central and strongest point, the remaining works--Forts Pike and
Macomb guarding the approaches by way of Lake Pontchartrain,
Livingston at Barrataria Bay, Berwick at Berwick Bay, and others of
less importance--constituting that line were hastily abandoned. Such
guns as could be saved, with others from various quarters, were
hurried away to Vicksburg, which had already been selected as the next
point for defence, and its fortifications begun. The whole delta of
the Mississippi was thus opened to the advance of the Union forces.
This was followed a few days later by the evacuation of Pensacola, for
which the enemy had been preparing since the end of February, when the
disaster at Donelson had made it necessary to strip other points of
troops. The heavy guns had been removed, though not to New Orleans.
The defenceless condition of the place was partly known to the officer
commanding at Fort Pickens, but no one could spare him force enough to
test it. At the time of its final abandonment, Commander Porter, who
after the surrender of the forts had proceeded to Mobile with the
steamers of the mortar flotilla, was lying off that bar. Seeing a
brilliant light in the direction of Pensacola at 2 A.M. on the 10th of
May, he stood for the entrance, arriving at daylight. The army and
navy took possession the same day, and this fine harbor was now again
available as a naval station for the United States.

After New Orleans had been occupied by the army, Farragut sent seven
vessels, under the command of Captain Craven of the Brooklyn, up the
river. Baton Rouge and Natchez surrendered when summoned; but at
Vicksburg, on the 22d of May, Commander S.P. Lee was met with a
refusal. On the 9th of June the gunboats Wissahickon and Itasca, being
sent down to look after some earthworks which the Confederates were
reported to be throwing up at Grand Gulf, found there a battery of
rifle guns completed, and were pretty roughly handled in the encounter
which followed. On the 18th of June the Brooklyn and Richmond anchored
below Vicksburg, and shortly after the flag-officer came in person
with the Hartford, accompanied by Commander Porter with the steamers
and seventeen schooners of the mortar flotilla. The flag-officer did
not think it possible to reduce the place without a land force, but
the orders of the Department were peremptory that the Mississippi
should be cleared. From Vicksburg to Memphis the high land did not
touch the river on the ea