The free South. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1863-1864, 1863-04-25

biiOOh oi'tSo VI eAAS SAAAP'
whizzing and humming of rifed and round
shot and shell over head Still the sue
cessiye discharges could be distinguished.
The several reports had not yet been
drowned, so to speak, in continuous
roar.
But hark! There is reverberation as
though of numerous, simultaneous thun--
der claps. Now q fierce, mceasing roar
vibrating the air with violence that causes
even the solid mass of our ship to tremble.
A look through the open port on the port
side discloses the cause of the furious out
burst. The first four Monitors had reached
the converging point of the fire of Cum
ming's Point battery, Forts Sumter anil
Moultri, and Battery Bee. One after the
other had steadily steamed, without firing
a shot, to the verge of the concentrating
ranges. The enemy evidently reserved
their main fire for work at close quarters;
but when the Weehawken had reached
within six hundred yards of Fort Sumter,
long, broad, brilliant fame suddenly
leaped from its side, with all but simulta-
neous intense glares from Cummings
Point and Moultrie, followed instantane=-
ously by immense volumes OF smoke and
a rain of projectiles that fairly hid the
turrets of our craft with countless spouts
of water thrown up by striking shot and
shell.
Meantime the Ironsides had vainly tried
to keep mp with the Monitors ahead. At
3:37 We were startled by the command
"stand by the starboard anchor;"' followed
soon by "let go the starboard anchor. "
The ship had again been disobeying the
rudder, and threatening to swing on the
shoals on our port side. The enemy at
once noticed our embarrassed position,
and improving the fixed mark afforded by
the stoppage, diverted their long range
guns for while from the Monitors upon
us. Bang, bang, their shot went against
the sides, almost faster than we could
count. Happily the anchor Strengthened
the course of the ship, and in few mipp-
| uress We were AGAIN under weigh. -
We had hardly gained hundred yards
or so upon Fort Sumter, when the ship
became once more unmanageable, and the
anchor was again let go. The admiral
now had the Monitors in our wake signaled
to disregard the movements of the flag
ship, and run past it toward the forts.
The Ironsides continued almost help
less, at the mercy of the tide. Officers
and crew grew restive. The enemy's guns
were continually playing upon us, We had
not yet returned single shot. At last,
at 4:3O, while swinging on the starboard
side, our port broadside came to bear fully
ON Fort Moultrie, and Commodore Turner
would not let this opportunity slip. ''Open
port holes" Calm" 4" Fire" followed by
a severe concussion of the air, and the
first and only offensive effort of the Iron
sides in the action was made. Shortly
after the strong ebb tide rendered it utterly
impossible to make headway with the ship,
and the order was given to drop back,
We slowly steamed back, after signaling
to the Monitors to withdraw from the
action and follow the flag ship, and anchor.
ed under the guns of Fort Wagner.
Under it the captains of the Weehawken,
Passaic, Montauk, and Patapsco, were
working with might and main to come
abreast, with their badly steering vessels,
of the northwest face of the fort, as direct,
ed in the order of battle, firing all the
while their guns, now at Sumter, then at
Moultrie. But they were still under the
fire of the northeast face, when they dis.
covered three lines of floating distractions,
with another consisting of row of piles
across the whole harbor q short distance
beyond. They endeavored to gain tho
narrow passage left open through the first,
but found themselves unable to exercise
sufficient control over their vessels to dc
so, While making this attempt the turret
of the Passaic was so bent in by a single
shot as to make the working of the eleven
inch gun impracticable. A short while
after the turret refused altogether to turn,
depriving her of all offensive power. The
200 FOUNDER Parrott of the Patapsco also
became early disabled.
But, aside from these damages to two,
the fact that not one of the four could
make headway past the batteries, rendered
their stay under the heaviest fire useless,
and hence turned about and steered back,
after having been in concentric range
nearly an hour The motion of the Wee.
hawken was very much impeeed by the
Ericsson raft chained to her bow. A