New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-12-28
NUMBER 253.
The Pensacola Fight.
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hs.gsg4T5sss fss p,ss, .xrzEsr q EseRrnA ,se
| ed by ths-Ehat Fort Piekens has been beleaguer
ID was das for the last nine months and that
fact notofious ID the wbnis ,as,s .ae VI sumler,
oupanI5 ny lem !. semmer the rebels have been
,haro ari,b ,ha Ta batteries, and daily armine
known to our servce .uss ~ gnns
Ststes-unt they considesea thia fngt >.
their oWn,.its occupancy being only a question of
+ have been in command since she 1sth ~ .,r;,
and during the whole of that time their forcs
averaged so far as / can learn, from sight to ten
times the, number of mine. The posiiioni in which
have thus been placed has been sufficiently trying
and have at three separate times intended tofree
myself from it by opening my batteries on them,
but imperious circumstances over which had I'd
control has unexpectedly, in each instance, pre-
vented. -,-.
Affairs were in this state on the morning of the
9th of October, when the enemy, fifteen hundred
strong, attacked by surprise portion of my
command on an intensely dark night. They were
defeated and driven from the island with great
loss by less than two hundred regulars and fifty
yolunteers-al! the efficient force had disposabe
for the purpose. An insult to the flag of my
country could not by me be passed unnoticed, and
designed Immediately to take appropriate notice
of it; but, as ! said before, circumstances over
which had no control prevented l make thea
predatory remarks to explain why have now
opened my batteries ON the enemy, when, from
tne sMailest OF my FORCES, ABOUT one-sAtD Oh ms,
thirteen hundred to eight thousand, have not the
means of producing any decisive results, and as
evidence Of my having accomplished what l de-
sgned-the Furnishing the perpetrators Of an In
suit of my country's flag.
Having invited flag officer Mexican to cooperate
with me in attacking the rebels, and to which he
gave ready and cordial assent, |, on the morning
of the 22d, opened my batteries on the enemy, to
which, in the course OF half an hour, he responded
from his numerous forts and batteries extending
from the Navy yard to Fort MeRae, a distance of
about four miles, the whole nearly equi-distant
from this fort, and on which line he has two forts
-McRae and Barraneas-and fourteen separate
batteries, containing from one to four guns, many
of them being ten-inch coiumbiads and some
twelve and thirteen inch sea-coast mortars, the
distance varying from two thousand one hundred
to two thousand nine hundred yards from this fort
At the same time of my opening, flag officer
Mexican, in the Niagara, and Capt. Ellison, in the
Richmond, took position as near to Fort McRae as
| the depth of water would permit but which un-
fortunately was not sufficiently deep to give full
effect to their powerful batteries. They, however
kept up spirited fire on the fort and adjacent
| batteries during the whole day. My fire was in
! cessant from the time of opening until it was too
dark to see, at the rate OF shot fol. each gun
| every fifteen or twenty minutes, the fire of the
| enemy being somewhat slower BY noon, the guns
of Fort McRae were all sileneed but one, and three
hours before sunset this fort and the adjoining bat
terry ceased fire.. directed the guns Of batteries
| Lincoln, Cameron and Totten principally on the
batteries adjacent to the navy yard, those of bat
terry Scott to Fort McRae, and the lighthouse bat
| terries and those of the fort to ALL We fednced
very perceptibly the fire of Barrancas, entirely
silenced that in the navy-yard, and in one or two
of the other batteries the efficiency of our fire, at
the close of the day not being the least impaired.
The next morning againopened about the same
honr, the navy, unfortunately, owing to o reduc.
| ton in the depth Of water, caused by change of
| wind, not being able to get SO near as yesterday,
| consequently the distance was too great to be
efeetual. Ny fire this day was less rapid, and I
think more efficient, than that of yesterday. Fort
McRae, so ettectually silenced yesterday, did not
fire again to-day. We silenced entirely one or two
| guns, and had one of ours disabled by a shot
| coming through the embrasure. ,.sl ,
About O'Clock fire was communicated to one
! or the houses in Warrington, and shortly after
| wards to the church steeple, the church and the
whole village being Immediately in the rear Of
some of the rebel batteries they apparently having
placed them purposely directly in front of the
largest and most valuable buildings. The fire
rapidly communicated to other buildings along the
street until probably two-thirds Of It was con-
| sumed and about the same time fire was discoy-
cred issuing from the back part OF the Navy Yard,
probably in Wolcott, q village to the north and
| Immediately adjoining the yard, as Warrington
| does on the west. Finally it penetrated TO the
| yard, and, as it continued to burn brightly all
night concluded that either in it or in Wolcott
| many buildings were destroyed Very heavy dam
age was also done to the buildings OF the yard by
the avalanche of shot, shell and splnters showered
| increasingly on them for two days, and being
nearly hre-prOof beng built OF Drck ana covered
with slate could not succeed in firing the 4, my
hot shot shell not having any power of igniting
| them. -
The steamer Time, which was at the wharf at
| the time, was abandoned on the first day and eX-
posed to our fire. which probably entirely disabled
| her. The fire was again continued ill dark, and
with mortars occasionally until 2 o'clock next
| morning when the combat ceased
This fort at its conclusion, though it has received
| great many, shot and SHE'LL is, in every respect
the disabling gun-carriage and the loss of
service of six men, as efficient as it was at the
commencement Of the combat, but the ends ] pro-
| posed in commencing having been attained, ex-
| cept one, which find to be mpractcabIe with my
| present means, do not deem it advisable further
to continue it, unless the enemy think it proper to
| do SO, when shall meet him with alacrity.
The attack on Billy Wilson's" " camp, the at
tempted attack on my batteries, and the insult to
our glorious flag, have been fully and fearfully
| avenged. have no means of knowing the loss of
the enemy, and have no disposition to guess at it.
| The firing his batteries was very heavy, well
| directed, and continued for two days, and could
hardly fail of having important results.
| Our loss would have been heavy but for the
foresight which, with great labor caused us to
erect elaborate means of protection, and which
| saved many lives. lost one private killed, one
sergeant, one corporal, and four men (privates)
| wounded, only one severely
&AI am, General, very respectfully, ag
| y Your obedient servant