J. Gordon Taylor, letter to Ma, 8 August 1864, Folder 1, Box 1, Elias Riggs Monfort Letters, Duggan Library, Hanover College, Hanover, Indiana.

"Fort Gaines"
August 8th 1864.

Dear Ma

I have to improve every opportunity of sending letters home especially as events follow each other with such rapidity that to delay any would require me to hire a secretary. As you see by my heading the "flag of our union" floats over Ft. Gaines and we have a free passage now from the sea to Mobile. But I will give you a brief history of the affair. My last left the fleet safely within the harbor without means of retracing their steps except by the same fiery path. August 6th 1864. When I arose this morning, went ashore and took a bath in the surf in watering place style which was very refreshing. We learned that last night the "Morgan" escaped to sea. She is a very formidable vessel capable of doing great damage to our commerce. She is an iron side wheel steamer plated over her machinery and boilers with four inches of iron, and her speed is about twelve miles per hour. This afternoon a dispatch came saying Ft. Powell is avacuated and shortly after another saying "Our flag floats over Ft. Powell." The rebels spiked the guns and blew the whole affair to utter ruin. It contains eighteen guns which we

[P. 2] we shall put in order and remove to some serviceable place, as the fort even if in good condition is of no use to us in our position. Nor could it be to the rebels for which reason they left it. Still it opens to us a free passage to the fleet inside without putting us under fire and is thus a great advantage. A deserter came in today from Ft. Gaines. He says the garrison is composed mostly of boys and does not think they will make much of a fight. He also says the rebels planted about 1500 torpedoes in the harbor but if his statement is true they proved of little service. August 7th 1864 This morning the Fort sent out a flag of truce to the fleet with propositions to surrender the fort. Accordingly hostilities ceased and all day long negotiations have been in progress. About four o'clock the General went over to the Admiral's flag ship to hold a consultation with him in regard to the subject and Maj. B and myself went with him. While the General attended to business we went over to inspect the ram Tennessee. I was perfectly amazed at her strengths. She is built up like the roof of a house somewhat with sloping sides. Her armor is first — beginning on the inside, three inches of oak, then sixteen inches of yellow pine, covered with iron slabs three inches thick arranged perpendicularly, then with two inch slabs laid at right angles to the first and lastly

[p. 3] one inch slabs paralell with the first which form the outer covering. Her armament is eight seven inch rifled guns Brooke Pattern throwing a shell of 128 Pounds. Inside she is much more cool and roomy, better lighted and ventilated than are our monitors and Judging from the effects of the shot upon her I should say she is equally as invulnerable. Upon her stern I counted nine shot dents all of them made by the 11 inch guns of the Chickasaw. The shot being solid and of cast steel weighing about 300 pounds. While these had all dented her armor badly none had penetrated her at all. The cause of her surrender was the shooting away of her steering apparatus and the wounding of her commander. On her left side were numerous marks of shot and here was the only place where a shot had penetrated. It was a 15 inch shot weighing 400 pounds and was fired from the monitor Manhattan at a distance of about ten feet. It made a hole in her about the size of an old fashioned bushel basket. The "Hartford" gave a broadside of thirteen nine inch guns all at once from a distance of about fifteen feet but they all glanced off like hail from the house top not damaging her in the least. The Hartford, the Metacomet, and the Lackawana tried then to ram her down but their butting was equally as harmless as

[p. 4] their shot. During the action she lost but one man killed and her commander wounded, while Admiral Farragut himself told me he lost more men fighting the Tennessee than he did in passing the fort. He said had he known her strength before entering the harbor he would have felt far less confident as to success, nor would he now undertake to fight her single handed. She can make seven miles an hour which is better speed than can be coaxed out of our iron clads. But on our side the monitors came off unscathed save the one which was sunk. The shot fell from their iron sides harmless nor was a bolt started or a plate injured. We captured also the Steamboat "Saturn" entirely uninjured. She is a partially plated wooden vessel carrying eight seven inch rifled guns and is a great acquisition to our fleet. The Gaines was disabled and now lies under the guns of Ft. Morgan. The gunboat Morgan we now find out did not escape to sea but ran up to Mobile so that we have a chance at her yet. Our loss in the passage was about 240 killed and wounded about 75 of who, were drowned on board the Tecumseh. The Hartford had twenty-three shot into into her of which one alone killed ten and wounded eight at one gun. One of our vessels

[p. 5] the name of which I have forgotten had her boilers exploded by a shell during the passage and a number of men were scalded to death. She was the only one of our vessels seriously injured. We left the "Hartford" about twelve o'clock. The papers for the surrender of the fort having been signed and the time for the ceremony set for eight o'clock tomorrow morning. On our return to our boat we stopped at Ft. Powell and scrambled over the ruins in the dark while we waited for a boat to take us to our own vessel. August 8th 1864. Promptly at eight we landed at the pier of Ft Gaines where yesterday we dare not venture. The navy officers who were to share in the performance were already on the ground. Our troops were drawn up in line outside the fort, with colors flying, while the guns were manned and ready to salute our flag as it was run up the flag staff. The rebels in their grey were drawn up opposite our line and at the order stacked their arms and became prisoners of war. The rolls were already prepared and Capt. Avery Maj. B and myself had to verify them to see that they were correct. This kept us busy until about two o'clock when we "counted our chickens" 813 in number. They were immediately put on boats and started for New Orleans. In the fort were several months provisions

[p. 6] 30 guns with ammunition amd various other plunder which was transferred to its proper owner. The Rebels were very much mortified and took their fate very hard. But they were in the position of "Davy Crockett's coon" and "had to come down". Of the fort I can give no description at present as the day was terribly hot and when I had finished my work I had such a headache that I did not run around any more than I could help. I shall visit it for pleasure soon and will take notes. — Here is the boat for letters and I must say good bye, will write again in a day or two. Give love to all. All well

Yours Aff
Gordon