The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-08-15
The Recent Encounter with the Rebel
Ram, Arkansas.

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Arkansas, we learn that Commodores Far.
ragut and Davis were to assist Col. ElIet
when he attacked the Arkansas with his
ram, Queen Of the West, but they failed,
and the report goes on to say:
A man can die but once, and never better
than in his country's cause, thought Colonel
Ellet; and he determined, come what might
to strike the Arkansas, willing, if he could
but sink her, to lose bis existence.
The gunboat's position was unfavorable.
he would have to take a roundabout course
before he could reach her, and strike her
gong against the current, thus decreasing
the rate OF his speed, and diminishing the
accuracy OF his aim. But even these adj
verse circumstances did not deter him. nor
the TACT that heavy shot were every moment
piercing the vessel, going through and
through her, as if she were made of paper.
As is we'll known, be struck the Arkau.
sas, but failed to break her, and then be
started to run the gauntlet again up the
river.
POWERFUL REBEL SHOT.
The ram moved up the river, and the
rebel batteries increased their fire. Heavy
shot and shell fell before, behind, and
around her, and every few seconds one
would 60 tearing through the deck or
cabin. AS she passed one of the upper bat.
teries, "a pound ball struck her in the
rear, went through every one of her lar.
board staterooms, in which no person hapo
pened to be at the time, into the Captains
office, penetrating the iron safe, and passing
out, shattered the wooden carriage of one
OF the mounted brass pieces on the boiler
deck, dlsmounting the gun, and, hitting it,
lett deep indentation in the metal.
This shot, which was afterwards picked
up, was peculiar one. 1t was composed
OF pewter mostly, with an admixture of
lead and zinc, and weighs, probably, as
much as fifty pounds. 1t is, probably,
moulded out of the heterogeneous materials
which the cltlzens--the wives, mothers and
daughters ofthe "Confederacy"-have from
time to time been urged by the rebel lead.
ers to contribute to the glorious cause.
EXTRAORDINARY ESCAPES OF TIE RAM he.
ROES.
A 32-pound shot, after passing through
the heavy timber bulwarks of the ram. and
becoming nearly spent, grazed the hin OF
Lieut.. James M. Hunter, causing q severe
confusion and swelling that have disabled
him for the present, and may prevent his
walking for some time. Half an inch near.
er would have killed the Lieutenant. who is
o brave and an energetic officer, whose
death would have been a loss to the service
to which he is so deeply attached.
Several huge round shot passed immedi-
ately over the heads of Colonel Ellet and
bis son while in their recumbent position.
Had they been standing, they would have
become headless, and perhaps truukess, he.
rOeS.
A Gtty pound rife shot passed through
the pilot-houSe, within few inches of the
legs OF Alexander Ford, who was then at
the wheel, and narrowly escaped the breast
OF his associate, Roley 5. Mickey, standing
at his side, and passing the word from the
commander Of the ram.
Jacob LAUDER and John McCulIoch. en-
gineers, were thrown down once or twice
from the wind OF flying shot, and their as
sistant John K. Shelton, was struck with q
small fragment of a shell on the left hand
the most serious wound received by any one
On the Queen ofthe West.
The Queen ran by the hostile batteries,
through terrible fire and made her appear.
ance above the bend, riddled with shot, but
not man on board seriously injured. She
was received with acclamations by the crews
of the fleet, who had as little hope of seeing
her return, as Colonel Ellet himself had of
returning. His escape was what the Ortho.
dox call miraculous and the philosophic un.
fortunate. The same experiment could not
be tried with the same result once in ten
thousand times; though her almost entire
freedom from casualty is partially due to the
precautions of Colonel Ellet 10 taking as
few persons as possible, knowing that the
probability OF injury would be proportion
ate to the number OF his crew.
DIsMANTLED APPEARANCE OF THE RAM.
The Queen presents most dismantled
and fororn appearance, and is nearly shot
to pieces, for any vessel that will float, as
can we'll be imagined. The many who have
visited her since her terrible experience are
with difficulty persuaded that not one of her
crew was killed or dangerously wounded.
She had the semblance ola complete wreck,
and 1t will be necessary to send her \ Orth
at once Tor repairs, though some think her
injury too great for remedy,-that she is not
worth the mending.
Shells exploded in their cabin, shivering
her furniture, crockery, and state rooms to
pieces. The wardrobe OF the crew was
converted into rags, and hardly whole
garment or a pair of boots and shoes can
be found on the boat. She is denied and
damaged, and blackened and splintered and
siDged and shattered, as if she had passed
through score of the fiercest battles, and
presents as good an example OF the amount of
injury that may be done to boat without
destroying her as it would be convenient to
present, or easy to discover in twelve
months service on the hotiIla.
"A gentleman, recently from Washing
ton, tells a characteristic anecdote of our