In the meantime, steamboat and flatboat trade on the Red River came to a halt. Supervised by Confederate Admiral Franklin Buchanan, "Hunley" successfully attacked a coal flatboat in Mobile Bay. They completed the journey down the Ohio River by flatboat. While there she saw a flatboat filled with armed men crossing the river. A flatboat itself was a serious investment for a Midwestern farmer. The railroad generated a booming business in flatboat building in both communities. Blackface singers would often perform "Gumbo Chaff" with a mock flatboat on stage. DARKY LIFE IN THE CORNFIELD, CANEBRAKE, BARNYARD, AND ON THE LEVEE AND FLATBOAT. On December 14, Forrest found a leaky flatboat hidden in the brush. These reduced labor costs saw flatboat operating costs plummet and profits boom. Cincinnati, another major American trading city, first built itself on the flatboat trade.