Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-10-24
From the Passes.
7he Turtle Dove" Atias Nlntssa -Hsr Par ticipation in Me tate Naeal Engagement- T.ta,o,t;,, D,,f;cnJ0rc

7he Turtle Dove" Atias Mtntssa -Hsr Par
 ticipation in Me tote Nacal Engagement-
 Mte,esting Particulars.
 The New Orleans True Delta of yesterday (l5th inst. contains the following interesting particulars regarding the action of the " non ,iescrlpt" i'll the recent naval engagement at the passes:
 Now she was discovered by the watch on the eneny's decks and they gave the alarm, and ,ent up a blue light from the Richmond, proba be a privaIe signal t. the Niagara below. Au-- tln made out the bow oI the vessel she was ap preaching and steered he for It 50 as 10 str ke between her hog chain and main chan s. The tm was true one, the momentum ot the ram vas terrific, aud the crash, a, she drove her pruw twenty feet deep into the sAlpa hull, Was lruly fearful. Every man aboard ot the Manas ,s. was knocked down by the violence ot the cuncussion, and the whole boat vlDrated like an l-pen The engines were at once reversed and she backed right out, bringing otf on her prov whole sheets or the Prebe cnpre.lng anu big apilnters of her sod liveoak bow.
 The diSmay, the cunsternaiIon, the panic Ot ,urror that ensued upon the deck oi the stricken Preble may be imagined. but 1t cannot b. p:a- urrd in words. Most of the crew, aroused from ,umbcr, rushed tranlicaly ab 'uE, cr%zy wlh right. Some of them must have been wound d and manglr by the sharp prov ot the Ma t,.,sa judging from their piercing, agonizin9 shrieks. A few oi thom to leap over ),;lrd iuto the river, and upon deck a perfec aturu;,lla of renzled terror reigned. They inew not what was to follow, and could not un- lerstand what had occurred In the Manass,, her yells were distinctly heard, with such cries K. We're slnkius! Shes going to blow up! We're all osI! Oh my God!'
 The Rchmond Nincennes, Preble and Water Witch were at anchor in the line ot d Y /, .,th sprlus caDIe,, and steam up on the twu teamers. As the MAnas,a backed of from th, ,'reblr, h r ohcers sls the Richmond lying .lyht before them, with her full bruadslde expos, d. Here splendid opportunity, and they rad no doubt, from their success against thv Treble, that they would cut her iu two. Not d sngle shot had been fired at hem yet, ana ,uch vas the confusion on board ali of the sh p> hat they commenced ringing their fog bel>, sh,h h prov,d nat even yet they We're so c ,n fused and ignorant Of the nature of our attack, hat some of them supposed 1t to be ean acclden taI collision, caused by the extreme darkness, aud rang the fog bells to show the Manas ,a their position aud enable her to aooid them.
 Working one engine she made a circuit around to head up stream, and this brought her under the Richmond and the Vncenne5. By his time the officers on board those vessels had recovered their presence of mlnd sufficiently to compre bend that this extraor ilnary collision was no accident, but very cool aud audacious assault by the enemy, and that the long, low, black looking object huatug right before them was the cause of their danger and alarm. Then rhey manned their guns, which already ,hutted, and now the invulnerablity of the Ma uassa was fairly tested
 First came the whole broadSde of the Rich moud, and directly alter the entire broadside of the Vincennes, followed by the ei ght inch shells ot the Water Witch. The roar of cannon was tremendous, an 1t seemed to those cooped in ;he IlttIe ram as if all the thuuderbots ut Jove were rained upon them
 The flagstaff and one of the chimney stacks of the Mauassa were cut of clean as if by d k nlie, but the guns of the ships had not been sufficiently depressed, and all their balls, except two or three, went over her. She has but one indentation, near the bow, in her iron arn,r, to show that she was struck at al but 1t Is believed that other shots reached her and glanced off without leaving perteptible mark of their visit.
 Three rockets were sent up, as the sign of a successful attack, and ,he Manassa kept on up the river, although making very slow time in comparison with her velocity down stream. just before. The Richmond now took the Vincennes in tow and the y ater Witch grappled the Preble, all the time keeping up heavy fire on the ram but without striking her except once, aud then knocking down her remaining chimney over the vent of the other one. Tns choked up the outlet for the smoke, and as they were yet burning the tar, sulphur and tallow, the as pbyxialing gas that arose from it rushed down and spread throughout the boat, threatening to sufocate every in few minutes. Nothing was to be done except for some one to go on deck and cut away the wreck. while the ships, less than q quarter of d mile distant, We're rAiu- ing their balls all about them.