The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-05-14

~ AOItSHouta was enabled to drop " lth IN
current out of gunshet, though the sho
p fell pretty freely about her at last! 1 thinl
= the fire from the ships must have been yer,
y destruetiVe2of life. The. last we saw of on
vessels they were standing up the river
Z Some explosions took place, which made a
feel rather uneasy, but which may hav,
been the rebel ganboats.g We could ser
. that our squadron had not destroyed all tn,
enemy's vessels at the fort, for three or fouI
of them are moving about in all directions
evidently in state of fexcitement.
l 70 Before the feet got out Of sight it was re-
I ported to me that the celebrated ram ssMan-
I assas' was coming out to attack us; and
Z sure enough, there she was, apparently
> steaming along shore, ready to pounce upon
the apparently defenceless mortar vessels.
Z Two of our steamers and some of the mortar
I vessels opened 6ge on her, but / soon dis
: covered that the Manassas. could harm no
one again, and | ordered, the vessels to save
their shot. She was beginning to emit
smoke from her ports, or holes, and was dis
t.covered to be on FIRE and sinking. Her
: pipes were all twisted and rfddfed with
shot, aad her hull was also well cut up
She had evidently been used up blythe.
squadron as they passed along I tried to
save her as curiosity, by getting hawser
around her and securing her to the bank
but just after doing so she fsintly exploded.
j Her only gun went of, and emitting flames
through her bow wport, like some huge ami
1mais she gave plunge and disappeared un-
! der the water.;e-r 81. s-- tfrt.4a ev
ail.Next came steamer on fire, which ap-
peared to be a vessel of war belonging to
the rebels; and after her two others, all
burning and floating down the stream.
Fires seemed to be raging all along up
the river and we supposed that our squad |
ron were burning and destroying the ves-
sells as they passed along. 1t appears, how |
ever, that the McRae and two river boats,
and their celebrated floating battery, I
brought down the night before, were left |
unhurt, and were still flying the Oonfeder-
ate flag. .-er- s1s3l-
The matter of the floating battery be-
comes very serious affair, as they are all
hard at work at Fort jackson mounting
heavy rifed guns upon it, which are Of no
further use to them in the fort. She mounts
sixteen guns, is almost as formidable a YES.
sci as the Merrimae, perfectly shot proof
and has four powerful engines in her.
shall at all events take such steps as will
prevent her from destroying anything, and
we may still hold her in check with the
steamers, though they are rather fragile for
such service. This Is one of the i'll eff
fects of leaving an enemy in the rear |
passed through, but that her mail resisted /
the shot. She had steam on this morning.
and was moving about quite lively. tried
to put some mortar shells through her roof, :
but without effect, as she moved off s
The forts are now cut off from all com
munication with New Orleans, as presume
Flag Officer Farragut has cut the wires.
have sent the Miami around with Gen. q
Butler to the back of Fort st. Philip to
try and throw in troops at the quarantine, /
nTe miles above the forts, and at the same t
sne, open Communication that way with
m6nffltiRBgh fh66 nffltiRBg ofiesE. and supply him with am
the mortar feet TO the back of Fort Jack '
son, to cut off the escape of the garrison by
that way and stop supplies. A -deserter, c
who can be relied on, informs us that they Z
have plenty of provisions for two months,
plenty of ammunition, and plenty of dis 81
comforts.
Our shells set the citadel on fire the first \
afternoon we opened. 1t burned fiereeIy
for seven hours but thought it a fire raft =
behind the fort, as they continually send
them on us, but without any effect But =
few casualties occurred to 1.-The vessels on
this side of the forts. The Harriet Laue :
lost but one man killed, and one, fear, 4
mortally wounded. The Winona lost three
killed and three wounded, and the Itaska, |
with fourteen shots through her, had but i
few men hurt. These forts can held out =
for sometime, and / would suggest that the :
Monitor aud Mystic, if they can be spared, b
be sent here without moments delay to
settle the question.
The mortar feet have been very much h
exposed and under heavy fire fer six days,
during which time they kept the shells go
ing without intermission. One of them
the Maria J. Carlton, was sunk by a shot 2
passing through her magazine and then 8
through her bottom. The fotilla lost but
oue man killed and six wounded. The bear
ing of the officers anu men was worthy of O.
the highest praise. They never once tagged
during period of six days; never had an
accident to one of the vessels by firing, and,
when shell and shot were flying thick =
above them, showed not the least desire to Z
have the vessels moved to place of safety.
The incidents of the bembardment will be =
mentioned in my detailed report. l merely :
write this hurried letter 20 apprise the de-
1artment of the state of affairs, and shall send
t off at ono via Hasana. The sight of this q
attack was awtullv grand. The river was al
it up with RATS filled with pneknots, and ut
he ships seemed to be fighting literally
lmidst flames and smoke. Where we were :,
he fire of the enemy was high aud COM Y
= L -Aiu-ftH Lha5Rsles -Eco
IS well as We did, though amid such ter r
,ific FIRE. It was gratifying to see that not L
! ship wayered, bnt stood steady upon her O
course, and am in hopes, and see no st
reason to doubt it, that they now have pos n r.
session of New Orleans s
E1a am, with great respect, - :
Your obedient servant, c L.z .
DAVID D. PORTER, +
ha - Commanding Flotilla- 81
To Hon. Gideon Wells, Secretary of the b
Nagg: