Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-04-21

clatter loud and sharp. Advancing On her
circln, course, tho lronsidts mskss way for
her attendant &srIiors; aud one by one Oh
their turrets whirl in this war-dancs of III.
tans, they receive the lire, sometimes dfTnsed,
sOmstimss concentrated, of tho surrounding
circle Ct batteries. The first division Of the
ships curves on liz path under All iron storm
that rends ths air with its roar and bursts
upon thel, mail IN quick succession Of re-
po'ts; somctimss with the heavy groan Of
crushing, sometimes with the sharp cry Ct
tearing. Delivering a lie Of shot and shell
as they pass tho works on Morris Island, the
Irensidss and her Monitors move SLOWLY out
of range.
Tho ksokuk led into the fight four Moni-
tor5. More bold than even tho IroDsi lea,
'shs sdvenced under tornado Of shot to a
pngi'ion within about nine hundred Yards OF
Fort Sum:er. Hating ct that distance, she
discharged her Is inch balls from hur tutrets
againnt tho sea-face uf that fort. Crushing
and sc'ttsrring tho bricks OH the line of her
tremendous fire, she failed, however, to make
auy serious impression on tho walls. A cir
clio Of angry hsahes radisting towaid, her
from all sites, the terrible b0l!s of the de-
fence crashed against her at every point,
white thn ,eiy earth and sos tren.bed with
lhrlr rnsT. \ Wrought itun cyl nd-T OF about
QUO hnndr"I and twenty pounds Weight,
Hired from F1;t Sumtnr by Lent. Ual. Yates,
entered ono ci her ports; and, again, smother
from, the saire gun entered one of hur turrets
through an aperture Of iis own making. A
third shot is said TO have pierced her hull
near the stern, out whether bel. or q bail,
whether from Fort Sumter or from the aho1e
batteries, is not known. For about twenty
minutes she ssocd sill in sppa:ent helpless
nsss At tbs exp!'ati ii; that time she
III vel very slowly IN mi sf,sr receiving
tn, fire OF the works on Morris Island,
passed out Of rsugs. The smoke of nearly
twenty thousand pouo!s ofpowde. hung lszy
oys' the Confederate works, but was still
torn aside a. rsPid Intervals by the Hery
flashes and thu thrnior-c;aps OF their artil-
lery. Tia Monitors Of the s.>cond division,
following tho circle OF their leader, thunder ed
against the for. as they passed or, and received,
q respoDss loud ard terrible. Bursting, elsnc-
ing dropping from thsir turrcts tho missiles
Of the tstsuce Were launched at Them with
quick Succession OF ear bursting explosions. a
shat, fired VITO something of plunge, struck
the dsck of Que of those Monitors Of the eec-
on division aud entering, lei: holc which
was immediately filled with rush Of steam
Shs maintained her position, however, in tho
circlo OF mo7emeut md delivering fire wild
ly from ope Of her guns, passed through the
terrible ordeal to wkich she had become
exposed. Hpr sistsr ships followed in her
wtke, pe!!ed with the tempest cf iron bolts
snl rOuud shot that broke up N their turres
10 ascommingiei thunder OF ringing blows
and 1eafenlrg explosions. Delivering their
tire against the works on Morris Island, the
roar Of the attacking vessels paSt Gut Uf range.
Tie circular movement WAS not renewed
The ships retired outsids the ha.bur to
their anchorage; and, after about two hours
Snd hall of most tarEb!s storm Of shot
Of artillery, Fort Suntsr and its
bat:erie! stttlod down under slug
gs5 clouds OF smoke into triumphant quiet.
Th3 gun which ti'ed ths bnlt through the
turrst Of the Keokuk hns nesn invented
by al officer of tbs Confederate States.-
Callod after the inventor, i! is known
a. the Brooks guu. A hollow cast
ing, rifled to seven inch bore, consit-
tutes the body oi that cannon, The bscech,
however, is strengthened with bands of two
and half inches Of wrought iron shrpnk
nn. The t-uanionS sro If WI wroueiL iron, aud
like the bands, arc also ahruub TN. BY OBJ
taining regular distribution ri tho cryatsle
in casting the hcdy Of the gun in i. model of
u unifo:n outline. this method Of supplying
he trunnrrq ought to result in iucreas I'd
strength oi breech. Eethar s,it may, th,
= coke gun Hss the most effective OF sha
powerful cannon Of For! Sumter during the
late conf ct here, and is at all erents tho
only one known to Eays penetrated su srlunr.
plb:ei tnrrot in actual war. The char.o
with viii that has bsen done was twelve
pounds, but ten-irch OF the same pattern,
on firing bolt OF l20 pounds through eight
inch plates oil ir2n, exploded charge Of o5
p3unis.
The Federal gunne.y during the late en-
Eagemont here was net very good. Some OF
:he snots from thr ships were out OF line,
savsial toa high, snd of even those which
ctru'''; the fo't i; eat many dill 30 by au ac.
c,deht If rlcoriltt. The damage Of the Fed
ersl r<!.s was not at all serious TO Sumter. THO
filing UP of sons Of the csseUatea With neE
hricH wdrk was in two ingsnces battered in,
hut this in no wiss damaged ths soliii.y Of
the work. The ,les were, howaver, i:nme-
'.iatoy made up ny facing spd baking Of
saaib,gs Ths brick traperse that Ind yield
ed to tho demand of the Northern shot, q
st1tln Of bricks, has haen faced with sand
hss4, and is nov no lnngnr suhj:ct Of dan
yer 70 those it Was intended to defend. Tue
Corfaderatss fired some two thousand TWO
huudfed shYts, snd with these ara sid to
have struck the ships from six tn eight hun
drsd times. Rrcoehcs was cmployel by
s,rne Of tho batteries with the view Of st,lk.
ing the Monitors in the hull or at the base
OF the turIcts. Vertical firing was also
tried in two or three Instsnces wita
the view aI piercing the decks. The fire was
i'ssatsd seupraily, however, against the base
Of tho turretss with tho object OF crippling
tasir movement by fracture ny huigiog.
The Iron ide. was struck repeatedly
Sloped, though her srmor il, none OF tho
shots glanced. They appear On the contrary,
t, have expended their glancing force in
breaking the bolis and tearing of the pl sting.
IIer amor wrenchcd m sQrn instances from
the b.cking is raid tp have been in several
cases buckled back The turIsts Of ton Mon
i:ots were ali struck repeatedly. Indenta-
tinns followed these blows whenever they
fell neal ly fqlsre upon tho cylindrical wall,
and s2mstimes presented eiges go shsrp and
deep IS 10 appear like thoss of octusl pens-
trat,on. Constant hammssing had bsen heard
from those vessels for some time after tie
fight, and an observer from Morris Island,
alleges thar thsy appeared to be lover than
they wurs originally 10 the water. PImps
are said TO hare been beard for = slong lime after
the battle through hout the fleet. The lronsides
is reported to nGvo been for three or four days
in the hands of Eorkmeu, ia alleged to have
been c.rcened We. on ons siic for repairs,
wss seem to have discharged masses supposed
co bs cuals, ard bad certainly been up to
yesterday, constantly along side Of tcri4r.
Ons Monitcr went to PoTl Royal The morning
sfter tho attack, and, supposed to bo the one
which was penetrated through the deck may
be reasonably held to have beer dhlnsssd
sc 'iaualy. The Keoauk csne cut of the
conflict cut up badly. Whatever tue cause,
msy have bsen-whether stto may have heen
chat fhronyh bal. nc ths water line By the