uth, in the estimation of Admiral Farragut, one of the most
serious of blots upon a man's character, drawing out always his
bitterest condemnation.

A pleasing glimpse is at this same period afforded of his relations to
the surviving members of his father's family, who still remained in or
near New Orleans, and from whom by the conditions of his profession he
had been separated since his childhood. "My dear sister," he writes,
"has sent me a Holy Virgin like the one Rose gave me. She said it was
blessed by the archbishop, who said I was good to the priests. I only
tell you this," adds the admiral dryly, "to show you that they did not
succeed in impressing the bishop with the idea that I had robbed the
church at Point Coupee." This is not the only mention of his sister
during this time, and it is evident that two years' occupation of New
Orleans by the Union forces had done much to mollify public sentiment;
for immediately after the surrender he had written home, "It is a
strange thought that I am here among my relatives, and yet not one has
dared to say 'I am happy to see you.'"

On the 8th of July General Canby, accompanied by General Granger, who
was to have immediate charge of the land operations against the Mobile
forts, had called upon the admiral to make the preliminary arrangements.
Somewhat later Canby sent word that he could not spare men enough to
invest both Gaines and Morgan at the same time; and at Farragut's
suggestion it was then decided to land first upon Dauphin Island, he
undertaking to send a gunboat to cover the movement. Granger visited him
again on the 1st of August, and as the admiral then had reason to expect
the last of his monitors by the 4th, that day was fixed for the attack
and landing. Granger was up to time, and his troops were put ashore on
the evening of the 3d; but the Tecumseh had not arrived from Pensacola.
The other three had been on hand since the 1st, anchored under the
shelter of Sand Island, three miles from Fort Morgan.

To Farragut's great mortification he was unable to carry out his part of
the programme; but on the evening of the 4th the Tecumseh arrived,
together with the Richmond, which had been for a few days at Pensacola
preparing for the fight. "I regret to have detained you, admiral," said
Craven, the commander of the monitor, "but had it not been for Captain
Jenkins (of the Richmond), God knows when I should have been here. When
your order came I had not received an