Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1862-09-26

1 "%~~"~%
The Gamer Ocean Qoeen, from New
Orleans Sept 10th and Pensacola Sept. -.
arrived At this port At m early hoos this
morning. The steamers Honduras and
Mary H. Bowman we're at Ponsacola, and
the bark Quincy, bound vest, wassignallod
of Sonbrero Light
There Is nothing now from PensacoIa.--
: The health OF our troops there remain
good. vsst - -.s...
NATcHEz BoMBARDED ASD rAKRN.
The Delta Of September 9th, gives full
particulars oftwo battles BY the iron.clad
gunboat Essex, the destruction of Bayou
Sara aud the bombafdment and capture of
the city Of Ealchcz. st...
"The United States ironclad steamer Es-
sex, Commodore w. D. Porter, arrived
from up the river yesterday. We have
some very important and interesting news
by this arrival, comprising some Of the acts
and doings Of this monster iron-ship with
iron hearts.
"About week (more OF less) ago, as the
Essex was cruising along in the river, the
lookout reported the rebel gunboat wm. II.
Webb in sight. Chase was given imme-
dately, and she was pursued past the guns
at Vicksburg. The Essex then started
down the river, and on reaching Natchez
sent q boats crew ashore forice.e The boat,
on nearing the shore, was fred into by the
rebels and several Of the crow wounded
For this act Of teme'ity the whole shooting
force of the Essex was brought TO bear upon
The il-fated city for about two hours and
hall, when deputation was sent down with
a proposition to surrender the city and hoist
the Stars and Stripes. Commodore Por-
ter then ordered the firing to cease, and
proceeded down the river until of Bayou
Sara, where he came TO step long enough
TO burn that ili-fated abode Of rebels
There were but two houses left standing
-one beloniug to gentleman who is said
to be friendly TO the Union cause, and the
other the property of lady. We did not
learn what insult was the immediate cause
of this visitation of vengeance.
"On Sunday, as the Essex was coming
down the river, a rebel battery of thirty-four
guns, opposite Port Hudson, opened upon
her, and fierce battle, at not more than
eighty feet distance, began, which lasted
an hour. By the end Of that time the bat
terry was silenced and the steamer passed
on down.
"The rebel battery was mounted with
guns of very heavy calibre; but that cir
cumstanco only sufficed to prove the re-
markable powers ofresistance of the Essex.
Her iron side were struck 10 multitude of
places with 10-inch and other sized balls,
the result in all cases being the samoa
slight indentation into the side of the steam
er, and then the balls breaking into thou
sand fragments and falling barmlessly into
the water. The Essex commenced with
the upper gun, and silenced them all, one
after the other. She is truly formidable
craft, and comes fully up to the most san
guine expectations of her designer and
builder, who, our readers will recollect is
Commodore Porter himself Certainly
nothing the people Of New Orleans have
ever seen in the shape of an iron-elad' can
compare with the Essex.
"In the contest with the battery at Port
Hudson, the smoke pipes and the ventila-
tor were perforated in numerous places, and
present something the appearance of being
rust eaten.
at was impossible to ascertain what the
loss Of the rebels was, as those engaged Oh
the Essex were too well protected by iron
armor to permit their seeing ashore but
as the action was at very close quarters,
the loss on shore must have been very
heavy. There was no casualty on the
steamer.
"The names Of Porter and Essex have
already passed into history in former gen
GRAFTON, and the exploits of the gallant old
frigate in the waters of the Pacific have been
the animated theme of discourse around
millions of American hearth-siones. This
generation can now, too, boast of Porter,
the son of the gallant sailor who shed SO
much lustre upon the United States Navy;
and the Essex, too, craft of his own in
vention, named after the famous cruiser,
and like her distinguished for being al
most without rival in her line of ser
vice."