 The mortars rained their 8-inch shells on the Confederate batteries at Vicksburg, Mississippi, while the heavy ships steamed by the forts to meet Flag Officer Davis and his Mississippi Flotilla.The schooners then waited for Farragut below Vicksburg, occasionally enlivening their vigil by hurling a few shells at the forts.On 15 July they resumed the bombardment in earnest when the sound of heavy firing announced Farragut's approach.