men and to hold the place to the last. But ten days
later, on the 19th of May, Johnston, who was then engaged in carrying
out his own ideas, which differed radically from those of Davis
and Pemberton, ordered Gardner to evacuate Port Hudson and to march
on Jackson, Mississippi. This order, sent by courier as well as
by telegraph, Gardner received just as Augur was marching from
Baton Rouge to cut him off. Then it was too late, and when on the
23d Johnston peremptorily renewed his order for the evacuation,
even the communication was closed.

The investment was made perfect by the presence in the river, above
and below Port Hudson, of the ships and gunboats of the navy. Just
above the place and at anchor around the bend lay the _Hartford_,
now Commodore Palmer's flagship, with the _Albatross, Sachem,
Estrella,_ and _Arizona_. Below, at anchor off Prophet's Island,
were the _Monongahela_, bearing Farragut's flag, the _Richmond,
Genesee, Essex_, and the mortar flotilla. Both the upper and the
lower fleets watched the river at night by means of picket-boats
in order to discover any movement and to intercept any communication
with the garrison.

At the Hermitage plantation, on the west bank of the river, Benedict
was stationed with his own regiment, the 162d New York, the 110th
New York, and a section of artillery to prevent the escape of the
Confederates by water. As soon as Weitzel joined, on the 25th of
May, Banks began to close in his lines along the entire front.
Weitzel moved up to the sugar-house on the telegraph road near the
bridge over Foster's Creek; Paine advanced into the woods on
Weitzel's left; Grover moved forward on the north of the Clinton
Railway, crossed the ravine of Sandy Creek, and occupied the wooded
rest of the steep hill in front. Augur prolonged the line across
the Plains Store road under cover of the woods, yet in plain view
of the Confederate entrenchments. Sherman held the Baton Rouge
road, occupying the skirt of woods that formed the eastern edge of
Slaughter's and Gibbons's fields.

The 1st and 3d Louisiana Native Guards, under Nelson, having come
up from Baton Rouge, were posted at the sugar-house near Foster's
Creek, forming the extreme right of the line of investment.

Banks now placed Weitzel in command of the right wing of the army,
comprising his own brigade under Thomas, Dwight's brigade of Grover's
division under Van Zandt, together forming a temporary division
under Dwig