giment fortified at
the end of a wharf, also failed, and the Confederates thought themselves
"badly whipped." But after daylight the fortunate surrender of the
Harriet Lane to the cotton boat Bayou City, and the extraordinary
conduct of Commodore Renshaw, converted a Confederate disaster into the
recapture of Galveston. General Magruder certainly deserves immense
credit for his boldness in attacking a heavily armed naval squadron with
a few field-pieces and two river steamers protected with cotton bales
and manned with Texan cavalry soldiers.

I rode with Colonel Debray to examine Forts Scurry, Magruder, Bankhead,
and Point. These works have been ingeniously designed by Colonel
Sulokowski (formerly in the Austrian army), and they were being very
well constructed by one hundred and fifty whites and six hundred blacks
under that officer's superintendence, the blacks being lent by the
neighbouring planters.

Although the blockaders can easily approach to within three miles of
the works, and although one shell will always "stampede" the negroes,
yet they have not thrown any for a long time.[15]

Colonel Debray is a broad-shouldered Frenchman, and is a very good
fellow. He told me that he emigrated to America in 1848; he raised a
company in 1861, in which he was only a private; he was next appointed
aide-de-camp to the Governor of Texas, with the rank of
brigadier-general; he then descended to a major of infantry, afterwards
rose to a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry, and is now colonel.

Captain Foster is properly on Magruder's Staff, and is very good
company. His property at New Orleans had been destroyed by the Yankees.

In the evening we went to a dance given by Colonel Manly, which was
great fun. I danced an American cotillon with Mrs Manly; it was very
violent exercise, and not the least like anything I had seen before. A
gentleman stands by shouting out the different figures to be performed,
and every one obeys his orders with much gravity and energy. Colonel
Manly is a very gentlemanlike Carolinian; the ladies were pretty, and,
considering the blockade, they were very well dressed.

Six deserters from Banks's army arrived here to-day. Banks seems to be
advancing steadily, and overcoming the opposition offered by the handful
of Confederates in the Teche country.

Banks himself is much despised as a soldier, and is always called by the
Confederates Mr Commissary Banks, on account of the efficient manner in
which h