cretary. Farragut passed the forts as stated,
with the Hartford and one or two other vessels, destroyed the ram
Manassas, and the other Confederate vessels of war, after a most
desperate battle, in which at least one of his best ships was sunk, and
then made his way in his flag-ship unmolested up the river. He arrived
alone in front of New Orleans on the 26th of April, and at noon brought
his guns to bear on the city at the head of Girod street. He immediately
dispatched Lieutenant Bailey with a flag of truce to the authorities
demanding the surrender, and giving them thirty-six hours in which to
reply,--at the expiration of which time he should open fire and bombard
the place, if an answer favorable to his demand were not received. The
city at this time had been partially evacuated by General Lovell and his
troops, and all authority had been surrendered by the military to the
mayor. The terms submitted by Farragut were discussed for fully
twenty-four hours by the Council, assembled at the Mayor's office, and
all this time the city was in the hands of a wild, reckless and excited
mob of citizens, while people everywhere were flying or preparing for
flight, many even in such haste as to leave their houses open and
valuables exposed to the depredations of servants or the mob. Perhaps no
more fearful scene of confusion was ever witnessed outside of Paris when
in the throes of a periodic revolution. It was a novelty then for an
American city to be captured or to fall into the hands of an enemy, and
the people had some very queer notions about defending it to the last,
and fighting the enemy with all sorts of weapons amid its ruins. It was
with the utmost difficulty the police could protect Bailey and his
middies with their flag of truce. But on the following day, and before
the time of grace expired, the Council determined that as they had no
means of defence against the enemy's ships, which held the city at the
mercy of their guns, it was best to enter into negotiations for the
surrender. Farragut then demanded that as a sign of submission the
Confederate flag should be hauled down from all points where displayed
in the city and replaced by the stars and stripes, and in the meantime
he would send a battery with his sailors and marines ashore to maintain
order. But no one was found in the city to take the Confederate flags
down, and hoist the starry banner in their place; so a battery of ships'
guns was landed and hauled thro