Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-07-30
The Merrimac Of the West.

kansas in fighting and eluding Farragut's
feet, were quite as wonderful as any ma
val event Of the war. On ourfrst page
we give the earliest reports of the en-
gagement. ~Subjoined are later details.
Correspondence of the CINCINNATI Gazette.
NATIONAL FLoTILLA, ABOVE VIcKsBURG,
TUESDAY, (93 A. NJ July Is.
Much to the surprise of the entire TO
tilla lying above Vicksburg, the rebel
ram and gunboat Arkansas made her ap-
pearance n III midst at seven o'clock
this morning.
As | pen these words, the echoes of her
guns still linger in the valleys surround
ing Vicksburg, and the shrieks of the
scalded and dying still rend the air.
Since my last writing, a reconnaissance
by the am Queen of the West and the
gunboat Tyler was decided upon, and at
five o'clock this morning the two vessels
started for h Yazoo river, followed by
the Carondolet, with which it was intend
ed to blockade the mouth, while the two
former proceeded as far up as the rebel
blockade. At six o'clock heavy firing
was heard up the Yazoo, and in half an
hour afterward the Queen of the West
and the Tyler, followed by the Carondolet,
badly crippled, reappeared around the
bend above our fiotilLl, holly pursued by
THE TERRIBLE
The greatest CONSERVATION enSued.-
The decks of our vessels were cleared for
action. but the prestige of success already
rested with the rebel monster. and,
"StorIned at with shot and shell,
Boldly she rode and WE'LL
until within a few hundred yards of the
uppermOst vessels of the f~iotilla.
EXPLOSION OF THE RAM LANCASTER.
The ram Lancaster. Captain Rely of
Pittsburg, commanding. Immediately
weighed anchor. and prepared to butt her
formidable foe, but Il Shot from one of her
seige guns passed through her. exploding
her steampipe, and scalding almost every
one on board, except Il few deck hands
and negroes on the prov of the Inflated
vessel. 1t is utterly impossible for me in
this exciting hour, to even attempt to pro-
cure a full list Of the killed and wounded,
because there are no means of getting
aboard the vessel at present.
n ARKANSAS RUNS THROUGH II UNION
FLoTILLA.
The bravery and daring of the Arkan-
sas, excited the surprise, and, l was about
TO say, the admiration of every one She
Rugged the Louisiana shore where our
transports lay, and as she passed each of
our vessels-fifteen in number-she deliV-
cred her fire coolly and deliberately, and
kept straight down the river toward Vicks-
burg. She also fired into our transports,
A,,E tL1 uwou-. LII -o-1Hol0, 81 1900
ed injury. This Merrimac of the Western
waters, seemed unscathed by the shower
of shot and shell poured upon her invul-
nerable sides, and with the same defiant
air which characterized her coming, she
ran the gauntlet of Farragut's and Davis
combined fleets, and disappeared around
the bend below, which obscured her from
our sight.
EXTERIOR OF THE ARKANSAS.
The Arkansas is smaller than any Of our
gunboats, and sits lower in the water.
She seems the same length and breadth,
but is longitudinal, and with 4 solid iron
ram at her prov. She tapers up fore
and aft, and starboard and larboard, affor-
ding but little chance of of injury from an
enemy's shot.
Her sides are clad with double rows of
7 raiload iron, and she mounts twelve
heavy guns-two fore and aft, and four
on each side.
1t was evident that the rebels had not
taken time to paint their vessel, upon the
strength more than the appearance of
which they relied. She had u dusty iron
rust appearance, such as railroad iron
which has been used presents, and carried
no flag.
PREPARATIONS TO FOLLOW THE ARKANSAS.
The Benton and Cincinnati got up steam
as speedily as possible, and followed the
Arkansas almost under the rebel batteries,
a round shot which is said to have struck
the Benton, and passing into her wound
ed two men. The boats returned, how
ever, as they found hat the Arkansas
had already reached the lower batteries
under which she anchored.
The best information confirms a report
that she was injured in the stern, which
it appears, is her most vulnerable part,
and that she was being pumped out at
noon.
DESTRUCTION OF 4 MORTAR SCHOONER.
As soon as the Arkansas made her ap-
pearance opposite Vicksburg, where she
was doubtless expected, the mortar schoon-
er Sidney C. Jones, belonging to Porter's
feet, was singled out for destruction; but
as preparations were made to blow her up
as she had gotten aground in two feet Of
water, the rebels failed to obtain the sat
isfaction of destroying her.
Her guns, two ~32-pounders, and her
mortar, had been spiked, and a train laid
te her magazine; and just as the Arkan-
rounded to under the rebel batteries,
and opened her ports, the schooner burst
into a thousand fragments with a terrific
explosion, and in a brief space burned to
the waters edge. No casualties occurred.
CASUALTIES, REAL n REPORTED.
AsI close this hurried report of the
mornings proceedings, all the vessels in
the fleet are preparing to follow the Ar
but when they will move down |
an unable to say; possibly, not before she
comes up stream as Unexpectedly as she
down.
Casualties, as reported, are the death
of Engineer Goble of the Tyler, and the
wounding of her pilot, John Sc
bastian, and ten or twelve others. Some
say that only six men were scaldcd on the
Lancaster, three of whom are dead; while
report twenty scalded and drowned:
l saw askif containing eight or ten men
disappear beneath the murky waves of
the Mississippi, but one escaping. The
was small and leaky, and it is proba-
BILE that, what between the agitation of
the river and her overload, she swamped
and went down, carrying her occupants
who were scalded with her.
D~USGASSoS. (
Martin Van Buren, Dead. !