urged to this by hearing several rebel officers speak of their guns being still loaded.  It was dark before all the prisoners were collected and under guard, including the regiment that arrived after the fight.  I am confident that all the prisoners were under guard by General Sherman’s troops.