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sion of movement with which Rodgers placed the Galena, as if at target-prac-tice, directly under the enemy’s fire. In the words of the officer already quoted,“ It was one of the most masterly pieces of seamanship of the whole war.”
In this position the Galena remained for three hours and twenty minutesuntil she had expended all her ammunition. She came out of the action badlyshattered, having been struck 28 times and perforated in 18 places. TheMonitor passed for a short time above the Galena, but being unable toelevate her guns sufficiently to reach the bluff, she again dropped below.The wooden vessels cooperated as far as possible, but of course could notaccomplish much. The attack made it clear that the obstructions could notbe passed without first reducing the fort, and that the fort could not bereduced without the cooperation of the army. Notwithstanding the vitalimportance of such a movement, seeing that Fort Darling was the onlyobstacle to the direct passage up the river to Richmond , and that a smallforce would have sufficed to accomplish the work, nothing was done by Gen-eral McClellan . According to Goldsborough’s testimony, he went in person tothe White House to see McClellan , and, showing him Rodgers’s report of thefight, offered the cooperation of the squadron, if McClellan would make theattack with a land force. “ General McClellan, ” he adds, “ replied to me thathe would prefer to defer his answer until he got his army on the other side ofthe Chickahominy.” On the 17th of May, Flag-Officer Goldsborough, in theSusquehanna, with the Wachusett, Dacotah, and Maratanza, had destroyed thetwo abandoned batteries of the enemy at Rock Wharf and Hardin’s Bluff. Allthis time, and during the campaign, James River was open to Fort Darling.
On the 18th of May, Commander William Smith arrived at City Point inthe Wachusett, and relieved Rodgers of the command, being the senior officer.The force was gradually increased, and in June comprised, in addition to thevessels already mentioned, the Mahaska, Jacob Bell, Southfield, Maratanza,Stepping Stones, and Delaware . Commander Gillis shortly after relievedSmith. Occasional attacks were made upon passing gun-boats by field-bat-teries of the Confederates stationed along the river-banks. The difficultiesof the channel and the unprotected character of the vessels rendered themliable to serious injury from such attacks, and the Jacob Bell, under Lieuten-ant McCrea, narrowly escaped severe loss at Watkin’s Bluff on the 21st ofJune. On the 27th, a demonstration was made up the Appomattox, but nothingwas accomplished, the channel proving to be too shoal for successful operations.
On the 29th, McClellan ’s retreating army opened communication withRodgers, who now commanded the vessels in the James River. Little changehad taken place in the composition of the force since the 1st of June, theWachusett only having left the squadron, and the Satellite having joined it.The gun-boats rendered efficient assistance to the army, especially in thebattle at Malvern Hill on the 1st of July. By the 4th of July, McClellan ’sposition was comparatively secure.
On July 6th, the James River flotilla was organized as a separate commandunder Captain John Wilkes, and so remained, until disbanded, on August31st, the withdrawal of the army rendering its presence no longer necessary.