dore, too, as described, had reached forward quite into the river, but changing his course, stood out again under the fire of the fort, and again handsomely discharged his own pieces, as he passed, at the fortification. All served to deepen the expectation for the development of the further action of the force. As I saw the Vixen change her course again to stand out of the river, the idea immediately occurring to my own mind, was, that the Vixen, on seeing the difficulty of the McLean rocking among the breakers of the bar, was coming out to take the other schooners in tow, and back again to return with them for the onset. And it had been a gallant move had it been done; and it would have given double glory to the chief in command, on account of the accident which had occurred and the beauty of the succeeding movement which the Commodore would have effected. But no. The mortification was to succeed. The Commanderin-chief stood not back, as it was expected he would do— leaving the McLean and her crew to perish among the breakers, if they must, as one of the fortunes of war, as she swung her broadside obliquely across the bar, and let stream her starboard guns towards the fort, while she lay dashing in her perilous position. But the Commander-in-chief had come out -the boats had followed-the three schooners that were cast adrift from the McLean had made their way off from the bar -and the McLean, herself, before the Commander-in-chief had passed out over the bar, had backed off, from what seemed, for a moment, a hopeless position; and now all things seemed ready for the schooners to re-unite their hawsers, and again to stand back, advance upon the enemy, take his shipping and the fort, and shout victory to the glory of the American arms. For it was yet but three o'clock of the afternoon; and ample time, before the sun should go down, was left them. The bar had been crossed and re-crossed in less than three quarters of an hour. But it was not repeated.

The Commander-in-chief again entered not. And as it became evident that he determined to withdraw the fleet, I felt -but I will not narrate my own feelings-it seemed a personal sorrow to all; and the deep feelings of a bitter chagrin seemed but ill suppressed, whenever the mind recurred to this believed to be, and felt to be, second dishonor to our flag. Not for a moment will any one question the personal courage of the leader of the forces on this occasion; but the unfortunate and inexplicable indecision at this moment, as it seemed to others as well as myself, the retreat, and the consequent naval disgrace to the fleet, made every heart (or ought so to have made it) indignant and sad.

For the space of some half hour more, the Vixen, on board of which was the Commander-in-chief, moved seemingly undecided over the water, as she turned one or two circles near the Mississippi, and then farther distant in the offing; when a signal was run up, which said to all the vessels of the little fleet, that they should make their way to this anchorage, which it had left at midnight, some fifteen hours before.

It may not become me to complain of the Commander-inchief on this occasion. He led in his own steamer and her tow most gallantly. Had he remain withined the bar fifteen minutes longer, all his boats would have been with him, though the three schooners cast loose from the McLean, probably, could not have sailed over the bar, the wind not being strong enough to enable them to stem the current, under sail. But the McLean was again off the bar and ready to unite her tow; and by taking a higher course in mid channel, it is believed, by some at least, that she would have gone over the bar. And if she did not, the Commodore, with his force in the Vixen and the two schooners, and the boats hastening to his support, might have stormed and carried the fort -held it, or left it, after spiking its guns-and thus

have saved the honor of his flag-prevented the deep mortification of the officers of his fleet and of the whole Navy —and sustained his own personal and merited fame. If the loss of life would have been great, and the Commander-inchief feared the responsibility, it must be replied that it was expected (how sadly and surely the preceding sketch will show) that blood and death would attend on the expedition. All felt it ―deeply-solemnly—prayerfully! But all were ready to meet the danger, for the honor of their country-the recovery of the good name of the Navy which it was felt had already suffered at this point of the Alvarado--and for the opportunity, perchance, so seldom offered in the service, of gaining a name and distinction for themselves. "It is the only time of my life," said one of the officers, "that I have been within reach of the guns of an enemy. I thought our chance had now come, and it was hard to turn back-to me and to my men." This was said respectfully, but in a tone of voice, when the movement of the expedition was canvassed the succeeding day, that showed how deep and how true was the emotion of disappointment, which awakened it. There is one relieving circumstance which I have in view of the case, and it is so profound, that I almost accuse myself for aught I have written of complaint for the retreat, in the foregoing article, namely, that all of our officers and men have returned safely, and that blood has not been shed, save, as is reported by the Mexicans, of one of their officers killed by the Mississippi's guns, though of their men, no report has been given.

I occupied the upper deck of the Mississippi, during the engagement and movement of the fleet. As the force was crossing the bar, the interest was intense-the Mississippi increasing the rapidity of her fire, and the lower fort of the enemy discharging its guns in rapid succession upon the steamers, schooners, and boats, as they were crossing the bar, which the fort entirely commands. But that unfortunate

grounding of the McLean spoiled all the glory of the day for us.

At the moment of the grounding of the McLean, our Captain French Forrest exclaimed, "Now for the boatsthey must go to the relief of the Commodore," while, as yet, they saw not the purpose of the Commander-in-chief, to return. The boats gave way, with a will-Captain Forrest in his gig gallantly taking the lead. "See the Vixen," said Lieutenant Symmes, "how gallantly she stands on. Give way my lads, or she will have finished the sport before we get there." And the gallant Hazzard, could he have effected it, would have put the Nonata between two of the Mexican vessels, and carried them or sunk them. The same emotions swelled every heart; and I should not do justice to these gallant officers and men, who were thus willing and eager to peril life. for their own and their country's honor, did I not tell their story faithfully, and let the responsibility rest where it belongs, on one person's single shoulder. And he led the van, nobly-bravely--but faltered, at a moment when all seemed more than half done, and retreated before a force, which may proudly record their action as a handsome deed of arms, that drove back, and defeated, and humbled the American force, and threw back the taunt, which our own proud flag has been for so many months flouting in their face. “Alvarado must be taken," says our Chief. Ay, sir! But the day is passed, when the glory of your Pennant and the national flag can be restored, by the fall of Alvarado! Fall it will; but the memory of the past may not perish. It will live beyond the crumbling of the parapets of their fortification-the loss of their fleet-or the sacking of their town!

I have written freely, and on my own responsibility, expressing the views which I have here recorded as the impressions which have been made on my own mind as a spectator of the scene, and in view of all the facts and prepara

tions for the expedition which were presented to my observation. I know that some may dissent. And some will say that the McLean would have grounded again, had she made the second attempt to cross the bar-that even the Vixen, drawing only seven feet of water, touched twice while crossing the bar. Others may say that the sacrifice would have been too great for the object proposed to be gained. But it may be replied, that there was twelve and a half feet of water on the bar, as sounded that morning, and the McLean draws ten feet two inches; and the bar was unusually smooth. And as to the loss of life-who hesitated to peril it? Why have we a Navy, if danger is to cause hesitation, when an object proposed is to be secured by arms and chivalric deeds, as a matter of public advantage or of national or private glory? It might have cost many lives; it was expected that it would; but abandonment or defeat was undreamed of; and the deep intensity of emotion and fixedness of purpose, under which the expedition was commenced and carried on by the officers and men of the squadron, made the disappointment and chagrin correspondent, in their depth of tone, as the feelings settled down in the review of the contrast of what was, and what was expected to be. And the whole affair, while it may be deemed a trifle in its results upon the general action in the war, or the reputation of the Navy, has yet been the occasion of deep feeling throughout the squadron, which it is just should be recorded, in the story of the movements of the Home Squadron at this period of its operations.

I copy here the dispatch of Commodore Conner to the Department. And glad shall I be if a partial eye, in connection with the sketch already given, shall find in this communication to the Secretary, sufficient apology for this second failure at the mouth of the Alvarado. Commodore C. in other days has earned a merited esteem in the consideration of his countrymen, from which I would wish not and hope not to detract.