nt, and trust to God for the rest"; or, in more homely language:
"Everything has a weak spot, and the first thing I try to do is to find
out where it is, and pitch into it with the biggest shell or shot that I
have, and repeat the dose until it operates." "The Confederates at Fort
Morgan are making great preparations to receive us. That concerns me but
little"--words used not in a spirit of mere light-heartedness, but
because it was a condition he had from the first accepted, and over
which he hoped to triumph; for he continues, "I know they will do all in
their power to destroy us, and we will reciprocate the compliment. I
hope to give them a fair fight if once I get inside. I expect nothing
from them but that they will try to blow me up if they can."

Amid such cares and in such a spirit were spent the six months of
monotonous outside blockade preceding the great victory that crowned his
active career. The only relief to its weariness was a bombardment of
Fort Powell, undertaken by the light-draft steamers of the squadron from
Mississippi Sound in February, to create a diversion in favor of
Sherman's raid from Vicksburg upon Meridian, which was then in progress.
The boats could not get nearer to the work than four thousand yards, and
even then were aground; so that no very serious effect was produced. A
greater and more painful excitement was aroused by the misfortunes of
the Red River expedition in April and May. Begun on unsound military
principles, but designed politically to assert against French intrigues
the claim of the United States to Texas, that ill-omened enterprise
culminated in a retreat which well-nigh involved the Mississippi
squadron in an overwhelming disaster. The Red River was unusually low
for the season, and falling instead of rising. There was not, when the
army retired, water enough to enable the gun-boats which had ascended
the river to repass the rapids at Alexandria. The army could delay but
for a limited time, at the end of which, if the boats had not passed,
they must be left to their fate. Farragut, who was in New Orleans when
the news arrived, wrote bitterly about the blunders made, and was sorely
distressed for the issue to the navy. "I have no spirit to write," he
says. "I have had such long letters from Porter and Banks, and find
things so bad with them that I don't know how to help them. I am afraid
Porter, with all his energy, will lose some of his finest vessels. I
have just sent him