MAY 16TH, 1864: Having crossed the rapids of the Red River at Alexandria, Rear Admiral Porter's next had to get over the many bars in the river near its mouth. He was happy to find the water there much higher than he expected and wrote Secretary Welles: "Providentially we had a rise from the backwater of the Mississippi, that river being very high at that time, the backwater extending to Alexandria, 150 miles distant, enabling us to pass all the bars and obstructions with safety."
After battling low water, rapids, and the harassing Confederate forces of General Taylor for two months along the red river, Porter and his gunboats were finally back in the Mississippi River.
I can imagine the smile on the admiral's face when the last of his ships got into the Mississippi.
Don't Say R.R. Around David D.. --Old B-Runner
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