On April 16, while Grant's army marched south through
Louisiana, part of the Union fleet commanded by Rear
Admiral David Dixon Porter prepared to run by the Vicksburg batteries.
At 9:15 p.m. lines were cast-off and the vessels moved away from their anchorage with
engines muffled and all lights extinguished to conceal the movement.
Porter's Fleet passes the batteries of Vicksburg
Rear Admiral David Dixon Porter
As the boats rounded De Soto Point, above Vicksburg, they were spotted by Confederate
lookouts who spread the alarm. Bales of cotton soaked in turpentine and barrels of tar
which lined the shore were set on fire by the Confederates to illuminate the
river. Although each vessel was hit repeatedly, Porter's fleet successfully fought
its way past the Confederate batteries with the loss of only one transport and headed
toward a rendezvous with Grant on the Louisiana shore south of Vicksburg.
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Last update: Friday, November 05, 1999
http://www.nps.gov/vick/vcmpgn/fleet.htm
Editor: G. Zeman
