The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-05-16
Attack ON the New Orleans
Forts.
DESTRUCTION OF FIRE RATS
THE ATTACK ON THE FORTS.
LETTER FROM CAPT. FARRAGUT.

THE ATTACK ON THE FORTS.
LETTER FROM CAPT. FARRAGUT.
The correspondent of the New York
Times writes detailed account of the bonn.
bardment of Forts st. Phillip and Jackson,
and gives letter from Captain Farragut.
We copy:
DESTROYING THE ENEMY's FIRE RATS.
Our men had an opportunity to test in a
practical manner their means for destroying
fire RATS, and they proved to be an admira.
BILE success. A turgid column of black
smoke arising from resinous wood, was seen
approaching US from the vicinity of the
forts. Signal lights were made, the varied
cOl0rs of which produced beautiful effect
upon the foliage of the river bank, and rem.
dered the darkness intenser when they dis
appeared. Instantly hundred boats shot
out towards the raft, which now was bla.
zing fiercely aad casting wide zone of light
upon the water. Two or three of the gun
boats then got under way and steamed
boldly towards the unknown thing of ter
ror. One of them, the Westfeld, Captain
Renshaw, CALAMITY opens her steam valves,
and dashes furiously upon it, making the
sparks fly and the timbers crash from the
force of the blow. Then stream of water
from her hose plays upon the burning mass.
Now the small boats lay alongside, coming
up heller SHELTER and actively employing
their men. We see everything distinctly in
the broad glare-men, oars, boats, buckets
and ropes. The scene looks phantom. like,
supernatural intensely interesting, extreme
ly exciting, inextracably confused. But
finally the object is nobly accomplished. The
raft yet fercely burning is taken out of
range of the anchored vessels and towed
ashore, where it is slowly consumed. As
the boats return they are cheered by the
feet, and the scene changes to one of dark.
ness and repose, broken occasionally by the
gruff hail of seaman when boat, sent on
business from one vessel to another, passes
through the fleet. We have contempt
for FIRE RATS. They have proved, like many
other things, to be "weak inventions of the
enemy"
THE ATTACK UPON THE FORTS.
The engagement was opened by Fort
jackson a few minutes before o'clock,
and the gunboat Owasco, which had gone
length or two ahead of the mortar ves-
sells, was the first to reply. Presently the
bomb aotilla commenced throwing its shells,
somewhat slowly at first, but with increas>
ed rapidity as the sailors became accustom-
ed to their work, until a bomb was sent
from each vessel on an average, once in five
minutes. Before the fight began, I was
lucky enough to find place in the foretop
of the frigate Mississippi, where the entire
field of strife could be taken in at glance
From this point l saw the effect of the
firing.
There were seventy.nine shots fired from
the forts during the first hour and half,
the large number of which came from Fort
jackson. Most of them passed over the
masts of the schooners on the left, dropping
in range of those on the other shore, but
from one hundred and fifty to two hundred
yards short. After while, however, the
rebels got the range of these six vessels &C.
curately, and the balls fell about them, es-
pecialIy from Fort Philip, terribly thick
and fast. In return, the bombs were direct.
ed spiritedly upon the fort, and with such
effect that the enemy sIackened his fire.
1t is wonderful that our vessels were not
smashed to pieces. Solid shot struck the
water close beside them, wetting the men
with the spray, or lodging in the soft mud
of the river bank, directly between the
schooners, threw thick column of earth
high up above their masts. These vessels
all belonged to the second division of
the fotilla Uieut. Commanding Queens).
They were the Il. M. Ward, Queen; Mat
thew Vassar, Savage George Vaughan,
Collins Adolph Hugel, Won Boskerck !;
Maria j. Carlton, Jack /; and Sydney
Jones, Graham. The danger to which
these vessels were exposed far outweighed
the advantages which might result from re.
tanning the position, and in the evening
Captain Porter ordered them to retreat.
The next morning they were towed into the
rear of the line OF vessels on the left, where
they remained until the end of the bonn
bardment. Only three of them were struck,
and not soul was Injured On board of
them.
THE DEMAND FOR THE SURRENDER OF THE
FORTS.
Between six and seven o'clock went on
board the Owasco, with Captain Guest,
who had been commissioned by Captain
Porter to go with flag of truce up to the
forts and demand their unconditional sur,
render. We approached Fort st. Philip
within mile, when we were fired upon
rapidly five times. confess that had an
ticipated something of this sort and was not,
therefore, unprepared. We Immediately
hauled down our flag Of truce, returned, but
in half an hour afterwards gig came down
from the rebel fort, flying the rebel flag
astern, and white flag in the bow, and
containing pale young man, with bushy
hair, in the uniform coat of a first lieutenant
of artillery, with somewhat seedy cap and
pantalo0ns of coarse corduroy. Captain
Guest went to meet our visitor, and their
conferences lasted few minutes.
The crew of the rebel boat was of more
motley appearance than can describe.
Their clothes were soiled and ragged. One
wore a red shirt, one white and the other
two gray shirts. One had black slouched
l