suddenly upon the
coast at that point with a force sufficient to march to Houston
and take Galveston in reverse. He selected the troops, and collected
the transports and the stores. When he was ready he gave the
command of the expedition to Franklin, and caused Beckwith to
replace Emory in command of the defences of New Orleans, to enable
him to rejoin his division for service in the field.

Franklin had the brigades under Love and Merritt of Weitzel's First
division, with Bainbridge's, Closson's, and Bradbury's batteries,
and the two brigades, Nickerson's and McMillan's, of Emory's Third
division, with Duryea's, Trull's, and Hebard's batteries. For
cavalry there were the two squadrons of the 1st Texas. Commodore
Bell, who then commanded the West Gulf Squadron, gave the command
of the gunboats, destined to keep down the fire of the shore
batteries and cover the landing of the troops, to Lieutenant
Frederick Crocker, from whose personal observation while serving
on the blockade the information that led to the choice of the point
of attack had been largely drawn. Crocker, besides his own vessel,
the _Clifton_, had the _Sachem_, Lieutenant Amos Johnson; the
_Arizona_, Acting-Master Howard Tibbetts; the _Granite City_,
Acting-Master C. W. Lamson. Crocker's belief was that the defences
ashore and afloat consisted of two 32-pounder guns in battery, and
two small steamboats converted into rams.

Franklin's orders were to proceed to Sabine Pass; there, if the
Navy should be able to secure the landing, he was to debark his
whole force rapidly, take up a strong position, seize Beaumont, or
some other point on the railroad to Houston, and then reconnoitre
the enemy to learn their position and strength. He was not to go
farther into the country until reinforced. After landing, he was
to turn back the transports to Brashear, where Benton's division
of the Thirteenth Corps would be found waiting to join him.

After many delays, due to the state and inadequacy of the transports,
which, besides ten ocean steamers, fit and unfit, included six
river steamers wholly of the latter class, Weitzel sailed from New
Orleans on the evening of the 4th of September. Leaving the
Southwest Pass on the morning of the 5th, under convoy of the
_Arizona_, and steering westward, he was joined, early on the
following morning, off Berwick Bay, by the _Clifton_ and the
_Sachem_. A detachment of about 100 sharp-shooters, mainly from
Companies