The Louisiana in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Capt. John Kelso
In Response To: Re: Capt. John Kelso ()

Captain T. H. Hutton [Captain Hutton's Company [Crescent Artillery, Co. A] Louisiana Artillery) was captured April 28, 1862 at New Orleans, sent from Fort Warren, Boston Harbor and transferred to Fort Monroe, Virginia July 31, 1862, subsequently on August 11, 1862 he is recorded at Fort Wool, Virginia "to be exchanged," his file contains a voucher for commutation of rations, dated December 1, 1862 at Jackson, Mississippi, Commanding company, where he later signed for 40 Springfield Rifles

I suspect Captain Kelso temporarily commanded and reorganized the company during Hutton's absence.

04 28 1862 The surrender of Fort Jackson and Fort Saint Philip outside New Orleans, La, by the Confederate forces there, after Flag Officer Daniel Farragut captured New Orleans, La, rendering these forts useless.
[The Chronological Tracking of the American Civil War per the Officer Records of the War of Rebellion, Ronald A. Mosocco]

.............

O.R.-- SERIES I--VOLUME VI, Chapter XVI [S# 6]

APRIL 18-MAY 1, 1862.--Bombardment and capture of Forts Jackson and Saint Phillip, and occupation of New Orleans, La., by the Union forces.

No. 8. -- Proceedings of the Court of Inquiry upon the fall of New Orleans.

[in part]

Question. State the condition of the Louisiana with respect to her fighting capacity at the time she was destroyed; and state how long it would have required to have completed her for effective service.

Answer. When we left New Orleans, by some mistake or mismanagement some of the guns--about three or four--were mounted on carriages that did not belong to them, and could not be worked efficiently in the forts. All the time we had was devoted to the correction of the mistake. There was also one gun lying in the dock that was not mounted at all. In my division, owing to an improper mounting of an 8-inch shell gun, it was ineffectual. The facilities for mounting the guns were very indifferent; it had to be done by blocking them up. Her motive power was also incomplete. She had to depend on wooden tugs to give her motion. Her wheels, which were designed as her chief motive power, were wholly inadequate, and I think they could never have been made serviceable. Her propellers, which were merely auxiliary, it was said would have been done that day, but I do not think they would have moved her; their chief value would have been to assist in steering the vessel. I looked upon her as a total failure, except that she might have been used as a floating battery; but even then her accommodations were so inferior that it would have been difficult to have lived on her. It may be well to state that the crew of the Louisiana was not full, and of a mixed and indifferent character. A company of artillery from the Crescent Regiment constituted a larger part of the crew, and were not skilled in the use of heavy guns

Cross-examination by Major-General LOVELL:

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