Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1862-05-13

dangerously near one or two OF the advanced
vessels of the feet, cables were slipped and
there was IL season OF general excitement. Not
knowing the character Of the blazing pile, and
surp0sng that 1t might contain torTedOes or
other Internal contrlyances, Capt. Smith, OF the
Mississippi, put some rlhed shot in it. a stray
ball unfortunately struck the gunboat Katahdin,
carrying away her cutwaier But as the dam
age was no worse the incident was looked upon
as commonplace.
Mindful OF the mornings experience with the
rait, Capt. Porter ordered all the boats belong.
ing to the mortar hotilla to be fitted with crap.
nsl ropes, Ere buckets and axes, in preparation
tor another, should the enemy send one down.
In the evening about sunset the boats were re-
viewed. They pulled by the Harriet Lane in
snge line, each officer IN charge being ques
EOned as he passed Commodore Porter as fol-
lows al Fire buckets2 axes? rope resp0n-
,ve AYE, aye, Sir, and the Commodore dl
rected, :" Pull Jround the Mississippi, and re-
turn to your vessels. - The Mississippi being
quarter OF mile ahead, the men gave way stur-
Oily IN order to beat the rival boats There
were not less than $50 boats under review, many
OF them ten-0ared, and the whole scene remind
ed me more OF grand regatta than Of anything
else
An hour after the review, the men had an op-
portonity to test in practical manner Their
means for destroying firc-raits, and they proved
70 be an admirable success. A turgld column
Of black smoke, arising from resinous wood, was
seen approaching as from the vicinity OF the
forts Signal lights were made, the varied col
oi- # which produced a beautiful effect upon
the foliage OF the river bank and rendering the
darkness iuteuser by contrast when they disap.
peared instantly "a hundred boats shot out
toward the raft, which now vas blazing iercely
and casting a wlde zone OF hight upon the water
Two or three OF the gunboats then 90! under
weigh and steamed boldly toward the unknown
thing Of terror one OF them. the Nesthad,
Capt Renshaw calamity opens her steam valves,
and dashes iuriJusly upon it, making the sparks
fly and tlmbcrs crash with the force Of ber blow
Then a stream OF water from her hose PLAYS up
on the blazing mass. Now the small boats ay
alongside, coming up helter-skeijer, and actively
employing their men. We see everything dis.
tmctly IN the broad giare-mcn, oars. bohs.
buckets and ropes. The scene looks phantom
| like, supernatural, intensely interesting, ex-
/ tremey setting, .nextricably confused But
/ hualy the object is uobly accomplished The
ralt, yet hercey burning, ls taken out Of range
/ OF the anchored vessels and towed ashore whore
lj Is slowly consumed As the boats return
/ they are cheered bv the fleet, and the scene
changes to one Of darkness and repose, broken
occasionally by the gruil bail OF a seaman when
a boat, sent on business from one vessel to an
other, passes through the fleet We have u
contempt for tre-ratts They have proved, ike
many other things, 10 be weak inventions of
the enemy
he engagement was opened by Fora Jack
son few minutes before . 0 clock and the
I gunboat Owasce, which had gone length or
TWO ahead Of the mortar vessels, was the first
70 reply. Presently the bomb fouLa com
meneed throwing Its shells, somewhat slowly at
frs, but with Increasing rapdty as the sailors
became accustomed to their work until bomb
WAS sent from each vessel, on an average once
IN five minutes. Before the fight began was
lucky enough 10 obtain q place in the iOretop Of
the irlgate Mississippi, where the entire field OF
strife could be taken in at glance. From this
point zlw the effect of the firing. There were
- shots fired from the forts during the first
hour and a-hai, the larger number OF which
came from Fort jackson Most OF them passed
over the masts Of the schooners on the lett,
dropping in range of those on the other shore
bur from so to POO yards short. After while,
however, the Ie.els got the range OF these six
vessels accurately, aud the balls Tell about them
especially from Fort Phillip, terribly thick and
last. In rcturn, the bombs were directed splr.
itcdly upon the Tort, and with such effect that
he enemy slackcned bis fire. Ii is wonderful
that our vessels were not smashed To pieces. =
Solid shot struck the water close beside them
/ wctting che men with the spray, or lodging m
the soft mud OF therver nank directly between
the schooncrs, threw thick column Of earth
. hiqh up above their masJs These vessels all
belonged to the Second Division Of the doulh
b (lIeut Commanding Queens).
But am getting IN advance of my story, aud
must return 10 my main-top Tor description Of
7 the scene, as itappeared from that point, That
. it was intensely giand and animated, nobody
will question. The Hartford, Pensacola, Rich.
5 moud, Brooklyn and Mississippi had come up
= close 10 the rear line OF mortar vessels, just
. without the range Of the enemy's guns, and
r were steaming only enough to keep their rea
= tive positions against the force OF the current
o A dozen smaller steam vessels dotted the smootl
e surface of the river, like the chessmen upon
board when the game is nearly finished, 0
these gunboats the Ovssco, hennebec, Wissa
n hicon, Cayugs and Sei0ta, were at the head o
}. our lines, belchlug out shell upon the enem'
\ from their ll-nch pivot guns with furious n
e pidity, and with them the sloop of.war lroquois
+ Capt. DeCemp, whose gallantry is eyerywher
d admitted. The hoqaois seemed to be "a spsea
r target for the eneuy and shells plowed up d
d water sl around her, bus she escaped with onl
e two Of the crew slightly wounded.
n Over che woods, beyond The forts, we CO
Il count seven or eight moving columns Of smoke
% which Indicate that the rebel steamers are pass
" ing about, probably plotting some misohe
h against us. Soon one, and then another en-
N afterwards a third appear in view, steering To
ward the forts Before reaching them, how
'd ever, the steamers dash TO cover again, and "
1t see that three huge burning RATS have been Sc
lie adriil. The swift current sweeps them toward