Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1862-05-14

bic task is before US; that desperate men
fighting for the last stake, are our opponents.
But of cur ultimate success everybody is con-
fdent. Preparations for the encounter have
been made on q scale commensurate with the
magnitude of the undertaking, and our men,
profoundly inbaed with the righteousness of
their cause, are alled with zeal and enthus-
iasm.
The Fighting Force.
Our lighting fUrce consists Of six sloops of
war, sixteen gunboats, and twenty one NOR,
tar vessels. There are also few ships, barks,
and schoopeTs, containing ordnance, ceals,
and other stores. lowering in the rear of our
| feet This squadron is now at anchor about
/ three miles from Forts jackson and ST. Philip,
/ in readiness for the attack. The advance to
/ this point has been by easy stages. This was
| q necessity, because where concerted action
| is required of any large force, there are al,
ways matters of detail to be arranged and
| let's and hindranees to be overcome, which
/ human foresight is powerless to anticipate,
| but which must receive attention as they de-
/ velop themselves during the successive stages
| Of preparation.
Preliminary Incidents
| There have been many incidents connect
/ ed with our movements. Every day our gun
/ boats have had skirmishes with the forts and
| the armed steamers Of the enemy. In these
/ encounters no injuries have resulted to US,
/ but our metal had several times carried des
! tructiGn with il, at least our lookouts have so
reported. We certainly know whenever the
/ rebel vessels have attempted to make re-
| conneissance, they invariably have been driv.
| en- back without accomplishing their purpose
| A day or two since was present at one of
! these engagements.
! EreitiHg En-, ageHleats ,cHI Tie F1rts.
! Capt Porter, commanding the mortar TO-
| tilla. being desirous of ascertaining the range
! CT the mortars before stationing his vessels
| for the bombardment, brought up the schoon.
( crs Arletta, Capt. Thomas Smith: John Grif-
| fth, Capt. Henry Brown, and Orvetta, Capt
| Francis Blanchard, anchoring about q miles
| from the forts. avaiIed myself Of an oppor-
/ tunity TO witness the test from the gunboat
! 0waseo. which had followed the schooners up
/ the river. Although our vessels took their
| position about mid day, in plain sight Of the
rebel forts, neither side opened fire until FIVE
| o'clock in the afternoon. This delay, then
mprehensible, has since been explained
10 me by the fact that boat from the English
war vessel Barracuda, had gone to the forts
with dispatches 10 the British consul, and
] hostlities could not be commenced without
eudangering the lives of those who had been
sent on the mission. As soon as she return
ed firing began, the first bomb having been
thrown from the Arletta. Fort jackson re.
piled with rife shot, and for half an hour and
more the affair was exciting. The fire of the
rebels was directly in the line of the mortar
vessels but of the thirty shots none fell near.
er than fifty yards of the schooners. | oh
served the effect Of our shells upon the fort.
The gunncrs, after the first two explosions,
retired from their barbete guns, and after
wards only used them IN the casemates. Capt.
Porter expressed himself satisfied with the
result Of the practice, and at nighiflll the
schooners retired a shore distance. tuking a
position under the guns of the large vessels
which were stationed in line 10 clos. tie west
bank of the river. .iast out Of range, and con
cealeI from the forts - fuiiaws: The Onp
da. Richmond Mississippi. Iaruna. Iroquois.
IIaltf I'd and Pensacola The little piece Of
practice had been watched from these vessels
with great interest.
.H1slng or, Batteries.
The mortar schoeners at best af1rd small
mark for them to fire at, but the chances of
striking them are still further decreased by the
screen Of woods which hides the hulls com.
p!etelY from the forts. Still further to con.
been dressed with evergreens. All Yesterday
afternoon, the sailors were busy in the tan
gled Ghapparal cutting the branches and
limbs of the trees for this purpose. 1t was
great fun for the tars, who felt no fear, in the
glow of their excitement, at disturbing the
rattlesnakes and alligators which infest the
morass.
Three of the mortar schooners are station
ed at the east bank of the river in position
where they can best operate upon Fort St.
Philip. These have been disguised different
ly. A covering of foliage would only render
them the more conspicuous as targets. But
Yankee ingenuity has been compelled to rem
der their assistance. The hulls of these yes.
sells are covered with shaggy wall of aqua
tic growth, and are thus made to assimilate
in color to the vegetation of the marsh.
Il Fire Raft Destroyed
An hour after the review, the men had an
opportunity to test, IN a practical manner,
their means for destroying FIRE RATS, and
they prove to be an admirable success. A
turgid column of black smoke, arising from
resinons wood, was seen approaching us from
the vicinity of the forts. Signal lights were
made, the varied colors of which produced
beautiful effect upon the foliage of the river
bank, and rendering the darkness intense7 bv
contrast when they disappeared instantly a
hundred boats shot out toward the raft, which
now was blazing fercely and casting wide
zone of light upon the water. Two or three
Of the gunboats then got under weigh and
steamed boldly toward the the unknown thing
of terror One of them, the WestfeId, Cap
tain Renshaw, calamity opens hersteam valves,
and dashes furiously upon it, making the
sparks 1y and timbers crash with the force of
err nf r.
hose plays upon the blazing mass. Now the
small boats lay alongside, coming up heller.
skelter, and actively employing their men,
We see every thing distinctly in the broad
glare-men, oars, boats, buckets, and ropes.
The scene looks phantom like, supernatural
intensely interesting, extremely exciting, in,
axtricahlr confused. But finally the object ia