Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1862-05-30
Gunboat Fight on James River

A private letter from Lieut.. Constable
commander of the gunboat Naugatuck
describing the recent fight on James Riv
er, has found its way into the New Yorh
Post. Lieut.. Constable says the Manga
tuck led the squadron, sounding out the
channel, and looking out for Instructions
and torpedoes. 1t was arranged that i
the rebels could be shelled out of the bat.
terry on Wards Hill, knowledge of which
and the distractions in the river at that
point had been obtained, the Naugatuck
should remove the piles from the river
The night before the action, Lieut.. Con-
stable obtained twenty-five sheets of boil.
er iron from the Galena, which he fast
ened on the boiler house and cabin, and
which were the means of saving the lives
of those on board from the close fire of
the enemy from their rife pits. The
Lieutenant continues his narrative as be-
low:
"The next morning, on the first Of the
ebb, the vessels moved up to their posi-
tons of attack, under very annoying
fire of rifles from the woods Qhe river
being less than two hundred yards wide.)
We opened fire upon their battery with
our heavy gun, and threw she'll and can
lister from our broadside ones into the
woods. Our station was abreast Of their
rifle pits, and was only about forty feet
from the shore, SO that their sharpshoot-
ers had fair chance at US. During the
fight, and while our heavy gun was per-
! forming splendidly, it burst, but for!u-
nately disabled but one man. 1t burst
from the vent to the trunions, in two
halves, throwing one half overheard on
the port side, while the other half was
landed on deck on the starboard side.-
The muzzle, forward of the trunions, re-
NAMED entire, and was thrown forward
about two feet. The gun carriage was
destroyed, the pilot house shattered, part
of the upper deck crushed in, and some
of the main deck beams started.
How escaped, God only knows. !
was within two feet Of the gun when it
burst, having just sighted and trained it
on the battery, My speaking trumpet is
completely crushed, and fragment Of
the gun, weighing about one thousand
Eve hundred weight, fell so closely TO me
that it tore my coat. | was hit on the
head by some part Of the gun or carriage
/ q think it was one of the large rubbers)
which stunned me for a moment, altho
was able to keep the deck ard superin-
tend the fighting Of our broadside guns
(well handled under charge of Will
son )until the squadron fell back for want
of ammunition, about an hour and half
after our gun bursted. After heaving
up our anchor tainted away but after
being cupped behind the ears by Ihe sur
geon of the ArOostook, who came on
board to look out for our wounded, | was
able to resume the charge of the deck.
Our little broadside guns did splendid
execution, driving The enemy out Of their
rife pits, and clearing the shore OF every
rebel within canister range. BY Keeping
the crew under the protection OF our
iron clad cabin, and only exposing them
for moment while loading, our loss by
their fire was only two wounded.
The Galena was hit forty-six times
twenty-eight shot entered her armor and
completely penetrated it; five passed
through her smoke stack and three
passed through her deck plating. One
or two shot passed entirely through hol
She lost seventeen killed and about TWEEN.
ty wounded. The other vessels received
but slight injury-the monitor none at
all.
The vessels lad to fight at anchor be-
cause of the narrowness OF the river.
l making my report to the Commodore
after the action, l requested him to APP
point board of officers to examine into
the cause of the bursting. The board
so appointed, examined the gun, &c, and
report that they find an old flaw extend
ing from the inside of the vent TO near
the outside surface of the gun, and that,
therefore, they consider the bursting was
caused by the gun heretofore having been
subjected to severe and protracted tests,
&C."
Rebels Advancing up the Shenan-
dosh Va11ev