ate Guards,"
old gray-haired men, judges, bankers, merchants, gentlemen of every
degree, too old for active service at the front, but too young not to
burn for the grasp of a gun or sword while they knew that their sons
and grandsons were fighting on the bloodstained soil of Virginia and
Tennessee.

But, while the city was gradually falling into desolation and decay,
preparations were being made by the Federal navy for its capture. On
the 2d of February, 1862, Admiral Farragut sailed from Hampton Roads
in his stanch frigate the "Hartford," to take command of a naval
expedition intended to capture New Orleans. The place of rendezvous
was Ship Island, a sandy island in the Gulf of Mexico. Here he
organized his squadron, and started for his post in the Mississippi,
below the forts. The first obstacle was found at the mouth of the
river, where the heavy war-vessels were unable to make their way over
the bar. Nearly two weeks were occupied in the work of lightening
these ships until they were able to pass. The frigate "Colorado" was
unable to get over at all. The "Pensacola" was dragged through the mud
by the sheer strength of other vessels of the expedition. While they
were tugging at her, a huge hawser snapped with a report like a
cannon, and the flying ends killed two men and seriously wounded five
others. But at last the fleet was safely past all obstacles, and
Admiral Farragut found himself well established in the lower
Mississippi, with a force of twenty-five men-of-war, and twenty
mortar-schooners; one of the most powerful armadas ever despatched
against an enemy. Farragut lost no time in getting his ships prepared
for the baptism of fire which was sure to come. While he was
diligently at work on his preparations, he was visited by some French
and English naval officers, who had carefully examined the defences of
the Confederates, and came to warn him that to attack the forts with
wooden vessels, such as made up his fleet, was sheer madness, and
would only result in defeat. "You may be right," answered the brave
old sailor, "but I was sent here to make the attempt. I came here to
reduce or pass the forts, and to take New Orleans, _and I shall try it
on_." The foreigners remarked that he was going to certain
destruction, and politely withdrew.

In the mean time, the tars on the mortar-fleet were working
industriously to get their ships in fighting-trim. The topmasts were
stripped of their sails, and lowered; the loo