After the seizure of the Pensacola Navy Yardand the movements connected with the reliefof Fort Pickens (Yol. I., p. 32), the Gulf Coast re-mained comparatively quiet until the establish-ment of the blockade. Hitherto the vessels in thisquarter had formed a part of the Home Squadron,under Flag-Officer Pendergrast; but on June 8th,1861, Flag-Officer William Mervine assumed com-mand of the station, his vessels constituting theGulf Blockading Squadron. Already the blockadehad been set on foot by the Powhatan, at Mobile,and by the Brooklyn, at New Orleans ; and soon afterMervine arrived in the steamer Mississippi , he hadtwenty vessels in his fleet. On July 2d, Galveston ,the third port of importance in the Gulf, was block-aded by the South Carolina .
The first collision occurred in August, when oneof the tenders of the South Carolina , blockadingGalveston , was fired on by a battery on the shore.Commander Alden, commanding the South Caro-lina , laid his ship close to the shore and returnedthe fire. A few shells were accidentally dischargedinto the town, but the affair was in no sense abombardment of Galveston .
In September Flag-Officer William W. McKeanreplaced Mervine in command of the squadron.Shortly after, the blockading vessels off themouths of the Mississippi, commanded by CaptainJohn Pope , moved up to the Head of the Passes.Early on the morning of the 12tli of October thissquadron, consisting of the Richmond, Vincennes,Preble, and Water Witch, was attacked by the iron-clad ram Manassas , under Lieutenant A. F. Warley.The Manassas rammed the Richmond without in-flicting serious injury, and, being herself damagedby the blow, withdrew up the river. At the sametime, the Richmond and her consorts turned theirheads down-stream, and retreated as fast as possi-ble to the mouth of South-west Pass. The Preblegot over the bar, but the Vincennes and the Rich-mond grounded. In this position they were at-tacked by a small flotilla of converted river boatsunder Commodore G. N. Hollins. Notwithstand-ing the evident panic that prevailed in the fleet,the Confederate attack was not sustained with anygreat spirit, and the result was indecisive, neitherparty obtaining an advantage. The Water Witchwas skillfully and boldly commanded by Lieuten-ant Francis Winslow; while the action of thecaptain of the Vincennes in abandoning his vesselwhile she was ashore, but under cover of the Rich-mond's heavy battery, was a subject of well-meritedreproach.
On the night of the 13th of September occurredthe destruction of the Confederate privateer Judah,in Pensacola harbor (see Yol. I., p. 32).
A similar exploit was performed at Galveston early in November. The attacking party, underLieutenant James E. Jouett, set out in two
launches from the frigate Santee, Captain HenryEagle, on the night of the 7th, and captured andburnt the privateer schooner Royal Yacht, carry-ing one 32-pounder. Thirteen prisoners weretaken. The casualties in the Union force were 2killed and 7 wounded.
On the 16th of September, Ship Island, an im-portant point commanding the passage of Missis-sippi Sound, which formed the water connectionbetween New Orleans and Mobile, was evacuatedby the Confederate forces. On the next day thesteamer Massachusetts , under Captain MelanetonSmith, landed a force and took possession of theisland. The fort was strengthened by a formi-dable armament of rifles and 9-ineh Dahlgren guns.Occasional attempts were made to recover the isl-and, but without success. On the 1 9tli of Octoberthe Confederate steamer Florida (Captain GeorgeN. Hollins) made a demonstration, and an encoun-ter took place between that vessel and the Massa-chusetts. The Florida , having the advantage ofhigher speed and less draught, was able to chooseher distance, and exploded a 68-pounder rifle shellin the Massachusetts , but without doing seriousdamage. The engagement was indecisive. InDecember a detachment of 2500 troops underBrigadier-General John W. Phelps was posted onthe island, which had up to this time been heldby the navy.
According to Secretary Welles (in “The Galaxy”for Nov., 1871), the Navy Department first con-ceived the idea of an attack on New Orleans in Sep-tember, 18 61, and the plan took definite shape aboutthe middle of November,) from which time the de-partment was busily engaged in preparation for theexpedition. As a part of the plan, it was decidedto divide the Gulf Squadron into two commands,and when, on the 23d of December, Farragut re-ceived his preparatory orders, they directed himto hold himself in readiness to take command ofthe West Gulf Squadron and the expedition to NewOrleans . Farragut received his full orders as flag-officer on the 20th of January, 1862, and sailedfrom Hampton Roads in the Hartford on the 3d ofFebruary, arriving at Ship Island on the 20th.
The East Gulf Squadron, comprising the vesselson the west coast of Florida , remained under thecommand of Flag-Officer McKean. On May 10th,1862, Pensacola was evacuated, and came oncemore into the possession of the United States . Amonth later, on June 4th, Flag-Officer McKeanwas relieved by Captain J. L. Lardner, who w 7 asfollowed by Commodores Theodorus Bailey and C.K. Stribling. Operations in this quarter during theremainder of the war consisted chiefly of boat expe-ditions, encounters with blockade-runners or armedschooners, attacks upon guerrillas in the neighbor-hood of the coast, raids upon salt-works, and othersmall affairs of like character.
j Commander D. D. Porter undoubtedly had the scheme in mind as early as June, 1861, when he was off the
Passes in the Powhatan. —J. R. S.