THE CIVIL WAR DIARY OF JOHN G. MORRISON 1861-1865

direction. Whilst we were engaged, the Pittsburgh also came
down. Determined to have a hand in, she ran across our bows
and delivered her fire, with what effect we could not tell,
as it was now drizzling rain and a damp kind of vapor had
overspread the river, shutting the Tennessee shore out from
our view. She then dropped astern of us and took up a
position in by the Missouri shore, from which she continued
to heave shells, sometimes over us, in the direction of the
fort. After a time, however, the mist cleared away and the
sun shone out in fine style. We then closed in with them and
dosed them with short range shell which compelled them to
beat a retreat in double quick time. A party then went
ashore and spiked the guns. We then proceeded leisurely on
our way, silencing and spiking all we came across to the
numbers of six. At one
[94] place they had an eight-inch gun mounted from which we drove
them. About five minutes after they left, our party landed
to spike the gun, which they did. They then proceeded
towards a fine looking house which stood a little way off and
in which they thought some of the rebels had hidden
themselves. As the party approached it, they came to a
sudden halt, as they thought that they heard the clicking of
several gun locks, but as no one attempted to shoot, they
mustered up courage to approach it and found that it was on
fire, the indwellers or whoever had possesion of it having
fired it as they were leaving it. It was well furnished with
all sorts of household goods. It was an act which shewed the
temper as well as the ignorance of whoever did it. What our
men thought was the clicking of gun locks was nothing but the
cracking and curling of the wooden furniture in the flames,
as it lapped them with it fiery tongue. Soon after we left
it, a small curl of smoke came razing through the roof and
was soon followed by a strong, bright blaze and as we neared
the Missouri shore, we could see that it was one blazing
mass, from coign stone to chimney top. Some of our generals
thought it was our work and seemed not to approve of such
doings, but our captain soon disabused them of their error.
We now heard that some of our transports had come down from
above the island ( by channel partly natural, partly
artificial, which runs across the bend of the Missouri shore
a distance of some eighteen or twenty miles, although it is
but 7 by way of the river) to transport
[95] some of Pope's men as soon as would clear the way for them.
They then took on board the brigades of generals Stanley and
Hamilton and carried them across whilst the two gun boats
covered them. They landed at the three-gun battery. A party
was sent ashore to bring off whatever stores or material of
war they left behind. We found more ammunition in the
battery and some barns which adjoined them than we had
shotten away in the course of two days' firing. I also went
ashore to have a look at things and found that it mounted two
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