Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1862-02-20

10 close quarters. He believed that the
gunboats would stand it quite as long as
the earthworks. His intention was to keep
slow steam, take deliberate aim, to fire
slow, and to keep cool! He told his men
that one shot deliberately aimed was more
effectual than two badly aimed. He did
not want them 10 waste ammunition, but
TO drop every shot where ii would tell; for
by firing slow they would not heat the
guns, and by keeping cool they would have
perfect confidence till the rebel flag should
give place to the Stars and Stripes. HI
told them that he intended to take the
fort or go the bottoml
The gunboats were as follows:
Cincinnati. alag sblp,) Capt. R. N
Stembel, Is guns.
St. Louis, Lieut.. Leonard Paulding, 13
guns.
Carondelet, Commander Henry Walker,
Is. guns.
Conestoga, Lieut.. Phelps, Z guns.
Lexington, Lieut.. J. W. Short, Z guns.
Taylor, Lieut.. w. Gwin, 7 guns.
The Cincinnati st. Louis and Caronde-
let are new boats, iron plated at the bows
with two and one half inch plates, as also
are the sides aft beyond the wheel houses,
and upon the decks with lalfinch boiler
plates. The Essex was an old ferry boat,
transformed. The boilers were much ex-
posed, but protected by oak stanchions.
A few days since, in company with other
gentlemen of the. pen, made visit to the
Essex, and casually remarked 10 Captain
Porter that his boilers were exposed to any
shot which might come in that the ports;
He admitted it, and wished that he had
iron plating within to protect them. The
Lexington Conestoga and Taylor are side
wheel steamers-river boats formerly, but
altered for service as fast sailing gunboats.
They are iron plated.
Commodore Foot arranged the fleet in
two divisions, the four strongest boats in
front, and the other three in the rear. As
soon as the four were sufficiently advanced,
the three were 10 take position at the head
of ,he1sland, and, by elevating their guns
throw shells into the eDcampment, over
the boats in advance.
All the boats got under way as soon as
the signal was made. They steamed up
the shallow clannel-not shallow but deep
enough to float frigate-and reached tho
head of the island soon after twelve. They
came into their several posilions-the flag
ship being about half length ahead. At
I2 "a the Cincinnati opened with an eigh-
ty pound shell which steamed over the wa
ter, dropped square into the fort, and pro-
duced great commotion among the reb-
els. The shot had hardly escaped from
the muzzle before the three other boats,
each sent their compliments-each shell
reaching the fort or the encampment.
The Cincinnati then gave another, aud
the others followed their commodore's ex-
ample. The rebels were ready. They
had expected it, and their guns were shot
ted, the lanyards fixed, the men in their
places, and they replied, gun for gun.
The boats kept steadily on, slowly, but
constantly in motion, and the firing was
kept up deliberately and with regularity.
There was no excitement, no indiscriminate
banging away at random, but time was
taken for the smoke to clear away 10 OBJ
tain accurate aim. The shots, some Of
them went beyond the fort in the camp,
and smashed the barracks about making
kindlng wood of the log huts and sending
terror and dismay TO the soldiers. At the
fourth round they become completely be-
reft OF their senses, left their dinner still
cooking in their camp kettles, their blank
els, guns, swords, Arkansas tooth picks,
home made cleavers, old fiints, fowling
peices, rifles, love letters-everything, and
took to their heels in the utermost cons.
formation; an improvement on the exam.
pie set them by their illustrious predeces-
sors, the South Carolinians at Port Royal
The artilerists III the fort however still
stuck to their guns and fired with great
cooIlness and accuracy of aim. They evi
IDENTITY had practiced on ranges all the wa,
down 10 the Island, and many Of thei
shots struck the boats. They lost the us'
of their rihed "a pounder-it bursted oil
the fourth fire.
Still onward moves the boats-straigh
on their bows putting out immense vol
umes of white smoke and sending thei
missiles into the fort. Soon one of The
rebel guns was dismantled, and then th'
fire from the fort perceptibly slackened. A
shot from one of their guns struck the Els
sex Just above ono of the ports in a plac'
where there was no iron plate--the only
vulnerable place at the bow of the boat
passed through the outside as if it was bu
paper; also passed through the oak stan
chions around the boilers and through th'
standard boiler. Instantly the boat wa'
filed with hot steam.
| The pilot and his assistant, probaly dit
not draw second breath. They mus
have been Immediately suffocated. ON
of them was found with his hand upoi
the wheel, the other holding the cort
which rings the engineers bell. Three o
the men were scalded to death. The. boa
was completely disabled and floated down
with the current till taken in shore BY
tug.
The rebels took new heart, they sprane
to their guns, and for few minutes oia'
zad awav with desperate energy, evidently