Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1862-08-01
TIE RAID OF THE REBEL IRON
CLAD ARKANSAS.

I. 5. GuSBoAr FLoTILLA. l
"Wednesday. July Is. 1852.

I. S. GuNBoAr FLoTILLA.
wednesday, July IS, 1852.
I Tie m1uot7-y and snaGi which has huag like q
pal. fr The lls, two weeks over our feet was most
sfeotuaiiy bros yesterday morning, and rath o
/ er unpleasant break it was- But TO iacts- About
I 3.5J A. M. the guub0lts Car0ldelet and Tyler
! AMI Tie ram Q-ssn of tho West 60, under way.
stsaued up tae river a short distance, turned and
I headed up tie Yazoo,
| Eum1-s had been rife far several days that tho
J ArEansss was preparing 20 come out, but a large
! maj lli-y looted II down, ami scoHsd al the bare
/ -5es. 70 seems, however, that thoss in authority
/ piagcl some cr-lcucs IT. rho report, ami colsc-
/ qusut-y tns tEo gun5oa.s and ran were sent 90
I look u9 alt.urs. open entering the river, tho
Z QI.el shot up ahead Of The rast, the Caronisle-
I fiI1siug, wlfls the 2 yler brought up the rear.
Taey lad proceeded about ave miles only, whsn
t.0sc on .le gl1t1a;s were startled By the appear
I au-s lt the Queen coming tuil sreei down The
river, with evidently every pound Of steam she
J could make 1t Worz nsr -lait she feE 5y
toe lirlrlels- Uit1 the w5ris. The Arksrsss u
coming;" and shortly af-er, p long, low mud
cll red c5.lt. ia short, thick, black smoke
stack in her middle. putting ou5 huge volumes Of
bi3cs smoke, cane swiftly AROUND toe point, and
made Tor the Ca-lldeiet.
Tae river was too narrow to turn back, even n
| Capt Walk Ltj 20 w.slsl; bat the captain ia
one who s15ws no such word a. ''back OUT" and,
s=iugiug around 5rgsdside, to avoid raking Shots
the CIr5ui-let beiclei forth whole broadside on
% the rapid va lvaLcing craft Imagine the con
steruaticn pro Ucsi when the balls were seen %
str. 10 nd tall hsrmlessiy in the water cat him
az % was the ory, and mother broadsids Has
poured into tle monster az fifty yards range, tut
win 20 mors eject than If so many peas had been
discharged
Iae Arkinsss now ran into the Clrondsls.'s
stsrlJari quarter with a fearful crash, pouring
bsosisile after broadsiie into the gunboat, which,
passing through the WOO len casemate, raked the
vessel Ireu stem 70 stern. The ArkansIs showed
no iu,ea.iou Of leaving her victim, but rsmaini1g
along to- .;,1Ioaid quarter rakei her fore AMI
a.t with I0.gted shot. The Carondelsts stsEn
end after GiviHcl s,ar card batteries kept up sn
ia-ss.au, hrs; out the huge s1lid shot few OF
like I1iis rubber balls.
There vas no tangible spot to be ssan, very
small round hole, Just large enough to admit tbs
gun. cou,ututed Ter ports, sad elsvatiny or
depressing, the Porthols moved with the gun
Fiuiin. bis guns were doing service, Captain
Wake bad BIZ DlarIers called away, and into tbs
Rebel craft ,asy poured; but not man or pas
sage way could be found. Ths boardsrs now re-
turned t1l thc guns Sc. 20 ork, but 10 vss so
Zu-h powder wasted. Ths Csro1delets stern v1s
now perfectly rildied, all the officers quarters
sl0s away and everything literally torn to pieces.
80 length shot cut away the steam pipe, and
tie calling wp1r spread TO every part Of tae
hCar. Many u the men jumped overboar1. A.
tAis june ure Of s.aiss Capt. Wake led board
ing Ts-rv on the Rebel. deck, but could see no
possible say oil getting below. Ths hatohss we're
all secured underneath, and the smallest kind o.
an sper-grs or hole vas nowhere 70 be found
This discovered, the party retained to give NJ
their ta1t on,y when the bottom OF the rlvsr
ca ted ios h5r. The fsg, which still hlstei from
nsr stsru, was never 10 be struck to the Rebels a.
long one board foated to hold Il up,
What men were len stood BY what guns could be
brought To- bear, and worked them until the Ar
.r "a e-H ID H.N~ -. Al -.
tim, pushed ai1ue T-st her and stood for the Tyler
Eh,ca nal stood by the Carondelet through the
whole fight The Tyler discovered her mot On,
aui knowing her tain frame would stand no chanos
wLeu brought into contact with the enemy invul-
neri5is sides. beaded down the stream, keeping
just clear ut the Arkansas, and firing her stern
1ltjery. This chase was kept up until the mouth
ot ta1 river Nas reached when the Tyler, her boats
shot away and bad cut up otherwise cane into
view r the whole feet.
Not vessel 10 the whole fleet. from some
strange fatality, bad steam enough to move. The
L1uisilna shore vas lined with our transports.
ordnsn-e boats, &c, while directly opposite them
three or tour abreast, 10y Fdrraguts and Davis'
feet, scarcely tao Of which could IRE without
pouring their 5roadsiies into some Of their own
vessels. All eyes trained to see the cause OF
tie lyiel's c5nmotion- Ths ram-fset which lay
near the uo1-h of ths Yszoo, are scattering In
every direction. A moment more and the lo1S-
dreaded Arkansas stsaus into full view. and heads
risht for center Of our feet.
Sang goes gun At tie ordnance boat Great
~ astcIu, bile one is hred from her port battery
g. the rams which leaving IN every direotion-
she now passes thu Richmond who's. splendid
battery Of niue-inch Dshlgrsa guns is held quiet
By the j. h. Dicksy, which lies jus: opposits.
bang, bang. gc two more guns al the ordclncc
boat Passing down, she puts two balls into ths
Champion. waile IN the mean time her port tst-
terry Is busy with Farraggt's feet.
ste tiiy shs paTsues her way, nothing dlur,sd
nothing checked. she is now more than half way
doTu. She passes the Hartford. bu, the noble old
flag hip IS situated Ike the Richmond, for the
same broadsiis which would have hailed the
Arkansas would have snnihilated the splendid
hospital boat Red Rover with her cargo Of human
freight. The Oneida hits her with slevsn-inoh.
but her p1nisrous missile produces no effect. The
hla1na and W.ssahicon engage her, but she psss-
e. their FIRE unscathsd, unharmed.
Can nothing hurt tns rebel monster A dubi-
Gus shake Of the head is the only responss, a5
bail after ball drops from her sides into the water
steadily but surely she keeps on the way, firing
one broadsde At the transports, and the other AZ
some vessel on the other side. she has nearly run
tie gauntlet. one more boat only 70 dispute her
progress, and that the Cincinnati which, far be-
low The res, Of the feet, is doing picket duty
the poiat Al ewes are upon her, and a repst-
tion Of her Fort Pillow experience s,sIns newt
able.
AA l-+Al1 --4a s1tAAA7ai s1el4AAalF AA11 dlA0At
Of Old, picking up new strength at every step. She
is sure o, her prey, and is making right for IL
The Cincinnati had not steam sufficient to tackle
OF her, or even hardly enough TO hold her hsad
up stream. SIZE slipped hsr cable, however, and
headed for the Mississippi shore, drifting down
stream all the tine, her oWn motive power being
insufficient 10 stem the current. Ths Arkansss
discovering her intsntion heads for her. when the
gunboa: opened q biisk aud gallant Ere on the
advancing Rebel at short range, the rifsd Parrots
apparently piercing her, the other shots dropping
harmless of.
The ram fires heavily as she advances, and is
rapidly gaining on her Oppoaent. When just
al we're expecting collision, the Arkansas sud
denly checks up, heads the other way, hrss a part
ing br0adside, md rapidly leaves the Cincinnati
behinI her. The gunboat had drawn her into too
shAiioW water, which she had no intention sf BE-
ing caught in. The Cinsinnlti, assisted BY the
rNinoaa, kept up an incessant FIRE until she hsd
sounded the point and was Ia the arms Of her
ricuds.
This unparalleled audacity ani boldnsss sllo;i-
the unqualified stmiration of all.
such thing never took place before, And viii
probably never take place again. In broad day
Light, in the teeth Of hundred guns, this or n
slowly and deliberately made her way. selecting
her own victims, and hurling the glove OF def
ance At the combined feet- II is example Of
cool. daring courage uaexanplsd, and the name
Of 'Catssby Jones' her eoumscde-, viii Be
dHA14t- Eleu - A1t74h--s PAaoo 1--O1S
the lie; Of those Eho know no fear" The facs
q her success is undoubtedly owing 10 the cir
oumstances under which abe caught rs.
Our position and everything worked ssainst rs.
The Essex had discovered q burnt boiler the night
before, and new one was being inserted at the
blacksnithboat repairing. The Sumter had her
Was-e-pipe out and new one being inserted
Everything worked in her favor. Those boats
that Wsrs all ready could not use their gans for
fear Of doing uofe damage to their friends than
their toes
will leave eon1onts On this singular trans
action flr other pers than mine. Different PER
sons viii Of course h,ve different opinions. All
thas is left Us IS % say what might have been. ami
resolutions what Se will do. Tae Arkansas is
safe for time. | WON'T answer for her being -
long