The Sun.
London, England, 1863-07-08 00:00:00

rather
acre
eter
sba
seteo
and gallant attemptsfitt :1
lo
of the 75th N.York that succeeded in reaching the
damaged than benehe
ditch, the hand grenaders could accomplish but
little. In fact, athug
to d
b
for as they threw their thgoe eur yoer
of
pma
rdaoedssep service,
emne
t many desperate
dy e
breast works, the rebels
actually caught thorn and
hurled them backupon us, In the meantime
while the skirmishers we re nobly endeavouring
cuav
sor
te
hs success; h
to
sustain themselves in their position. General
Weitzel's column moved up as rapidly as possible,
and made a series of desperate assaults on the
enemy's works, which for bravery and daring the
history of the war can hardly furnish a parallel
At this time, the sun having fairly risen, the fight
became general. A fog, which had partially ob-
scured the contending armies, lifted, and revealed
their respective positions. The enemy were fully
prepared for us, and they lined every part of the
fortifications with heavy bodies of infantry. The
battle had begun in earnest, and General Paine's
column, as well as General Weitzel's was actively
engaged. Before proceeding further with the details
of the fight of General Grover's command, it will be
necessary to mention a fact that I have previously
omitted—namely, that under the general plan of
attack, as directed by General Banks, Generals
Anger and Dwight were to make feints on the
extreme left of General Grover's position to dis-
tract the attention of the enemy from the main as-
sault. Accordingly, before the engagement became
general between General Grover's command and the
enemy, Generals Augur and Dwight had attacked
the enemy, as before indicated, on General Grover's
extreme left.
It was not the intention that the last named of
these forces should storm the rebel works, but hold
the enemy in check while General Grover was per-
forming his part of the work according to the ori-
ginal, which, had he been successful, would have
opened the way for the advance of our entire army
on to it. Hudson proper is surrounded, as
it is understood, by a series of fortifications more
impregnable than any we have yet assaulted. The
fight on the part of General Dwight's command was
exceedingly severe, and scarcely less so with Gene-
ral Grover's. General Dwight's loss in killed and
wounded will probably exceed 200. General
Augur's loss will fall considerably short of that
number. Under General Grover's command pro-
bably the most desperate fighting was done by
General Weitzel's old brigade. Colonel Smith
leading these veterans, the heroes of many fights,
fell early in the action mortally wounded. A ball
pierced his spine and passed round to the right
side. The colonel still lingers; but his death is
hourly expected. The charges made en the rebel
works by our brave soldiers showed a deter-
mination to carry them at all hazards; but human
bravery on this occasion was not adequate to the
accomplishment of their object. The most formi-
dable obstacle that presented itself as a barrier to
our success was the rebel glacis, which, at the point
attacked, had been constructed in such a manner as
to make every bullet tell that was fired from the
rebel breastworks while our troops were endeavour-
ing to make ascent. In fact, the great natural
advantages and engineering ability at Port
Hudson have been rather under than over-
rated. Immediately upon the fall of Colonel
Smith, Lieutenant-t Colonel Von Petten, of the 160th
New York, took command of the brigade, and gal-
lantly led the charge until all further hope of driv-
ing the rebels from their position was gone. Bri-
gade after brigade followed in rapid succession,
storming the rebel works, until compelled to fall
back under the terrible fire of the enemy. Conspi-
cuous among the brigades that did the most despe-
rate fighting were those under the command of
Colonels Kimball, Morgan, and Birge. They were
all, however, eventually repulsed with great

slaughter.
The fighting ceased at 11 o'clock in the morning.
We having been repulsed in every assault, our
soldiers, under command of their officers, laid
themselves down under the shelter of the gullies,
trees, covered way, in fact everything that could
afford them protection, and waited for the day to
pass and darkness come on. Many of our wounded
who were accessible were carried from the field bY
squads detailed for that purpose. It is a shameful
reflection on humanity that a large number of our
soldiers, carrying the wounded and dying from the
field on stretchers, were shot down by the enemy,
and in several instances the wounded were killed
while being borne from the field. At nightfall,
however, we commenced the burial of our dead, and
succeeded before the morning in carrying most of
our wounded from the battleground.
I have no time togive you further tails, as we
have not yet entirely recovered from ithe confusion
of the battle, and a courier is about leaving with
despatches. The many gallant acts, scenes, and in-
cidents, lists of killed and wounded, &c., I shall
have to reserve for my next letter.
Our total loss in this last attack upon Port Hud-
son will probably not fall much short of 1,000.
It is rumoured, just as I am closing this letter,
that we are to attack the enemy again to-night.

EXPERIMENTS AT SHOEBURYNESS,

Yesterday another of the long series of experk
meats which are undertaken here from time totime
in the endeavour to ascertain definitely the best
form of construction for our iron frigates was made
in the presence of a very numerous assemblage of
officials from the Admiralty and the War-office, the
members of the Iron Plate and Ordnance
andtees, and a large number of scientific officerso..
gentlemen interested in the practical solutionsei 1
Freda"
question of the day. The Duke ofsiro Somerset,
with Lord Clarence Paget and Admiral Sir
and
rick Grey, came down from the Admi
The
Earl de Grey and Ripon, with
Colonel Jervis, represented the
An the arrange.
Prince of Holstein was also present. 0 usual under
were
ments connected with the firing
Gener:r.:Tfauelleo.h and
ITa lor and
'Alderson.
his most efficient aide, Ca Lain the charge of the Commandal:it Colone Y I
a similar arta,-
nnded or invented by
first Warrior section
The target prepared to
tuhe
lery ordeal to that which
underwent so well was wrap°
c°nstillree to five and a
'sted of seven plates 0
except the third or fount.
Mr. George Clark, and
various thicknesses, from ha)
a
towards the centre, having .
inches of iron; different backing as
shot be-
neath of angle iron, Szn .
the count:
in every
Clark's
case
as e
regards thickness , but all being
theeach
general • - .
formed uponprinciple that the best
plate,
iemiof
ithe
the
method
„mour-plates is, according
by a cellular system
theory, of wrought-iron
of meeting
webs,
either vertical or horizontal,
being filled in either with pitch pinecells
board packing. We ma— 1 , teak, or mill-
y state
been definitely ascertained at once that it has
long
right thickness, shape, ago what is the
and kind
armour-plates—it is
only the form
is to support these plates f backing o which
and
sion of the shotdistribute the concus
over the largest
eo as to deaden its amount of surface,
action
inside, and the on the skin of the ship
bolts that
armour-
plate itself that fasten on the
now
best. f remain to be proved to be the
Our first War •
backedwith Warriors are built of 41 inch plates,
18in.of
like the Anil solid teak. The new Warriors,
are ri
0:; inch i and nine inches teak, the reduction
of teak allowing the increase of the iron without an
of weight.increaaeThe vessels
in each of these two
classes are
found to be as nearly invulnerable as we
can ever expect to make them on this plan, the
balance of advantages being on the whole in favour
of the 57!, inch iron and nine inch teak. This back-
ing, however, has never been found to stand like
that of Mr. Chalmers, though in their researches
after a better the Government have had to experi-
ment upon every conceivable combination of wood
and iron which inventors and patentees could force
upon them, the inventors only requiring in return
that the Government should bear the heavy expense

of demonstrating the worthlessness of . ,p 4. :ee-ele*.
e 1 - 24.4:*?''-
intentions. - i .` - ~ 7l
With a somewhat wide experience in these mat- . eaf-
ters, we find it quite impossible to give any detailed "1-7-ig
description of the target tried yesterday that would
be at all intel igible to the general reader. The ii
whole target was 13,1- feet long by 10 feet high, and
composed, as we have said,of seven armour plates,
no two of which were alike in length or width, mode
of fastening, or mode of backing. To call this ag-
glomeration of different principles one target was
simply ridiculous ; it was as distinctly seven tar-
gets as any seven by different inventors that have
ever been tried at Shoeburynces. One of the two
chief merits claimed for it was a new method of
securing the plates by dovetailed slots and bolt bare,
but the bolts iu each bar varied in the different plate 3
in number and thickness ; and, to lose no chalice,
whatever 'nigh( heppen,one plate was fastened with
through bolts in the old style always used. Another
peculiarity was the backing, the angle iron being -
laid transversely, so as to form a series of cells of
iron filled with teek, pine, or millboard. But here,
again, almost all the backings differed in filling, size
of cod, or thickness and dere h of angle iron. Except
f.or the general principle of a backing of cellular
webs, vertical or horizontal, and filled in with
some deadening substance, it was altogether the
most. varied compound target the authorities at
Shoeburyness have ever had before the muzzles of
their guns. It was a mass of targets ; every tarect
was a mass of patents of some kind or other. It
was intended to try this curious agglomeration
butit
its
co n.r
loef
mechanical crotchets some time ago, .
tion was, we believe, delayed by
a threatened
the
ground
in-
junction from Mr. Lynall Thomas, on
Mr. Clark's infringement of his patent rights.
The ordeal to which this target was intended to
be submitted was the same as that by which the
Warrior and all other targets are tried, and which
may be summarised by stating that it begins with
heavy shells filled with sand and fired at low velo-
cities, gradually increasing to live shells, then to
solid shot, then to salvoes of solid shot with small
charges and low velocities, and, lastly, to salvoes of
shot with full charges. Shells, whether empty or
filled with sand, have no perceptible effect on any
iron target ; so that this portion of the programme
was abandoned, and firing commenced at once with
68-pounder live shell. It would scarcely be of in-
' terest to follow the details of mischief done more or
less by each shot, especially as, after the first three
with live shell, all the succeeding rounds until the
firing in salvo commenced were with the smooth-
bore 68-pounder gun, with cast-iron shot and the
full service charge of 161 b. of powder. The effects
these produced may be summed up in the few words
that, though the target stood better than was ex-
pected—for it was not expected to stand for long at
all—it from the first showed signs of giving way,
and to use the expressive language of the prize
ring, became more " groggy" after every round. The
rivets at the back went fast and early, and the bolt-
heads, the main fastenings of the plates, gave way
also with a rapidity much greater than is usual in
any but bad targets. Six had gone before the sal-
voes commenced; the plates were deeply indented
and buckling up, and one or two ribs at the back of
all were bending outwards. The plates, which were
rolled at the lqillwall Ironworks, were of admirable
quality, and, though dented and bent, showed no
signs of cracking, nor, strange to say, did they give
any marks of yielding where the deep slots had
been cut in them at the back to hold the bolt-bars.
The last of the 68-pounders fired struck on plate No.
7, and broke through it. This plate, however, was
only three inches in thickness. .A salvo of three 100-
pounders with 141 b of powder and two 68's with 161 b of
powder, was then fired simultaneously, but only
four of the guns went off. The united blows of
these four, however, shook the whole target most
seriously, and cracked its largest plate almost com-
pletely across. It was evident that it was pretty
well on its last legs, so the Armstrong 300 or 150-
pounder, according as it is used with spherical or
elongated projectiles, was loaded and laid to give it
its coup de grace. This most formidable piece—
which no target, not even that of Mr. Chalmers, has
ever yet entirely resisted—was loaded with 501 b. of
i powder and a round shot of 1501 b. weight. The
effect of this was instant and tremendous. With a
terrific crash it smashed through the thickest (sin.)
plate of the target, through cells and backing and
inner skin—shivering into matchwood one after the
other two of the massive beams which shored up the
target from behind, and, ploughing into the earth
beyond, glanced end went up into the still, hot air
with a roar that was audible for many seconds.
Beams, bolts, and plate had all alike been scattered
into fragments far and wide before the passage of
this tremendous missile, and one could only look
with wonder upon the wreck it had made, and think
with something like terror on the effect which such
a shot would have upon the ships it struck, and
o:loebrv;id)leart.o
above all upon the crew that happened to be inside
it when such a thunderbolt of war came in. It was
the general opinion, judging from the smashing the
shot had inflicted after its passage through the
target, and the prolonged flight its sound showed it
had made through the air afterwards,.that had a
second target of the same kind been behind the first
it would in all probability have gone through both.
the same ruin of
I n
principle other
shellg oc words,
hf at, hri i
ogase
ihadio3ofot target, a ship it
makingbeend constructed
a v
e go n
ein ont thee
firedb of
the same gun
weight,loaded with a 151 b.
both.side and
One
noeu tma
more
rteh
sehootth
waswere,i
with a reduced charge of 35h1 • o powder, but with.
This,
147:el course,e
s usi ts prede-
cessor
abusrtseteile notwith-
standing
the r, charge, went as reduction of firine•
clean throw, •
bthroughiogall
5'
,-inch, the r,
,-inen, the explosion
of the shell donetiw k
the rest of the fabric, and
knocking uP the uppermost plate about six inches.
i
This was the last shot fired, for
the poor target
would have stood no more—another blow would
have brought it to the ground. lt was the last shot
fired, and we may venture to express a hope that it
is the last time we shall have to lay before the public
the demerits of the long series of inventors' costly
targets, for the constru '
the public have had to etion and destruction of all
fulfilled pay. Only one target has
all the requirements of strengthso needed
and so long sought for--the Chalmers target. This,
we believe,
has been reported upon by the proper
authorities at Shoeb
terms Shoeburyness in the most favourable
to the Government. -With such a report
existing in favour of - .
an ironside target, and there-
fore in '
favour of a method of
constructing
our
future iron frigates, it seems a
sheer waste of time
and money to continue firing like that of
was known to be little yesterday, which, if experience
1 it was put up.
at targets
is worth anything,
better than worthless before
h

Full benefit of reduced duty obtained by pur-
chasing norniman's pure Tea; very choice at 3s. 4d. and
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strongest and most delicious imported. Agents in every
own supply it in packets.

A MURDERED CHILD.-011 Monday evening a
lad,
digging in the garden of a florist in William-
street, New North-road, Islington, came upon the decapi-
tated body of a child in a state of decomposition. It wag
buried a little way from the surface of the earth. As there
were many persons in the garden at the time the news soon
spread, and the assistance of the police was called. The
remains were inspected by a medical man, and declared to
be those of a little girl, and a close examination of tho re-
mains of the clothing has led to the belief that the body is
none other than that of the poor child who was stolen about
15 months' since, within a couple of hundred yards of this
spot—Elizabeth Hunter—whose disappearance caused so
much excitement, and for whose discovery her Majesty's
Government offered £lOO reward. The grounds for this
belief are stated to be that the description of the missing
child's boots corresponds exactly with those found, and
that earrings were found with the head, which was discovered
buried at a short distance from the body, It is stated fur-
ther that the bead was found some months since and re-
buried without any notice being taken. An immense crowd
of persons gathered round the place where the body was
discovered,
beened,a ronive
and remained h
t the de
eretghlxe, wheretmidnighit t.The
body has awaits
a coroner's inquisition.
magnificent life-size portrait
cos-
tume added to madame
Tu modelsHe a Eou HENRY
thisto:tfehYeVperi HistoricalomdAonlvlr Galleryr3cythattiredßaker-street.
n ji 4n stt
Henry, sur-
named Monmouth, invaded France and gained the memor-
able battle of Agincourt. The effigy of Edward the black
Prince, encased in a costly suit of armour, c •
outmaes to be
one of the most attractive eights in the exhitkitioo.