Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-06-19


was losing his temper, aud he ordered the
retreat to be checked and the action to
b"gin, The Cairo opened the martial en-
taiument on our side by sending shell
at he Little Rebel, and placing il within
a lew feet OF her huh. This was followed
by the other National vessels. and answer
ed by the enemy, and great ryar and
huge smoke went up from the river like
lifting fog from the sea.
INCREASE OF THE STRIFE.
At this time the two fleets were about
three quarters OF mile apart, but We're
gradually decreasing the distance. The
firing on both sides was rapid and inces-
SAINT. All our vessels were engaged, and
so were those of the enemy. Our boats
generally fired their bow or stern guns,
but during the action the Cairo, Louisville
and St. Louis fired brOadsdes two or three
times. The rebel boats had fewer guns
than we, ranging generally from three to
eight or ten, but outnumbered us by three,
and this odds gave them hope.
After fighting for fifteen minutes, the
distance between the contestants could
not have been more than half mile, and
still the battle ragged fercely in full view
of the crowd on the Memphis levee, who
must have been intensely excited over the
scenes on the river.
The air was blue with smoke, and thro'
the dense clouds the flashes of the guns
were visible like the lightning through the
mist of the descending storm. The shells
were bursting every second in the atmos-
phere and amid the walls Of the devoted
city.
Nearly all of the hostile shots fell in
side of the works; and not one of our
boats was struck, certainly not injured
while the National vessels often hit the
Rebel craft, from whose sides the splntcrs
were seen to fly ever and anon, causing
now and then the protracted silence of q
believing gun.
PARTICIPATION OF THE RAMS.
The engagement had continued abou
half an hour when two of our rams, the
Monarch and Queen of the West, which
had been lying on the Arkansas shore il
rear of our line of battle, steamed out to
ward the scene of action. AS soon as the
enemy saw them, he began to retire from
the contest, breaking his line of battle a
once, but still firing his guns as we ad
vanced. The Queen of the West started
directly for the Beauregard, and the gur
boat fred at but missed her. A SECOND
shot struck the ram, but did her no injury
and she still steamed swiftly and steadily
toward her adversary. Just as she was
within ten feet of the Beauregard, the lat
ter swung round and the ram missed hel
prey. In no manner discouraged, how
ever, the Queen ran toward the Genera
: Price, which fired several shots but did ne
damage, and thrust her iron prov into the
wheel house, knocking it to pieces, anc
causing her to leak so badly that she wa
run to the Arkansas shore to prevent he
sinking, and she now lies there, only pre-
vented from sinking completely down b.
the shallowness of the water.
The Beauregard, as soon as this occur
red, determined to revenge the Price, an
; sped toward her, while the ram, in fu
motion, was dashing toward her foe. The
; bore down upon each other bravely, bu
the skilful pilot of the enemy contrive
= to evade the shock of the Unionist an
,, struck her aft so heavily that the ram wa
/ disabled, and began leaking. The Nor
= arch, seeing the condition of affairs, cam
, CALAMITY up and steamed toward th
r Beauregard, resolved that she should nc
r long enjoy her triumph. The Beaure
gard fired four times at the ram, an
, struck her bulwarks once, the ball glar
cling barmlesSly, She could not avoid tn
; unerring aim Of the Monarch, whic
crashed through her bow with the force c
an avalanche, and caused her to fill in
few minutes, and go down as far as he
cabin-the shallowness of the river at tn;
point preventing her loss, and the whit
. flag she had run up from further damag
from the fotilla.
The fotilla continued to fire at the Ell
envy, but were careful TO withhold the
fire whenever our rams and the host
> gun boats were, as they often were,
y close proximity.
:, The Monarch now turned her attentic
Z to her disabled consort, the Queen of Il
West, and towed her ashore, placing h
in a position of security and out of Il
l. reach of danger.
PROGRESS OF THE ENGAGEMANT.
d Benton, Louisville, and the other thru
r National gun boats increased their fir
j. striking the enemy frequently at vario'
% points, and leaving no doubt as to its iss'
+ of the combat. The flagship now obtai
ed excellent range of the General Love
ID and Capt w. L. Phelps himself direct'
II 50-pound rifed Parrot at the Gener
,e Lowell, striking the vessel aft above h
!. water line, and tearing great hole
| hor tbrouoh wb;ch the wafer rushed Ill