The weather was dreadful, but on the 17th of April the "Powhatan " arrived off Fort Pickens and found that the chartered steamer " Atlantic," with the Army contingent, had arrived the day before. Lieut. Porter stood in towards the bar and had crossed it and was standing for Fort McRea, with his crew at their guns, when Capt. Meigs in a large Government vessel laid right in the track of the " Powhatan " and signalled that he wanted to communicate. The ship was stopped and Capt Meigs came on board, handing to Lieut. Porter a protest against his going inside the harbor, on the ground that Fort Pickens was unprepared for an attack from the enemy's batteries, and if the "Powhatan" entered it would draw their fire upon the fort! Capt. Meigs had obtained, before he left Washington, authority from the President to take this course of action in case the officer commanding the troops objected to the ship going in.

There was nothing to be done but listen to Col. Harvey Brown s plea, and obey the implied order of the President ; and thus the opportunity was lost of reasserting the authority of the Government to have its vessels go in and out of any port as it pleased their commanders to do. As it happened there was no actual necessity for the ship to go inside, but that was not the question : it was whether the Government had any right to its own forts, ships and harbors; and in starting to enter the harbor, Lieut. Porter wished to test how far the Government rights would be respected, and if not respected to cause them to be so by the power of his guns.

The President and the Secretary of State had shown great decision in fitting out this expedition, and, for the times, great moral courage in permitting it to go on, with the certainty that the guns of the "Powhatan" would be liberally used in dealing with the insurgents. But the timid policy of Col. Brown and his authority to prevent the commander of the "Powhatan " from entering Pensacola harbor, took all that was exciting out of this expedition, and turned what would have been a handsome dash into simply convoy duty.

After Lieut. Porter had discussed Col. Brown's protest with Capt Meigs, and care fully considered the matter, he reluctantly turned the "Powhatan's " head toward the steamer " Atlantic," and anchored within 20 fathoms of the beach, with hawsers to keep her broadside bearing on the Navy Yard The work of unloading the "Atlantic " went on in safety under the guns of the "Powhatan," and that night 500 soldiers were lodged in the fort, with provisions, artillery and other munitions of war sufficient to withstand a seige. Fort Pickens could now bid defiance to the Confederate soldiers, who stood in groups on the opposite shore watching the proceedings, but with no apparent intention of interfering for the present. This indifference arose from the fact that they had no ammunition to use in the guns which they had found in the Navy Yard—but they were biding their time and would no doubt be heard from when the opportunity offered.

On the second day after the arrival of the "Powhatan," a flotilla, composed of steam tugs, schooners and large launches, filled with soldiers, was seen to be coming from the direction of Pensacola. and heading for the two ships lying outside of Santa Rosa Island. There were about twenty-five of these small vessels, but the number of troops was not known.

This flotilla approached to within a mile and a half of the beach on Santa Rosa Island, and as they were either going to land there, or reinforce the insurrectionary army, it was time to stop their approach. The 11-inch gun on board the " Powhatan" was cast loose, and a shell fired, which burst directly over the middle of the flotilla. The consequence was a rapid retreat of the expedition towards Pensacola. No doubt they had taken the " Powhatan " and "Atlantic " for two store-ships which they expected to capture. Perhaps it was intended to attack Fort Pickens, for the troops from the "Atlantic " had been landed at night, and had not been seen by the enemy.

The "Powhatan's" 11-inch gun was reloaded and pointed in the direction of the Navy Yard, where groups of idle soldiers were watching the operations. It was fired, and the shrapnel shell exploded in the midst of the yard, and at once cleared it of all occupants.

If the Confederates wanted an excuse to commence hostilities the opportunity had been given them; but the fact was, they were not at all prepared for such a contingency, as the troops in Charleston were, and after a year's occupation of Pensacola never advanced sufficiently with their fortifications to keep three steam frigates out of their harbor.

The Naval History of the Civil War, by Admiral David Dixon Porter, U. S. Navy, 1886 page 103-104

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David Upton