Decks Covered With Blood - May ‘97 America’s Civil War Feature

Sailors hurriedly stored brass rails and fittings below deck. Since Farragut intended to steam past Port Hudson at night, all interior decks were whitewashed to reflect whatever faint light existed to make movement easier for his men. Farragut also installed a voice trumpet that extended from the top of the mizzenmast to the wheel so that his pilot, Thomas R. Carrell, could be positioned above the fog and smoke of battle and easily call directions to the steersman.

Although Farragut did intend to stand and fight at Port Hudson, the passage could nevertheless prove bloody. He had earlier told his flag officer, Captain Thornton Jenkins, “If we can get a few vessels above Port Hudson the thing will not be an entire failure,” but he knew the operation still faced risks. A chaplain, unfamiliar with prebattle procedure in the Navy, watched gun crews place within easy reach of their stations wooden boxes filled with sawdust. Perplexed as to the sawdust’s value, the chaplain was stunned to find out its purpose–sailors spread sawdust on the decks to absorb blood and prevent slipping during battle.

In his final order to all crews on March 13, Farragut asked each man to do his best. “I expect all to go by who are able, and I think the best protection against the enemy’s fire is a well-directed fire from our own guns.” After a 10 a.m. meeting with his commanders on March 14, while the squadron anchored off Profit’s Island seven miles below Port Hudson, Farragut decided to lead his ships past the Confederate stronghold that same night. Word came later in the day that Banks’ force was too far away to help, enraging the eager admiral; nevertheless, Farragut decreed the operation would continue as planned.

The ships cautiously inched forward around 9:30 p.m., after two red lights flashed under Hartford’s stern–Farragut’s signal to advance. On board the flagship, officers roamed about barking final orders, Marines prepared to repel possible boarders, and bare-armed sailors took up positions. Loyall, Farragut’s only son, stood next to the admiral.

The ship’s surgeon suggested that Farragut send his son below, but Farragut refused. His son must stay where he was and “trust in Providence, and la fortune de la guerre.” Farragut did, however, carefully show Loyall how to use a tourniquet by taking out a yard-long piece of rope attached to a crosspiece of wood. This rude medical device had gone into every battle with the admiral since his first service in the War of 1812, when a youthful Farragut had helplessly watched another sailor bleed to death.

For two hours the four main ships crept quietly closer to Port Hudson, while their accompanying mortar boats remained below to give support. Even Farragut seemed surprised that the Confederates refrained from firing until almost 11:30 p.m.

Hartford first braved the enemy’s guns, steaming as close as possible to the bluffs to get below the line of fire. She had already maneuvered past the first guns before a warning rocket alerted the defenders. Quickly, huge bonfires flared on the opposite shore to outline the Union ships for Confederate guns. Reflectors, placed behind the fires for further illumination, blinded Hartford’s pilot. Southern shells rained down while Northern missiles soared to the bluffs, creating an incredible amount of noise. One Confederate soldier exclaimed, “It seemed as though all the powers of Hell and destruction had been let loose, howling and shrieking for our annihilation.”

In the midst of the confusion and smoke, Hartford’s pilot could barely make out the shoreline. With a sudden jolt, the flagship ran aground where the river bent westward. Farragut immediately howled, “Back! Back on the Albatross!” an order to the gunboat lashed to Hartford’s side to free his ship before enemy gunners zeroed in on the helpless target. With Albatros’s added power, Hartford soon wriggled free and continued onward.

Loyall Farragut could barely keep up with his father, who seemed to be everywhere during the action. When an erroneous report came to him that a Confederate ram was approaching, Farragut grabbed a cutlass to repel boarders and yelled, “I am going to have a hand in this myself!” Farragut stumbled over a tarpaulin in the dark but avoided injury when Loyall clutched his arm to steady him.