APRIL 20TH, 1862: The USS Itasca, Lt. Caldwell, and USS Pinola, Lt. Crosby, under the direction of Commander Bell, breached the obstructions below Forts Jackson and St. Philip under heavy fire, opening the way for Flag Officer Farragut's fleet.
Brigadier General Johnson K. Duncan, CSA, commanding the forts, complained that the River Defense Fleet had sent no fire rafts down "to light up the river or distract the attention of the enemy at night" and had stationed no ship below top warn of the approach of the Itasca and Pinola.
This lack of coordination proved most costly to the Confederacy.
--Old B-Runner
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