The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1863-04-24
" helpless, moving causeles.ly on.w.,

~ helpless, moving causslessly ono wav
and another. and sometimes touching
bottom, and IS the enemy, NOTICING her
condition, took particular pains to les,ow
upon her q large proportion Of their Ere.
She WAS invuInersbls, however, to ID.
best dlrseled missiles.
All tbs while tie Monitors were contend
ing against distractions in tbs stream,
and their own inability to control heir
motions, they w,Te receiving concentrate
el fire that wo.s'! have destroyed tho
best wooden lleet TIE world bas known in
the time that would have been taken 10
passing through il, s'one Of The finest
English titled gnns of the isrg.s, caiibsr,
which have run the blockade, ADD tho
heaviest guns cast at Richs1t md. bad been
placed By Besureyari in The m %, effective
positions, an. probsbly all tie effect TO
he ohtane by the best use o. modern
Improvements AMI Inventions in artillery
Practice had ben acromiI shed ia the
'ofn1ca'lons, ~ the mds. of whose frs
the Monitors were co nrellvd to remain.
Probably there was never 80 terrific an
. iron hail in the history of naval war
fare as that which was withstood hv these
vessels The shot came sometime. faster
than one could count-in tons. with crash.
ing weight and with the seysre,t fore.
that could be impaired BIZ the grsnte.t
velocity. 1t is stated ,ast durlnv the,
hercess firing = hundred and fiity shots
were sometimes estimated in a sipolo
minute and 1t is believed ,ha, from ,b,eo
TO fohr Thousand rounds were fired ov the
enemy IN the snort space of haf AN hour.
1t was the climax of all the forces ,ha,
science ard ingenuity have evoked from
he elements for the purposes of warfara
1t was The tlrs, great trial between per-
fec e | artillery practice on shnTs apA tho
most formidable inventions Of n. ,;,,.
upon wa,e~. 1t WIS empha,ira.ly y ha,,I,.
OF iren. here were very few men enyag-
ed and very few lives lost The pondsrou.
shot of four hundred and fifty po.nd,
were lifted 70 the muzzle Of the gums hv
machinery, the guns were MANAGED bv
machinery. the turrsts swept around at
the bidding Of powerful engines.
After enduring tie fire for half or three.
quarters Of an honr. in which Nv. Of All.
fon-cladS were disabled in sncr, A o,.ns.r
rs 70 'eni"r some Of their machienerv uu-
manageable or to render them useless for
offensive purpo>es. the h.a, finally retired
'he k@nEnk dill not escape SO, safelv
Sh- ran within three or four hurntrei wards.
IF For! Sumter anG ctfereI b., le. hr. she
III! not prove equal to her cnmmangs En-
She was only abb. 10 fire three rounds.
AZ was struck ninety times an, fef1 the
i.ht with her turr-s> rid.'ed, with TWEEN.
t. large hoes N h., SITES, and go efiss--
bel as - render her sind, ~ onfv a aues
ton % time She went down on Wei
neS,!av morning a. o'clock. in eirhreen
fa'homs wa'er. All the lives on board
were saved, !ncludlny the twalrc .rier that .
had neen WOUNDED during the haitf. Tho
fleet retired, no, II. acknowledged defeat,
bat os'en~lhly merely for the purpose Of
repairing damages preparatory 10 another
attack. But when The extent Of The in
lnrlas done TO The various vessels became
more fully known and The officers. reno.
we'd 'rom,'he eyciiennp, aud Impulse ef
battle. reflected upon the ferr ordesI
through which they had passed. i. became
evidently the dictate Of prudence and OF
Iutv that the attempt ma~' be Abandoned
for the present. It. will take IA con,I.ra.
b., line TO repair he damages done to
tie VeSs@is so As - get them IN fighting
"r.!er. aud Ia proved ~ 4 MISTER Of expsr.
iuent IN the ria If the irou-casls liza,
with the character of Tie artillery with
which hey are supplied their offensive
cin@r,'1e. are not eqnsI 10 The cSp'ure Of
sich forlticaio,ts As those around Char
lesion, "ni the de,...rv Of lhnr machine
ry ! snch ~ 20 render them yer, uni.lia
bic III "a h"ssIy runE es'ed battle.