found the wildest alarm and confusion. The
arrival of the Federal gunboat was momentarily expected, and the
intelligence of her capture was hardly credited. The Webb was dispatched
to overtake the escaped crew of the Queen, and the latter towed up to
Alexandria for repairs. Entering the Mississippi, the Webb went up
river, sighted the escaped steamer, and was rapidly overhauling her,
when there appeared, coming down, a heavy iron-clad that had passed the
Vicksburg batteries. This proved to be the Indianola, armed with two
eleven-inch guns forward and two nine-inch aft, all in iron casemates.
The Webb returned to De Russy with this information, which was forwarded
to Alexandria. We had barely time to congratulate ourselves on the
capture of the Queen before the appearance of the Indianola deprived us
again of the navigation of the great river, so vital to our cause. To
attempt the destruction of such a vessel as the Indianola with our
limited means seemed madness; yet volunteers for the work promptly
offered themselves.

Major Brent took command of the expedition, with Captain McCloskey,
staff quartermaster, on the Queen, and Charles Pierce, a brave
steamboatman, on the Webb. On the 19th of February Brent went down to De
Russy with the Queen, mechanics still working on repairs, and there
called for volunteer crews from the garrison. These were furnished at
once, sixty for the Webb under Lieutenant Handy, seventy for the Queen,
on which boat Brent remained. There were five and twenty more than
desired; but, in their eagerness to go, many Texans and Louisianians
smuggled themselves aboard. The fighting part of the expedition was soon
ready, but there was difficulty about stokers. Some planters from the
upper Red River had brought down their slaves to De Russy to labor on
earthworks, but they positively refused to furnish stokers for the
boats. It was a curious feature of the war that the Southern people
would cheerfully send their sons to battle, but kept their slaves out of
danger. Having exhausted his powers of persuasion to no purpose, Major
Brent threw some men ashore, surrounded a gang of negroes at work,
captured the number necessary, and departed. A famous din was made by
the planters, and continued until their negroes were safely returned.

In the night of the 22d of February the expedition, followed by a
tender, entered the Mississippi, and met a steamer from Port Hudson,
with two hundred men, sent up by General