The Sun.
London, England, 1863-04-14 00:00:00

THE ATTACK ON PORT HUDSON.

Tbr New Orleans Era of March 13 gives the fol-
lowing account of the naval attack on Port
Hudson :

" The fleet of Admiral Farragut was composed of
the following ships:—The Hartford (flagship),
Captain Palmer; Richmond, Commander Alden;
Mississippi, Commander Smith ; Monongahela,
Captain M‘Kinstry ; Genesee, Captain Macomb ;
Albatros, Lieutenant-Commander Hart; Kinio,
Lieutenant- Commander Waters. These vessels were
designed to attack the batteries in the order enume-
rated below :—The Hartford, with the Albatros
made fast to her port side ; the Richmond, with
the Genesee on her port side; the Monongahela,
with the Kinio on her port side; the Mississippi
being alone. The mortar fleet, which consisted of
six schooners, the iron-clad Essex, and the gunboat
Sachem, the whole under Commander Caldwell, of
the Essex, proceeded on Friday evening to within
shelling distance of the rebel batteries, where they
remainned at last accounts. At a quarter past nine
o'clock on the night of the 14th, every preparation
having been made for an advance, a signal was
made from the flagship for the fleet to get under
way, the fleet at this time being at anchor off the
bead of Profit Island, within three miles of the
enemy's works. The enemy was duly apprised of
the intentions ofe
sthhoerefloepetpobsyite Port Hudson. Asrockets, which were
sent up from
soon as the Hartford came within range of the
batteries they opened a brisk fire upon her.
She returned the fire by a whole broadside, and
continued pouring shot and shell into the
enemy's works until she bad succeeded in passing
the batteries. When last seen, the Hartford was
steaming up the river in gallant
style. The .Rich-
mond, the next ship in line of battle, followed the
motions of the flagship, passed the principal bat-
teries, and had just rounded the point, when a shot
passed through her steam chest, temporarily dis-
abling her, and compelling Commander Alden to
drop down stream. Her executive officer, Lieut.-
Commander A. B. Cummings, was standing on the
bridge, encouraging and cheering the men, when a
shot from the rebel batteries struck his left leg be-
low the knee, severing it from his body and knock-
ing him from his post. Commander Alden, who
was standing beside him, was knocked from the
bridge by a hammock, displaced by the same shot
which wounded Mr. Cummings, but fortunately
sustained no injury. The loss on the Richmond
was three killed and 10 wounded. A boatswain's
mate, who had both his legs, his right arm, and left
hand cut off by the explosion of a shell, as he fell
to the deck, with his last breath exclaimed, in lan-
guage worthy of a Lawrence, ' Don't give up the
ship, lads.' The only casualty among the officers
of the Richmond was that of Lieut.-Commander
Cummings. The ship received several shots in her
hull, but was only temporarily disabled. The
Genesee, which was alongside of the Richmond,
being unable to stem the current with her in tow,
was obliged to drop down stream with her. She
had three men slightly wounded. The Monon-
gahela and the Kinio were next in the line of battle.
Captain M'Kinstry was struck from the bridge
early in the action, and was carried below. The
command of the vessel devolving upon Lieu-
tenant Thomas, a young and gallant officer, he es-
sayed to follow the flagship; but from the dense
smoke which enveloped the ship the pilots were
unable to keep the channel, and the ship grounded
directly under fire of the principal batteries, where
she remained backing her engines for 25 minutes.
eSxheertfiinonalslyofthe succeeded in getting off, through the
Kinio,which
Was handled in a most
admirable manner, although her rudder was jammed
by a shot between the rudder and stern-post, ren-
dering the vessel almost unmanageable. Having
succeeded in gaining deep water, the Monongahela
steamed up the river, when her crank pin becoming
heated she was unable to proceed, and dropped down
to the position of the mortar fleet. The loss on the
Monongahela was six killed and 20 wounded, in-
cluding several officers. No loss has been reported
on the Kinio. The Mississippi, in obedience to the
order of Admiral Farragut, brought up the rear.
She had reached the point directly opposite the
town, and her officers were congratulating them-
selves upon having passed through the greater
danger, the ship up to this time not having sustained
a single casualty. The Monongahela not being in
sight orders were given to increase the speed, in
order to close up the space between the ships. The
atmosphere being humid, the smoke hanging close
to the surface of the river, nothing being discernible
but the flashes of our own and the enemy's pieces,
the ship, which had acquired rapid headway,
grounded on the right bank of the river, opposite
the terminus of the Port Hudson and Clinton Rail-

road. Her engines were immediately reversed, and
orders were given by Capt. Smith for the men to fire
with all possible rapidity, as their safety depended
upon keeping the enemy from their guns. The men
responded with alacrity, and in the short space of
35 minutes they fired 250 shots. Daring this time
Engineer Rutherford made every exertion to get the
ship afloat, but without success. Captain Smith,
finding it impossible to save his vessel, gave orders
to make instant preparations to destroy the ship and
save the crew. Orders were also given to the Chief
Engineer to destroy the engines and cut the out w and
connecting pipes. This being done, the water flowed
rapidly into the ship. The sick and wounded were
conveyed on board the iron clad ram Essex, and the
remainder of the crew were conveyed to the right
bank cf the river, which had been cleared by the
gunboats of rebel sharpshooters. Before the crew
left the ship every preparation was made to destroy
her by collecting combustibles in the forward and
after parts of the ship. Unfortunately she was fired
forward before the order was given. This becoming
known to the crew, and their being but three small
boats which they could use, many jumped over-
board, and it is feared were drowned in attempting
to escape. Some others, seven in all, including
Marine Capt. Fontene, Assistant Engineer Brown,
and master's mate Francis, fell into the hands of the
enemy. Just before the order was given to abandon
the ship, a shot from the enemy entered forward
of the wheel, killing Acting Master Kelly, com-
manding second division, also killing and woanding
all but four men at one of his guns. After seeing
that the survivors of his crew were fairly clear of
the ship, and every preparation made to
ensure her destruction, Commander Smith, ac-
companied by Lieut. Dewey, his executive officer,
Ensign Bachelder, and First Assistant-Engineer
Tower left the ship and abandoned her to the flames,
after having with his own hands spiked most of
the guns. As an evidence of the coolness which
Capt. Smith displayed on this occasion, it is related
that in the midst of the death and destruction
which surrounded him, while coolly lighting his
cigar with steel and flint, he remarked to Lieut.
Dewey 'lt is not likely that we shall escape, and
we must make every preparation to ensure the de-
struction of the ship.' As soon as Capt. Caldwell,
of the Essex, discovered the flames bursting from
the Mississippi, notwithstanding she was 500 yards
of the principal rebel batteries, he steamed up the
river and succeeded in taking off from the shore
many of the men who had escaped, and in saving
many who were still struggling with the current
for their lives, The fire having full possession of the
ship raged through her for an hour, greatly light-
ening her, while the water flowing aft settled her
stern, and she gradually slid off into the current.
By a seeming act of Providence, the ship was swung
round by the force of the current and headed down
stream. The guns of her port battery, which had
not been fired, [becoming heated, the venerable old
frigate paid a parting salute to the rebels at the
same time that she fired the minute guns over her
own grave. Had the ship floated down stream stern
foremost it is impossible to conjecture what would
have been result, inasmuch as her guns would have
been discharged on her own crew on the neighbour-
ing bank. She floated down the stream, her guns
discharging, and shells on deck exploding in every
direction, until at half-past 6 o'clock when, having
reached a point near which the rebel ram Arkansas
was destroyed, she blew up with a concussion which
shook the country for miles around. Fragments of
the ship drifted past Baton Rouge, and one of the
wheel-houses was taken ashore at that point. It
is estimated that only 65 officers and men belonging
to the Mississippi were killed, wounded, and taken
prisoners. The officers and crew lost everything,
except what they stood in. They saved nothing,
and left nothing in the hands of the rebels."
The Picayune of the 22d says :
" The Monongahela, the machinery of which was
uninjured during the fight of last Saturday night,
has repaired the damage done to her woodwork, and
is now in good order again. She is now in the hands
of Capt. Melancthon Smith, and Executive officer
Lieut. Dewey, late of the Mississippi. On Friday
she steamed up the river to a point near the lower
batteries, and threw several shells from her 2001 b.
rifled Parrott. This she could do with perfect safety
to herself, firing the gun at a distance of two and a
half or three miles, and then changing her position
so as to destroy the range of the guns in the bat-
teries. She can throw her shells into the earthworks
at every discharge, and yet present but a small and
constantly shifting target. Of course there are no
means at present of estimating the amount of damage
she has done. The latest reports say that the pre-
sent position of the Hartford and the Albatross is
five miles above Port Hudson, out of range of all
the guns on share, and that a considerable force has
been landed on the right bank, opposite the bat-
teries. The width of the water at this point destroys
a current story that sentinels are holding conversa-
tions across the river.' We are inclined to believe
that Capt. Smith's 200-pound Parrott is the only
thing that can speak' so as to be heard at that
distance."