atteries, and the enemy replied at once with heavy musketry
along the whole line and with his field pieces. The river at this
place is but eighty yards wide, but the enemy, though keeping up a hot
fire, fortunately aimed high, and the boats escaped without loss in an
action lasting eighty minutes. The two steamers were retaken and the
enemy removed their batteries; but they were shortly reestablished.
On the 6th Fitch again engaged them with the Neosho and Carondelet,
desiring to pass a convoy below, but the position was so well chosen,
behind spurs of hills and at a good height above the river, that only
one boat could engage them at one time and then could not elevate her
guns to reach the top without throwing over the enemy. The Neosho
remained under a heavy fire, at thirty yards distance, for two and a
half hours, being struck over a hundred times and having everything
perishable on decks demolished; but the enemy could not be driven
away. The river being thus blockaded the only open communication for
the city was the Louisville Railroad, and during the rest of the time
the gunboats, patrolling the Cumberland above and below, prevented the
enemy's cavalry from crossing and cutting it.

When Thomas made his attack of the 15th, which resulted in the entire
defeat and disorganization of Hood's army, Fitch, at his wish, went
down and engaged the attention of the batteries below until a force of
cavalry detached for that special purpose came down upon their rear.
These guns were taken and the flotilla then dropped down to the scene
of its previous fights and engaged till dark such batteries as it
could see. The routed and disorganized army of the enemy were pressed
as closely as the roads allowed down to the Tennessee, where
Lieutenant Forrest of the Eleventh District aided in cutting off
stragglers. Admiral Lee, who was at once notified, pressed up the
river with gunboats and supply steamers as far as the shoals; but the
low state of the river prevented his crossing them. The destruction of
boats and flats along the river, however, did much to prevent
stragglers from crossing and rejoining their army.

This was the last of the very important services of the Mississippi
Squadron. Five months later, in June, 1865, its officers received the
surrender of a small naval force still held by the Confederates in the
Red River. Our old friend, the ram Webb, which had heretofore escaped
capture, ran out of the Red River in April