them. There
are no half-breeds there: they are the simon-pure." As the
Confederates came over the side, Porter stood, with his officers,
ready to receive them. The greatest politeness was observed on either
side; and Porter writes, "Their bearing was that of men who had gained
a victory, instead of undergoing defeat." While the papers of
capitulation were being signed, a message came from the deck that the
huge Confederate iron-clad "Louisiana" was drifting down upon them, a
mass of flames, and there was great danger that she would blow up in
the midst of the Union fleet. "This is sharp practice, gentlemen,"
said Porter, "and some of us will perhaps be blown up; but I know what
to do. If you can stand what is coming, we can; but I will make it
lively for those people if anybody in the flotilla is injured."

"I told Lieut. Wainwright to hail the steamer next him," writes Capt.
Porter, "and tell her captain to pass the word for the others to veer
out all their riding-chains to the bitter end, and stand by to sheer
clear of the burning iron-clad as she drifted down. I then sat down to
the table, and said, 'Gentlemen, we will proceed to sign the
capitulation.' I handed the paper to Gen. Duncan, and looked at the
Confederate officers to see how they would behave under the
circumstances of a great iron-clad dropping down on them, all in
flames, with twenty thousand pounds of powder in her magazines. For
myself, I hoped the fire would not reach the powder until the ship had
drifted some distance below us. My greatest fear was that she would
run foul of some of the steamers.

"While I was thinking this over, the officers were sitting as coolly
as if at tea-table among their friends.

"Just then there was a stir on deck, a kind of swaying of the vessel
to and fro, a rumbling in the air, then an explosion which seemed to
shake the heavens. The 'Harriet Lane' was thrown two streaks over, and
every thing in the cabin was jostled from side to side; but not a man
left his seat, or showed any intention of doing so.

"I was glad that I had signed before the explosion took place, as I
would not have liked to have my autograph look shaky."

The destruction of the "Louisiana" was a bit of trickery on the part
of the Confederate naval officers, which Farragut punished by sending
them North as close prisoners, while the army officers were granted
freedom under parole. So ended the Confederate control over the mouth
of the Mississippi