Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1862-04-10
The Storm and Gun-spiking

war, and was accomplished mia tempast
and darkness BY band of resolute Feder-
al soldiers and sailors. The storm and the
exploit of the night of April lst are thus
wildly described by the reporter of the
Chicago Tribune:
The night was stormy. During the day
the wind had blown strongly from the
South, with occasional gusts. Heavy
clouds, bank upon bank, piled in the most
fantastic shapes upon the distant horizon,
gradually as night approached, drifled to-
ward the zenith in dark, Threatening tufts
and whirles. The barometer fell rapidly.
Everything indicated, even to the most
inexperienced weather prophet, the advent
of a terrible storm. During the evening
the wind freshened, accompanied by fire.
quent spatters of rain, which drove against
the hurrican deck like sudden shower of
shot. The river ripples were augmented
into the turbulent waves, whose white caps
CLEANED like phosphorescent spatklcs in
the gathering darkness. At midnight the
storm burst upon us with fearful fnry.
The rain came down, not in drops, but in
sheets accompanied by the most terrific
thunder and lightning | haze ever wit
messed. The Cimmerian darkness of the
night rendered it all the more appalling
The gale developed at midnight into a
raging tornado tearing madly through the
woods. swapping off branches like pipe
stems and hurting them in every direction.
The Swallow and Pike laying near the
point, lost their chimneys and other head
gear, and several other transports had
their tunnels and escapes carried away.
About one o'clock. signal whistles of dis
tress sounded through the storm, twice or
thrice repeated. The Swallow had part
ed her lines and was fast drifting out into
the stream. Every moment was growing
more precarious, when fortunately, after
drifting about quarter of mile, she
struck against the Cincinnati and was
made fast till morning. The storm last
ed about four hours, raging with terrible
vehemencc, and tossing the steamers about
on the mad waves like cookie shells. Luck
lily the Swallow was the only one blown
from her moorngs.
1t was during the hight of this storm
that Col. Roberts performed his daring
commission. Yesterday morning, the Flag
Officer, Captain Phelps, Col. Buford, Sec
retary Scott aud other officers held a con-
ference upon the flag ships, at which it was
decided to make night reconnaissance of
the upper battery, the details of which
were left TO Col. Beaufort. He selected
Col. Roberts and forty picked men of his
regiment to be the chosen few. Each
gunboat furnished yawl, named by six
Of their hardest seamen. At two o'clock
in the very :hickest of the storm, the little
party embarked. The Flag Officer and
his subordinates with Col. Buford, stood
upou the deck of-tbe Benton, giving the
final orders. The yawls set out upon their
perlous journey, and they retired anxious
ly waiting the result.
Gel. Roberts had previously made sever
al close reconnaissance at night by pulling
through the-underbrush, and had well as
certained the locality of the battery.
The boats were named of follows:
ST. Louis cutter, J V. johnson, COM
mander.
Cincinnati cutter, John Pierce, COM
mander.
Benton cutter, Geo. P. Lord, comman-
der.
Mound City cutter, -ScovilI, COM
mander
Pittsburg cutter, commander.
Each of the cutters carried coxswain
and were named by ten men. The boats
were all in charge of first master Johnston
of the ST., Louis, The soldiers were pick
ed men of company a, each man armed
with five shooter Colts rifle.
The following were the plans laid out:
The boats were to approach the battery liz
line, pulling slowly till at the point of the
bar, after which, when 500 yards of, the
St. Loois, Benton and Pittsburg shold run
abreast, the Cincinnati and Mound City
in the rear as reserves, and this plan was
carried out to the very letter.
With muffied oars under. cover OF the
friendly darkness, the boats advanced eau
tiously along the edge of the bank. Ow-
ing to the furious violence of the storm
and the darkness, they passed the bend un-
perceived, until they were within few |
rods of the battery. For one instant a
binding flash of lightning glared across
the water revealing TO the rebel sentinels
dark objects approaching them. The next
instant the impeDetrable darkness closed
in. The sentinels fred wildly three or
four times, the shots passing over the boats
without doing any damage, and then in
continently fled to their tents. which was
pitched upon high hill seme distance
from the battery, evidently impressed with
the alarming idea that the whole Lincoln
fleet was upon them, in the face. Our boats
made no reply. Not word was spoken.
In two or three minutes they touched the
slope of the earthworks. The boys sprang
over the parapet, siedges and files were
busy and few vigorous strokes told the
tale. In less than three minutes time all
the guns IN the battery a0ere spiked scom-
pletely and thoroughly. They were six
in number, all Of large calibre-two sixty
fours, three eighties, and one of them
splendid nine-inch pivot gun with cushion
lock, which received the personal attention
Of Col. Roberts brawny arm. 1t was I'M
doubteply the Lady Davis. In an incon-
,eivable short time. the boats were ON their
way back, plowiug path through the
surging waves at the imminent risk of
as the current was washing