The enemy were evidently expecting our fleet, for they were ready to light up the river by means of bonfires on the east side and by firing houses on the point of land opposite the city on the Louisiana side.  The sight was magnificent, but terrible.  I witnessed it from the deck of a river transport, run out into the middle of the river and as low down as it was prudent to go.  My mind was much relieved when I learned that no one on the transports had been killed and but few, if any, wounded.  During the running of the batteries men were stationed in the holds of the transports to partially stop with cotton shot-holes that might be made in the hulls.  All damage was afterwards soon repaired under the direction of Admiral Porter.

The experiment of passing batteries had been tried before this, however, during the war.  Admiral Farragut had run the batteries at Port Hudson with the flagship Hartford and one iron-clad and visited me from below Vicksburg.  The 13th of February Admiral Porter had sent the gunboat Indianola, Lieutenant-Commander George Brown commanding, below.  She met Colonel Ellet of the Marine brigade below Natchez on a captured steamer.  Two of the Colonel’s fleet had previously run the batteries, producing the greatest consternation among the people along the Mississippi from Vicksburg (10) to the Red River.

The Indianola remained about the mouth of the Red River some days, and then started up the Mississippi.  The Confederates soon raised the Queen of the West, (11) and repaired her.  With this vessel and the ram Webb, which they had had for some time in the Red River, and two other steamers, they followed the Indianola.  The latter was encumbered with barges of coal in tow, and consequently could make but little speed against the rapid current of the Mississippi.  The Confederate fleet overtook her just above Grand Gulf, and attacked her after dark on the 24th of February.  The Indianola was superior to all the others in armament, and probably would have destroyed them or driven them away, but for her encumbrance.  As it was she fought them for an hour and a half, but, in the dark, was struck seven or eight times by the ram and other vessels, and was finally disabled and reduced to a sinking condition.  The armament was thrown overboard and the vessel run ashore.  Officers and crew then surrendered.

I had started McClernand with his corps of four divisions on the 29th of March, by way of Richmond, Louisiana, to New Carthage, hoping that he might capture Grand Gulf before the balance of the troops could get there; but the roads were very bad, scarcely above water yet.  Some miles from New Carthage the levee to Bayou Vidal was broken in several places, overflowing the roads for the distance of two miles.  Boats were collected from the surrounding bayous, and some constructed on the spot from such material as could be collected, to transport the troops across the overflowed interval.