The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1863-04-28


| This was the only offensive demonstration made
! by her during the action
| When Admiral Dupont found that he could not
readily move the Ironsides he signaed to the four
iron-clads behind her to pass ahead and go to the
support of the four vessels already engaged.
| In trying to pass by the Catskill and Nan
tucket they brushed the Ironsdes on the port and
starboard sides, but after awhile managed to get
| away and moved on. They and the Keokuk and
Nahant came under the concentric range Of the
forts and batteries at about the time the other
four Monitors were turning back. They neyerthe-
less advanced with their guns at work briskly
past the northeast face of Fort Sumter until their
course was likewise impeded by Instructions.
The Catskill, Nantucket and Nahant received the
united hre OF both Forts Sumter and Moultrie.
The keokuk had steered little more to the left,
and for awhile received the fire of Fort Sumter
alone. She fired the gun in her forward turret
but three times, when it became disabled. Her
after gun could not be brought to bear effectively
and was thus rendered useless. After continuing
under the united fires of all the forts and batteries
for about three-quarters of hour, all the Moni-
tors and the Whitney Battery came back in
obedience to q signal from the flagship
The Ironsides had already cropped back some
distance out of the range of Fort Sumter. At
o'clock the entire feet was out of range and the
| action ceased.
script.-The Ericsson raft, known as the Devil,
was attached to the bow of the Weehawken, but
proved hindrance instead ola help, by embarras
sing the steering of the Weehawken. The mon
ster torpedoes intended to be connected with the
raft not used, as they required delicate hand.
ling and fears entertained to their success.
The devil was lost the day after the fight and wash
ed ashore. The devil is large raft Of timber Sc
curely bolted together in width about the same
Of fha bot, o,l
some thirty feet forward of the battery's bow,
which fits into it, and is then secured to the ring
bolts on deck. At the extreme forward part of
this raft and under the water, strong iron stanch-
cons point downwards to few inches below the
bottom of the battery. These stancheons are Sc
cured by iron braces which run back at an angle
to the after under side of the raft. At the bot
tom of this network of braces and stancheons are
placed two rods on which rest several torpedoes,
together containing nearly thousand pounds of
gunpowder. La connection with this are ham
mers, which, when acted upon, strike percussion
caps, exploding the several torpedoes instantly,
and, of course, causing rupture of anything they
may come in contact with.
Discontinuance of the battle.-It was the inten-
ton of the Admiral to renew the attack on the
next day, but when the reports of the commanders
we're received, that two the Keokuk and Passaic
were fully, and three, the Patapso, Nantucket and
Nahant, were partially disabled, the Admiral de-
termined to desst from a continuance. In this
decision he was sustained by the unanimous opn-
ion of the commanders of all the ron-c -cads.
Terrific scenes-7Ae damage done-Tbe firing
on both sides was good, and the thunder of the
cannonade terrific. The striking Of the heavy
missiles used by the rebels against the Sides decks
and turrets of the monitors, the reverberations of
their own monstrous guns, the plunging of shot
and shell into the surrounding waters, the dense
smoke, now hiding the forts and batteries from
view, then broken by sheets of fame the uncer-
tainty as to what new obstacle or internal machine
might be encountered by the iron-clads, the diff
Guilty of properly maneuvering the vessels, the
anxious suspense of the inhabitants of the iron
boats as to whether victory or defeat to crown
their eforts-all this made the scene one of un-
PARALLEL interest and excitement.
No words convey an idea of the terrible fire.
The Monitors were hit from twenty to sixty times
each, with the exception of the Keokuk, which,
from her more exposed position, was struck by not
less than ninety shots Her turrets were penetra-
ted number of times, and her hull, at the water
mark, showed nineteen holes. She was only kept
afoat by plugging and pumping, until next morn
ing, when she sunk the bar, in eighteen feet of
water, her colors still flying. All on board we're
saved, but all losing every thing they had. The
Ironsides was hit from fifty to sixty times without
material damage.
The enemy used only shot of the heaviest cali
bre. The most destructive of their missiles were
of English manufacture, principally Whitworth's
steelpointed projectiles.
Eleven large holes, apparently running through
the walls-some of which were about three feet
wide-were made on the east side of Fort Sumter,
showing that fire not altogether Intellectual.
The Monitors fred altogether about $50 rounds.
The numerical weakness of the land force rem
dered their direct cooperation in the attack i'm
practicable Upon the navy devolved the main
share of the work and all the fighting was done by
it alone.
When your correspondent left the scene of con-
fict two of the Monitors had sailed for Port Royal
and the others were to follow.
CWe suppose tie above account is in the main
correct, but we all know that the statement that
one of their boats passed Fort Sumter is not true;
neither did the enemy knock eleven holes in the
walls of Fort Sumter.
The New York Herald, speaking of the failure
of the attack on Charleston, talks discOuragingly
of Yankee prospects as follows:
The rspulse of Admiral Dupont's iron-clad feet
at Charleston indefinitely postpones, We suspect,
the resumption of active operations against the re-
bel stronghold. The door will doubtless be kept
more closely guarded then heretofore against En-
pl;sn blockade runners, with their "aid and COM
fort TO the enemy" but, as the sickly summer
seasoo in a few weeks will revisit the South Car
ol;ua seaboard we conclude that nothing but some