The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1863-02-05

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lending to cross the Pelican S,,;t m,
run up the wharves, abreast the tow,
i- TIE FLAG SHIP AGROUND.
~ fatal mIschance! Drifted by th
current directly ON To the island /;
shoal water, at full tide, there she struc
on her bows and there remained.
thousand tun boat, one of the hos,
our blockaling fleet, with a,rudder .
each end, double boilers, and seven,
teet breadth of beam, she Law in IN
sand, immoyallr. :,
And first sly signalled to the Clifio
(another vessel of the same sort. anf
like The Weslfield, well known to Sta,
ell Islanders and holiday New Workers
10 come alongside and tug her off, an
the Clifton lugged and iugged, an
could not effect it. At this juucrur
Comn"dore Rcnshaw sent a warpiu
to the Mary A. Boarlman concernin,
the rebel gnnhoais and resumed hi
pilot, Mr.. Davis, who had remained q,
board the former. Leaving the Yves,
heid Tor while, until the tragic inter
est "f The scene shall cuIIninatc in her
let us turn our eyes (stiIl from the decl
of The Mary a. B"ardman,) to what i.
transpiring elsewhere.
IN THE TOWN.
The fighting began in the town a,
from I" 81 "A. NJ, aud raged furiou,.
ly. Ii app' arr'l in The nrl er portion
where Col. BurriIl's men were en-.
cami'ed, above the yns.works, at thre.
wharves distance below where the Har.
iict Lane lay. From warehouses
"harves, windows and hoi,setops. n
hrilish fire of musketry had opened
nI'un the devoted three hundred of the
42d Massachusetts, while light artillery
raked the streets leading to the water
side. To this The Harriet Lane r..
>p"nded, first by throwing solid shot
from her Two nine-inch guns, and thcn
by shell from her rified cannon and 90
l'",lndrrS, throw ing them II, the direc
ton ot the railroad bridge, bv which
IL was only too evident that the rebels
were swarming to the attack. Thei,
four before mentioned
we're all active. They had crossed
with upwards of 5000 infantry, com
nanded by Magruder in person, bring
ng artillery on the cars. AT this time
il was as dark as Erebus; a blackness
llnnined only by the fash of cannon
he bursting Of shell and the quick, in
ermiitrnt sparkle of muskeiry. Tht
sounds, at once horrible and indescrib.
,ble, welcoming this ghastly N.
Years morning, need not he dwell,
Ipon.
THE ATTACK on HARRIET LANE.
AS soon as the firing began. two OF
he rebel gnnboats had borne down
lpon the Harriet Lane and engaged
Ter. One was hinge, long, high
PRESSURE Mississippi steamer, of the
Usual two->tory build, with her tall
cut down, piled four bale.
'i.h with cotton, her paddle boxes
hidden by them, faced with plankinp
md cross-pieces, and manned-th,
upper and lower dtcks-with sharp
hooters. The other, a stearll-w heel
,oai, slow and small, partook of th.
character of a ram, being armed with
pivot gun. and faced, even to the top
If her solitary chimney, with railroad
ron, SO that the black smoke exudel
Is from the conical root. Both of the
monsters assailrd the Har
let Lane, evidently intending to board
,er. She in her turn throwing shell al
hem, some of which ricncheted TO,
laIf mile nI,on the surface Of tho
vater, her object being 10 strike their
'plow the guards and sink them. This.
however, she did not effect, and steadi
y they approached, the ram careenine
'ver to one side, as if ill-balanced. and
lie sharl,shOuters on the steames keep
ng up an incesant fiisilade from he,
lecks aud the tops of cotton hales.
where they clustered like bees. .,.f
ASSISTANCE.
To the assistance of the Harriet
Iane came the Owasco and the little
Sachem. n comhatant worthy Of men
ion. A li"ht-draft steamer, she had
worthy condition, and had been or
lerr.l to lie by the wharf TO protect
Col. BurrilI's men with her one large
flied gun and two small ones, she
.,ned battle with all the courage of
irst-class man oi.war.
S;', presently, did the Clifton, tenn
,orariIy relinquishing the hope of res
.ulng The Westtird, aud making to the
scene of action, but her progress was
,ot unchallenged. As she turned to
,ass over the bar, suddenly the enemy
opened fire upon her with two heavy
,ieres, from Fort Point, an old battery,
,iihtrtn abandoned. but which the
Rebels had succeeded i'm remonniing
luring the night. This compliment
be Clifton answered, first with her
,nwyun, then the rest Of her armament.
moving rapidly, and throwing shell
.nIliinnously. Soon she had cleared the
Psini, aud, losing one man by the min
G bullet of asharpshootcrs, held on her
course toward The Harriet Lane and
he thickest OF the tight, which then.
'ecame general both on land and
water. ~ ~
THE HARRIET LANE CAPTURED.
The doomed vessel, her steam not
np, unable to escape, was the centre of
perfectly internal fire dance. Seen
from the Mary A. Boardman, the spec
lacle. assumed an aspect at once grand
and terrific. Overhead aud around
night was slowly retiring before day