The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-11 00:00:00

EXPL OITS OF THE CONFEDERATE RAM

ARKANSAS.

(Front the Chicago Tribune.)
United States' Gunboat Flotilla, Wednesday,
July 15.
About 3 50 a.m. the gunboats Carondelet
and Tyler and the ram Queen of the West got
under way, steamed up the river a short distance,
turned and headed up the Yazoo. Rumours had
been rife for several days that the Arkansas was
preparing to come out, but a large majority hooted
it down and scoffed at the bare idea. It seems,
however, that those in authority placed some
credence in the report, and consequently the gun-
boats and ram were sent to look up matters. Upon
entering the river the Queen shot up ahead of the
rest, the Carondelet following, while the Tyler
brought up the rear.

They had proceeded about five miles only when
those in the gunboats were startled by the appear-
ance of the Queen coming full speed down the river,
with evidently every pound of steam she could
make at work on her shaft. She flew by the
Carondelet with the words, ‘. The Arkansas is
coming," and shortly after a long, low, mud-
coloured craft, with a short, thick, black smoke-
stack in her middle, puffing out huge volumes of
black smoke, came swiftly around the point and
made for the Carondelet. The river was too narrow
to turn back, even if Captain Walker had so
wished ; but the Captain is one who knows no such
words as " back out," and, swinging around broad-
side, to avoid raking shots, the Carondelet belched
forth a whole broadside on to the rapidly advancing
craft. Imagine the consternation produced when
the balls were seen to strike and fall harmlessly in the
water ! "At him again," was the cry, and another
broadside was poured into the monster at 50 yards'
range, but with no more effect than if so many
peas had been discharged. The Arkansas now ran
into the Carondelet's starboard quarter with a fear-
ful crash, pouring broadside after broadside into
the gunboat, which, passing through the wooden
casemate, raked the vessel from stem to stern. The
Arkansas showed no intention of leaving her victim,
but, remaining along her starboard quarter, raked
her fore and aft with pointed shot. The Caronde-
let's stern and after division of starboard batteries
kept up an incessant fire, but the huge solid shot
flew off like indiarubber balls. There was no tan-
gible spot to be seen ; a very small round hole, just
large enough to admit the gun, constituted her
ports, and on elevating or depressing the porthole
moved with the gun. Finding his
guns were doing
no service, Captain Walker had his boarders called
away, and into the rebel craft they poured; but not
a man or a passage could be found. The boarders
now returned and the guns set to work, but it was
so much powder wasted. The Carondelet's stern
was now perfectly riddled, all the officers' quarters
shot away, and everything literally torn to pieces.
At length a shot cut away the steam pipe, and the
scalding vapour spread to every part of the boat.
Many of the men jumped overboard. At this junc-
ture of affairs Captain Walker led a boarding party
on the rebel's deck, but could find no possible way
of getting below. The hatches were all secured
underneath, and the smallest kind of aperture or
hole was nowhere to be found. This discovered,
the party returned to give up their boat only when
the bottom of the river called for her. The flag
which still floated from her stern was never to be
struck to the rebels as long as one board floated to
hold it up. What men were left stood by what guns
could be brought to bear, and worked them until
the Arkansas, thinking she had about finished her
victim, pushed along past her and stood for the
Tyler, which had stood by the Carondelet
through the whole fight. The Tyler discovered
her motive, and, knowing her thin frame would
stand
no chance when brought in con-
tact with the enemy's invulnerable sides,
headed down the stream, keeping just clear of the
Arkansas and firing her stern battery. This chase
was
kept up until the mouth of the river was
reached, when the Tyler, her boats shot away and
badly cut up otherwise, came into view of the whole
fleet. Not a vessel in the whole fleet, from some
strange fatality, had steam enough to move. The