Cowles, Jr to Frederick F. Low, June 2, 1871

Mr. J. P. Cowles, jr., to Mr. Low

Sir: In accordance with your instructions, I yesterday joined Captain Blake upon the steamship Palos, to accompany a surveying expedition up the river Salée as an interpreter. You informed me that intercourse with the Coreans would be neither sought nor avoided; and that answer to civil inquiries about our purposes would be that yourself and Admiral Rodgers had already explained to officials from the court that it was our peaceful intention to survey the approaches to the Séoul River so soon as the delay yourself and the admiral offered to make, that they might assure the population along the margin of the river of our friendly character, had expired; that we should land only at uninhabited points, and that all nations offer facilities for such surveys of their coasts.

The party started at noon of the 1st instant, and consisted of the four steam-launches, under command of Lieutenant Commander Chester, Lieutenants Meade and Totten, and Master Schroeder; the Monocacy, Commander McCrea, and the Palos, wearing Commander Blake’s divisional flag, as the officer in charge of the whole expedition, and under command of Lieutenant Commander Rockwell.

The launches led and indicated the channel to the gunboats following. Master Schroeder followed a mile behind, delayed by momentary accident.

Going northerly rapidly up the river, passing numerous forts to the left, on islands, and to the right on the mainland. At 2 p. m. we were passing around an elbow of land to the east of our generally northerly direction. As we were entering a whirl, as bad as that of Hell Gate, New York, full of eddies and ledges, and immediately under a fort on the end of the elbow above mentioned, mats and screens were suddenly alive with the discharge of eighty pieces of artillery directly into the launches which were under the forts. The launches, as fast as the whirl and eddies allowed, turned their howitzers to the fort, and threw in some eight rounds of shell. The gunboats, though in the midst of a perilous navigation, trained their guns on the fort, and the Monocacy’s 8-inch shell frightened the men in the batteries so much that they fled precipitately, and, wrenching up their innumerable flags and standards, retreated to ravines and brush cover, further back on the neck of the peninsula. The banner of “Generalissimo,” as it appeared to be, in the headquarters on the top of the hill, was left flying.

The launches and gunboats were swept rapidly past to above and to the rear of the batteries. There they anchored, and leisurely shelled the forts and ravines near.

The Benicia’s launch, Master Schroeder, being delayed by accident, was later in reaching the forts. Instead of avoiding the almost certain fate which running the batteries threatened, he pressed through to join his comrades above the fort, firing as he passed. They came through without harm, though they were wet with the splash of the water about them. The Monocacy having struck a ledge, and leaking badly, the further pursuit of the survey had to be postponed, and the party returned to the fleet at Boisée Island. The few shells thrown into the forts as we returned elicited no reply. The scientific character of the expedition had prevented orders being given to cover such an emergency. The party were therefore forced to return without spiking the guns and bringing away the headquarters flag of the enemy, as all were eager to be permitted to do.

Some two hundred discharges of light and heavy guns must have been made in the ten minutes that the launches were beneath the forts, and how the launches escaped with only two wounded seems marvelous. The guns were noticed as we returned, and lay nearly as thick together as gun to gun, and gun behind gun on the floor of an ordnance store.

The pluck of all engaged, but especially of the launches, words can do no justice to. Admiral Rodgers’s comment you must allow me as mine: “There is no lack of pluck in the American people.”

I have the honor, &c.,