Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-10-15
Daily appeal,
NAVAL VICTORY At NEW ORLEANS
PARTICTIARs OF THE ENGAGE
lEENT.

The design. aS We have understood. belongs
SOLELY 90 Commodore H0llins, who determined
rs soon as hC came 10 take command of the ma
aai department at New Orleans, that the enemy
sh0uld learn that We were not entirely asleep,
and he displayed tremendous energy ia getting
everything ready for his attack. Such general
preparations conld not be conducted In SecresY.
and hence the subject became jOlerably we'll
known Il week ago, and for the past three days
has been thc engrossng thesle OF conversation
or. the streets. Nevertheless, such rigid meas
ares were taken TO prevent the news being COM
mmicale3 to the enemy that we believe they
hrve been completely surprised at the demon
tii0n.
The vessels Got together by Commodore Hol-
iU Tor his purpose, were as follows:
GuHha7. Nc3ae, Captain Iuger. carrying siy
heavy rile1 cannon and two h0witZer. She
ysss formerly the steamer Marquis g.
l. Hsbana and is considered q very or5ina-
r Graf.
Guuboai Ivy, Capt Fry, carrying colum-
tial forward and "a rife gun aft. She was for
mcllya bowboat.
Gunboaj Calhoun, Commodore Hollins, the
flag ship, carrying two heavy guns. She Is
well-5nown as having done profitable work as q
priyateer steamer at the commencement Of the
war.
C,rmb1at Tuscorora, Lieut.. Beverly Kennon,
Iiisl thry-tvo p8undeT aft She was g tow
h0sf aBd her conversion into a war vessel was
rhc quickest job ever known in the Algiers
Yards She was taken into dock last Monday
fazee3 20 q flliSh deck strengthened and armed
aHd camc ont ready for service on Wednesday.
Gunbolt jackson, carrying two long range
Tuns This boat Is very well known as the old
IsUbast Yankee. and She may illustrate llfe idea
of getting risky in her old age.
Tho Manassas, aims the Turtle, alias Monde
Sc.ip ALIAS Gyascutis, with q steel PROV and one
uine-inch collJmbiad in the bow, commanded by
Capt S5evlnsnn-ihe affair about which we OBJ
iailej all our information from the northern pa
Pars-
The cutter Piekens. Capt. Brllshwood, carry
ing ona eight-iuch calUmbad and f0ur twenty
toar pounder caTronades
Besidcs these war vessels. there were six " fire
ships prepared. They were old coal boats,
iosaca with fatty pine tar and rosin; braced
apart from each other by timbers and secured TO-
gether bv chain cable, making a width Of
about half he distance between the two shores sf
.he river.
The plan was to shove these down the stream
hv the tugbOai r & j. Watson, and as soon as
hey neared the fleet to fire them and then drive
chem gsinst the euemy's ships, which would be
.ho signal for a general attack by our gunboatS
81 was sUpposable that the glare OF he burning
I.ats would relieve the Lincoln vessels from the
1arznrs, 81 the night, and leave oBF boats euvel-
oped j. the gloom, if il did nothing else. The
success of this portion Of the programme depend
ed upon the degree Of neaness the fats could
...,in tl, enemy before being discovered
The attack wds to have been made Wednes-
Gav night but lpr slight accident happening 10
she machinery Of the Manassas, which caused
her 10 iui back. II was then fixed for the next
might, hrJ the dense iog prevented il, and i-
Ha1iiY book place yesterday, as elsewhere re-
par-a
alnnany's vessels az the head Of the passes
asng .-ieved 10 b. The steam frigate Richmond
ths am gunboat Water Witch, the sailing
-larslf-lvsr RinceRnes and Preble propeller
sesame. name unknown, and a schooner and
l'iri tar. II represented a iorce OF about sew
,ufv havy guns ana nearly a thousand men,
tIr- ale mosquito feet carried sixteen effective
Guns nd about three hundred men. Such dis
uar,fyof force as this IN favor Of the fleet at
.s-l.4 has never been known Ia the naval his
,olf Z modern times.
aARTICULARs or THE ENGAGEMENT.
lfmiduight. last night, the steamer Calhoun
grl ai IT, wharf, foot Of B'enville street hay-
.a ,n board Commodore Hollins. dispatch
.a arslounee her arrival had been received from
fnr laf but few persons saw Il. as il was not
published. Nevertheless q considerable crowd
,siesrd "a hie wharf about n;ne O'Clock and
vested a compile Of hours, but when the Calhoun
insiy arrived there were not more thsu two
,sez a people pTeseis These, however, sent up
. hearty shout for tha bro Of the naval victory
ConmOdoie Hollins went ashore Immediately
sna drove OF 20 his home. He was excessively
gted and worn 0ut, and unable 10 furnish
r leiails Of tie remarkable combat he had
..lsnled and executed; but from gentleman
who was 81 through the fight, we obtained the
.olioEing partiealars:
Tbs expedition s,a-red down the river from the
.rir st SEA early haur Saturday morning. the
'rboais ahead and the esnboats following i}ut
.l- span Of fireboats could noi be controlled BY
ifa ing that was attempting 10 guide il, and very
-oan ID commenced 20 slow round and then,
,ezlite every effort IL ran into the fiver baHk.
fha plan OF firing the feet was Immediately
abandoned by Com. Hollins on the occurrence
81 his accident, and be proceeded down the
,s .-r with flle gnHboats, for the purpose Of ma
Rag legitimate attack upon them.
The vessels Of the enemy found wing at the
liradof the passes, were the steam frigate Ricl-
lannd, the sailing sloop-oi-war Nincennes, the
-siiHg sl00p-ei-war freble and the steam gun
last Water Witch.
They were taken completely by surprise, and
llad not ilie steamers had sieam mp al the iiInr
perhaps Rome Of them would have escaped. As
il Was, their firing, maneHver-. and general
conduct showed that they were thundersiIuck
..nd frightened.
The Manassas led the way of our little feet,
and steering straight for one of the sloops-of-
,-sr. ran right into her. The force Of the con-
,ussion was tremendous: SO much SO as to put
ilie machinery OF The Manassas ont Of gear and
render hef perfectly useless, floating about in an
anmauageable condition ON the water.
81. r4t4A-
sheir arrangements % move, and the two steam
rrs each took one Of the sloops-otwar in tow and
-taried down the river, making the besl speed Of
hich they were capable.
IhFv defended their retreat with every gun
tl,ev could bring to bear upon their pursUers, but
fi,sir sim was wild and showed that the gunueTs
were terribly alarmed.
The McRae. Ivy and Tuscorora Ted our feet
md were the boats that kept Bp the fire on the
rstresting vessels and drove them down stream.
The other vessels of cur fleet followed 0n down
Is wen as they could.
The enemy's vessels took the souih west pass
.5r thor avenue Of escape, bat some Of them got
aground on the bar there. The boats of our
hoei then came up with them, about o'clock,
s. NJ, and iring now commenced IN earnest Il
being daylight they discovered the weakness Of
our ileet and they managed their guns in r
..hler manner.
For over an hour the duel was kept up, but at
The end Of that time Commodore Hollins signal
lei our boats 70 withdraw from 50 unequal con-
ts.t in which nothing more was to be gained.
IS the time Of leaving, they were taking the
nen of the slo0p-of-war that had been run into
bT the Manassas, and she was settling in the
water 10 q signihcant manner, So that there can
DR. no doubt OF her foUndering and total loss.
our informant believes that this vessel was the
Nincennes, and not the Prcblr as was reported
by Commod0re Hollins.
Our littie feet returned up the river aud cap
rursd the cutter Of the steam frigate Richmond,
which was full Of cutlasses. What became OF
Inc men who had thrown down their cutlasses in
such q hasty manner and abandoned their boat
s. not known
Returning to the head Of the passes, a deaacll-
mont oi men were landed, who set fire 10 all the
lumber which the enemy had pui ashore there,
after bringing 90 such d distance and at such
great cost and it was totally consumed The
Manassas was then taken IN tow and ali Of the
boats returned to the forts.
Net one Of our boats are injured in the slight
est manner. except the slight disarrangemert of
the machinery in the Manassas, but are quite
neadv % repeat the affair should The enemy give
flseBs a chance Not a single man on any Of olu
boats was hurt in the least. il Is believed that
~ af the enemy 5 vessels are somewhat iujg red
and that there must have beeu many easualtes
a4nang their crews, but Of this nothing can b,
known as vet
- Gen Whitfield, who is here with bis
eenlnanv Of Texans, is from Lavaea county
.t.rH-r .la--