Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1861-11-27
The Battle at Port Royal
Scenes and Incidents During the Fight!
A POWDER MONKEY.

Scenes and Incidents During the Fight!
A POWDER MONKEY.
One of the powderboys on the Bien-
Vile. VIM. Henry Steele by name, de-
serves particular mention. He is only
fourteen years old, bright, active fellow,
and performed his duties with signal bra
yery. 1t was bis duty to hand cartridges
to one of the gunners. While the Bien-
Vile was in the thickest of the engage
ment the balls whistled fiercely over the
deck and splashed about in the water,
but he never wavered. A large rifle
shot struck the water some distance from
the steamer, bounded upward, and crash
ing through the beam, tore through the
bodies of two men standing near HIM at
the gun. and wounded two others. He
handed his cartridge to the gunner, and,
stepping over the bodies, brought fresh
supply of ammunition, with which he
continued his labors. After the fight,
Capt. Stedman, in thanking his men for
their noble conduct, especially common
ded the bravery of young Steele. Du-
ring part of the time the BienvlIe was
the mark for almost the entire fire OF
both rebel batteries, and her crew dis
played the greatest heroism. The first
shot fired at her struck. and was one of
the mos serious. Her guns were in such
constant use that they became hot and
almost lcaped from the deck Mt each dis
charge. 1t is really wonderful that her
damage is SO very immaterial. Beyond
q hole between decks, another through
the beam, just at the lower part Of the
gunwale, a cut shroud and battered
stove-pipe (not smoke staek) she is un-
harmed.
A BRAVE SAILOR.
The Wabash also came in for large
share of the fight. A cannon shot pass
ed along hr deck and struck Thomas
Jackson, tho coxswan. The ball nearly
carried away one Of his legs, leaving it
SO that it hung only by shreds of flesh
and skin. Leaning against gul, he
drew out his sheath knife and tried to
cut it off entirely. The knife was too
dull, and his shipmates fastened to him
aud carried him below. He kept con-
tinually asking how the fight progressed,
saying, d" hope we'll win; l hope we'll
teat them" He died in two hours, his
last words expressing happiness that he
had done something for his country.
EFFECT OF THE FIRE,
The effect of our fire on the forts WAS
terribly grand and majestic. Some shots
struck the beach before the Notifications,
throwing up clouds of the yellow sand
high as the ships mast, driving lis blind
ing shower in the faces of the secession
gunners like voleys of small shot, some
times driving them from their guns and
sometimes forcing them to fall upon their
faces.
Some shots and shells fell directly in
the forts among the rebels, and, bursting
in moment after, literally tore every
thing near them in pieces; occasionally
dismounting gun, and mingling broken
caisions, carriages, splinters CT timber,
tufts of sod, and fragments of men in
horrible confusion, blackened by the hot
balls, and red with human blood. Other
missiles whizzed over the forts on the
long plain behind, or still further on,
crashed among the woods in continual
shower. through which tho rebel rein
forcemects da ed not venture to relieve
the gunners at the batteries. AT Hilton
Head two red -shIrted gunners labored &C
lively at large rf1ed cannon on the right
of the work, loading and firing it with
the greatest rapiditv and daring. Du-
ring hull in the firing, while the fleet
was winding the batteries to take posi-
ton for another brush, the two red shirt
ed gunners sat on The par pet alone, MI
the others having retired to the interior
of the works. A shell from one of the
gunboats in Skull Creek struck on the
parapet, and burst with viii. smoke
cloud in the battery When the smoke
cleared away the red-shirts were gone,
doubtless killed by the ball
The sight Of bomb fired through
the mir is spectacle Of impressive inter-
est, and dnring the fight these deadly ms
SUES lii'tu' S'titIHH'ti t'dtbS 'ilffu1 lt~
air Ike scores Of fiery meteors crossing
| and re crossing each others orbits in all
directions. Each bomb rises upward.
gracefully curving and descending with
the same speed with which it rises, lonv-
ing thin mark Of white smoke along its
path, that fades purple, and then to n
pale blue that vanisl es in the light air. -
A few burst before striking the ground.
and produced the beautiful and unusual
spectacle of an aerial explosion, thous-
ands of fragments scattering ovor the
space for n musket shot distance around.
When the Seventh Connecticut Regi-
ment and the Fourth New Hampshire
landed, dead were seen on every side
One of the largest guns was dismounted,
and by its side was mingled pool of
flesh and brains and blood, ,eddening
the splinteled fragments of beams and
the sandy earth. 1t was the last of Sc
cession gunner. Throughout all the in
terror of the fort the sanguinary signs,
clots of hair and shattered bones, testi-
fed to the efficacy of our fire. Three
wounded men were found in dying
condition, having been shamefullv neo-