New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-02-21

= A. i
CHI IN sbeu vas sent from Our boat al iiief'"S
of ..ss than five secon 9. The enem' me &c, na1 ~
Ills fine tecome terrific. They were nt!ns - -
ball pii ciyay and firing more ifeIuep,Iy ,,elye
and with great accuracy. onr nee ,b,ee Lo,v !
guus, each i'on-clad bot woikins 'tS ohont 800
mi ces Tie LomestoGa aud tal iof hel -uoo 'h
y.rda in our regr firing shell AT long rdnee' -
Tore.toga fred tlirty-six Slnen r!eI,3 uui"S
acti II: the Taylor siXty-0ne I'.lF uis'nlo L'i
rhe fort was too great for eh'ouve "oihus' "''i
dnring greater part Of tie action, ana mus diverted
.Sois list otherwsse would have been aimed
al the ron-clad vessels.
ibont thrce.Qrarlers Of All hour after the com,
mepcement of the engagement, the boats had slesed
within three hundred yaros OF tile FORT ana tne ho.
test If battle took place Oar guns h'd by .niS
time cot the range Of the Rebel batteries much bet
ter than at first aud their shot ana shell were maze
10 tall within the hresstwoTks aud iutrent nmeuts
with great etc t TIE water battery was siieh,eI
and the guns deserted by tie enemy. From Tue dech
of the Supboats The Rebel soldiers could be seen
running up the bin to GEEK sbclter in tie inirench-
lnena If tie upoeT batteries. Jus az the o'''I'eI
an oil Ger was ob sfvel t. elneige IRON ieGouVt
md wave = sw oId hove hls head. coniu no un
whether he was cheering bis men TO uc.Ofy o' INV
ing them back to their guns.
! The OILY flag we could discover on the tort was
one which appeared to us TO be plain red. ms
however can he accounted for by the fact that .e
red predomnstes 80 largely in the cJorl composi"B
the rebel flag. Some OF our men thought INC snSu!
desired 20 81 ,nify that he meant g blood. "n1l-
ever he meant: be disl .yed considerable foiesisH'
in placing the flag good distance from ms gum,
,heieby removing what 10 uiualiy an oXeeHen'
mark to shoot a.
III hali.past shell from one of our boats strnck
the rebel fagstaf, breaking IT Oft clo,e to u.
ground. An officer Of the fort Immediately ran ont
and erected il near its former sile
ALL the FLAGS CUT DOWN.
c-...ol,. b.d ,Ie pabfl enei1u been ClsDllccG,
when 33-pound uali struck the flagstaff Of tie =.
Loris carrying ii away close TO the SUPP Geek III
had 10 sooner fallen than one oil our brave men
iumpe9 before the mouth OF cannon just about TO
Il, fired and Selling the spar, laced y ~ ~ upright
position and co1ly remained marx for tHo enemy,
While be secured H. 10 tho ship deck with role.
lew moments after this the flagstaff Of % Louie
Vile was cqrried OF; ths OF the CaIondels went
next and that of the Pitlsburg followed soon after
/ DANCES TO THE BOATS.
! As we nesred he fort the enemy commenced ponr-
/ ing plunging slot - into rs with great fapidty.
y cir gums were we'll pointed, and I'D great e&ecH'
ion. q 32pouud bail struck TIE plo'.houee Of or
vessel piercing the inch and 2 bali iron ana the
fiiteen-inch oak I'm striking the iron pate 1t "a-
broken. a number Of luIee fragments scattered
c lin tie pilot-house, mortaily wourdiag one " he
pilots, T. s.. Riley of Cincinnati, striking the fag.
Ioi.er Commodore Foot in the ankle. sud slightly
i.iullng two other Immediately ai,er ihis,
tlot entered our deck IN the starboald EIDE, and
ti rough N ta.tNN NONiNall ~ TIC fi'li
.oon striking the ships cook, Charles W. iiakcr Of
Philadelphia in the head, literally tearing the skull
|aH. Several heavy balls now passed oyer the plot
house Vioicng tie chimney q, aud carrying away inc
'chuuucy-grys. These were followed by cYu lie 81
sfs Whieh struck cgTN rss,i ll.t above wafer ma k
! 10 was now di-cJ' cred that he wheel bad been
Toured ty the shot which hi led the pilot. Two Of
me spOkes We're broken, and the vessel di1 no.
irespOld well to her helm. An attempt was made
10 Steer hcf by the relieving tackle, but Il was
found that the cur ~ vas too strong. lie Com
uudogr, fearing es he 10 should turn bf iutlDc
10 tae eremy ordered ber to drop down slowly.
The other boats We found ere suffering quite ar
seyerely as tie flagship.
One of The guns a the CalOndolet burfted during
Tho lttcr part OF tIe euca3 onent; the u.ler rOte-
Of the Louisville were cut away, rendering il al
most mYossible % correctly; the ii,t-burg re
Gel rCd "a .umbor o. slo.s below wafer mark, caus-
iug her a. leak very rapidly These Two latter &c.
cittDls hafp ening almost timu'aut ors.y with Tie
rlary 10 he ias clip, r,a.efcd Nihcsa"a. abs.-
lulely Necessary. Tie order wss then .lyea for Tho
eniIr, feet % drop beyond the range OF tic fort.
Though feehI. thai tie condition OF our boats Be-
maided THIS movement, % was with great rel l,,au,c
thai tho CoumouDro reconcile. hlnseh 10 IL. lie
eue,uv had almost ceased lining. having been driven
from the lower forts ard compelled % seek refuge
behind guns that bore but poorly upon us. Qnck,
however. to notice our disabled condition, we Lao no
sooner COMMENCED 10 retire than they again rln TO
the lowe batteries, and opened bgisA and effective
ire Tie lrt oi thee shots entered ne pOrtbOw oi
the Cagopdoet, Cu'tiug on two mems heads and
. y,OuGding ivo oher inci.
The DOats .o,iIeo slowly to the point whence .he,
started f1r ihe OF action about TWO mle- i11m
. The .On. The fro I'll the enemy kept pouring
upOA nom tL.it-,u guns, Wlc our poa,io ia tAt
river .ftNer.cl Ls tlo.a uslry more tLan bali thal
!. ,rug.b'r. lswe ioated sioW down The current
tl. Rebels took courage AID boldly sailed forth f.oG
4. tDtr lu reacnleuis. Ilfletto the entire SPACE with
- iu tie Iot 80 pesred one rlce, % uuIo1deu SNOW
r Ou. fifteen iA1ie, GA ut cal FL, aiter Tue stop axe
d ,f .,r el .f.1 vs. hen fte Uloie scene was change.
.- 20 .gliriWlnd lad swept over Ire tlll lud Ie-
y moved ieary every trace 0. the storm Of thursday
tle euol.y forces, "i.dNitl enthusiasm, bad rJsuec
, do.gil 10 Iac lower batteries !. -uCa uuu ters.
T. battle lasted one hour AID seventeen minutes,
, The last shot VIA fired by tho ST. Loui-. IL IeI
within @ few feet o The riyer ba Terry cau-iug ear
aud water TO is into the fort. - this, aboul q
|Au dIcd OF nc Reb Is started &c II e. run Up thr
. Hill: they sCOn found however, thai We had with
drawn, ana returned 10 open an Intellectual Ire uFOi
, our disabled ileet.
II took about bali on hour for our feet TO retire
teyond tae .angs Of tue guus. The Withdrawal
was managed viii great skill. We permitted oul
, boats 10 float gently down the stream IN Tho exact
line OF battle, and although the sieaning apparatus
Of the ST. Louis and the Louisville wac pOWerless
10 collision or accident of any kind happened. We
dropped anchor III good order. il was found that
the Pittsburg wGs leaking very rapidly, and fhe wa
ordered to tie ~ the left bank Of the river.
The St. LOUIS was struck q times in tie eng8ge.
ment Inc llltsDuig ~, Tie 'hrohctiei o. ara ihe
Louisville abont 40. The enemy fired about so
shots. Our feet fred tie more than 800, about
10 Of which were e-inch shells.
COMMODORE FOoTE AND TIE OFFICERS.
Tie COMMODORE demeanOr during tho engage
meDt ID the ject Of Admiration on the part OF
every man in the fleet. His cCunteusnco was o.
placid aud bis voice mild in the heat Of the action
as if he were engaged in social conversation. lie
stood in the plothouse for long tine, watching
The effect OF every shot from our ships When he
saw shell burst inids OF the fort he instantly
unn nded tie deherale him OF tie nAIk eInan- by q