Admiral Porter on Deck of Flagship at Grand Écore, La.
From a photograph.
Meantime, while Grant was before Vicksburg the French troops were in Mexico, and on June 10, 1863, they entered Mexico City, the capital. The French Emperor, Napoleon III, had shown an unfriendly disposition toward the United States, and, as already intimated, had been trying, through his diplomatic agents, to get Texas to secede from the Confederacy and establish an independent government. The operations of the French led the Administration at Washington to send General Banks on an expedition that had Shreveport, on the Red River, near the boundary between Louisiana and Texas, and about 400 miles from the Mississippi River, for its destination. It may be briefly said that the expedition won some battles and accomplished nothing. Admiral Porter, with the following vessels, accompanied the expedition:
Essex, Commander Robert Townsend; Eastport, Lieut.-commander S. L. Phelps; Black Hawk, Lieut-commander K. R. Breese; Lafayette, Lieut.-commander J. P. Foster; Benton, Lieut.-commander J. A. Greer; Louisville, Lieut.-commander E. K. Owen; Carondelet, Lieut.-commander J. G. Mitchell; Osage, Lieut.-commander T. O. Selfredge; Ouachita, Lieut.-commander Byron Wilson; Lexington, Lieut. G. M. Bache; Chillicothe, Lieut. S. P. Couthouy; Pittsburg, Lieut. W. R. Hoel; Mound City, Lieut A. R. Langthorne; Neosho, Lieut. Samuel Howard; Ozark, Lieut. G. W. Browne; Fort Hindman, Lieut. John Pearce; Cricket, Master H. H. Gorringe; Gazelle, Master Charles Thatcher.
U. S. Ram Lafayette.
From a photograph.
U. S. Gunboat Fort Hindman.
From a photograph.