Comte de Paris, History of the Civil War in America. Vol. 4.
Henry Coppee , LL.D., Ed.

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[542] thought than of retreat, and lay still for fear of provoking an enemy who, he believed, was prepared to attack him, wishing to give to Porter time to conduct the fleet of war-vessels and the transports to Alexandria, where the army was to halt. Oftener than once had the navy reason to believe that he was going to abandon them, so many were the signs around him of preparations for an immediate departure. At the end of eight days retreat became at last a possibility. Thanks to the unflagging efforts of the officers and the ponton-trains, all the vessels, with a single exception, had cleared the principal obstacles that hampered navigation between Grand Écore and Alexandria. The Eastport, the largest of the gunboats and the most strongly armored, had foundered on the 17th in consequence of a large leak, the work either of a torpedo or a snag, and had been raised only to run aground repeatedly in a channel that was far too narrow and too shallow for her. Porter, after having conducted the other vessels to Alexandria and issued orders there to send to Fort Pillow, recently taken by Forrest, a part of the division stationed near the mouth of Red River, had returned to Grand Écore, in order, as soon as tie army was on the march, to bring down the lighter craft which he had left there and assist the Eastport in her laborious voyage.

As we have said, the only route open to Banks for reaching Alexandria after passing Natchitoches and following the right bank of the arm of Red River, called Cane River, shifts to the left bank about sixteen miles below the latter city; then, nine or ten miles farther down, it crosses Cane River again at a place called Monet's Ferry. Thanks to the subsidence of the waters, these two crossings were fordable. But the second one offered the Southerners positions very easy of defence. At Monet's Ferry Cane River encounters the line of sandbanks which, we have said, choke up and cut in two the valley of Red River between Grand Écore and Alexandria. Almost perpendicular to the stream they obstruct Cane River, and force it to reunite with Red River, whilst above Monet's Ferry, by damming the waters, they form impassable swamps. They offer, in addition, commanding positions well wooded and easy to defend. Taylor had ordered Bee to shut Banks up in Grand Écore and cut him off