Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-04-16

At noon, there is q call for q general
muster on the gun-deck. From the Admi-
raj down to the powder boys, all humbly
kneel and listen to and seek strength for
the coming trial, from q short, touching
prayer, read by Commodore Turner. The
recollection of the sight Of those four hun
dred determined, battle-eager men, bowling
in picturesque groups before their Maker,
around the grimest implements Of war,
will never be efaced from my memory.
TIE FLEET MOVES.
Precisely at hslf-past twelve o'clock the
feet begins to move on to the attack. The
line Of battle is formed in the order as
signed to each ship in the Admirars pro-
grsmme, and the position as marked on
the diagram-the Keokuk, which brings
up the rear Of the line, lying down nearly
opposite Lighthouse Inlet, and the others
extending on at intervals Of a cables
length-the Weehawken leading the van.
PREPARING FOR ACTION.
The iron bulkheads fore and aft on the
gun-deck forming the classmates with the
plated sides, were next closed, and ingress
to the Captains cabin shut of. Streams
Of water were then again let upon the
hides and sand-bsgs above and below
The pilot-house received another liberal
dressing Of slush.
These last measures Of protection being
taken, Lieutenant Commanding Belknap's
command, "ClOse portfolios" rang
through his trumpet over the gun-deck.
In q second the ponderous shutters fell,
and the hatchways were the only sources
| Of daylight to those below. A "Look out
for fore.aud-afE shot" from the trumpet
next brought the gunners down behind
their pieces.
OPENING OF THE ACTION.
Slowly the leading vessel, followed by the
other eight iron-clsds, moves up the Main
Ship Channel-the shore Of Morris Island,
against which from our point of view they
seem to rest, forming fixed point, by
which we measure the progress of the
feet. The first battery TO whose fire it
/ will be exposed is Fort Wagner, and one
| fixes his eye on it and on the Weehawken,
| approaching nearer and nearer, for the
feet will there undergo its first fiery bap-
tism.
Now then, she comes within range Of
the fort: no FIRE. She passes across it.:
still no FIRE The second ship comes up,
and meets the same silent reception; and
80 on, one by one, till, with the Keokuk,
the whole nine file by without single
shot from this seemingly formidable work.
Meantime, while the feet is passing
Wagner unmolested, the leading ves-
sci has come up with the nextrebel work
Battery Bee. The same silent reception
for her; the same silent reception for the
whole feetl What is the meaning of this
The enemy is obviously holding back his
FIRE until he can deliver it with the great
est possible effect.
The line has now passed across the front
of Morris Island and rounds to make the
entrance Of the harbor, coming up within
the circle Of the fire Of Fort Sumter and
suspense becomes painful.
"There was silence deep as death,
And the DO dest held their breath
For while"
In an instant hollow square of smoke
rises from the top Of SUMTER hollow
square of fame shoots up-a crash coun-
terfeiting "Jove's dread clanors bursts
on the ear, and whole broadside streams
down from the barbette guns 1t is pre-
cisely four minutes past three in the af-
ternoon.
FoULIEG OF THE WEEHAwKEE.
Stretching from a point close to the
northeastern angle Of Fort Sumter, COM
pletely across the channel to Fort Moultrie,
is a stout hauser, floating on lager-beer
casks, on which are hung nets, seines and
cables, strung with torpedoes. The vessel
comes sfoul Of this, Whisks up the nasty
entsnglements with its propeller, is thus
deprived OF all motive power, and is At tho
mercy Of the current to be drifted ashore
into the hands of the rebels. If this fatal
ity was not actually realized by the iron
clads, it was owing to the admirable skill
Of the captains Of the foremost ships, who.
when their vessels were on the point Of
fouling, sheered off, and saved themselves
and the feet.
THE oBsTUCTIoEs.
The right hand channel being thus OBJ
structed, it remains to see what can be
done with the left between Sumter and
Cummings Point. But this, too, is still
more effectuslly blockaded by row of
piles, rising ten feet above the water, and
extending across the whole width of the
passage. Looking up to the harbor, an
other row of piles discloses itself, stretch
ing across from Fort Ripley on the middle |
ground to Fort johnson. It, does not |
stretch entirely across, however, for mid |
way is an opening, inviting the passage of |
the feet. Submerged in the water, under |
meath that opening, is torpedo filed with |
Incredible though the statement may |
seem, it is an actual fact---fUe thousand |
pounds of powderI Furthermore, above |
this first line Of piles is a second, and above |
the second third-while above all, and |
j just behind the upper line Of distractions |
are the three rebel iron-clads drawn up in |
battle array, and vomiting huge clouds Of
smoke.
THE REAL BATTLE.
Thus brought to a pause, it only re-
msined for the iron-olads to take up such
positions as they could. And the compli
cation was further increased by the ill-be-
hsviOr of the flagship, the Ironsides. While
steaming along up through the passage in
front of Sumter, she is caught by the tide
way, and veered off from her course, and
her huge iron frame refusing to obey her
rudder, she becomes in great part unman-
sgeable. This embarrassed not her only,
but all that portion Of the feet following
her. The two Monitors Immediately be-
hind (the Catskill and Nantucket) fell foul
If her, the one on one side, and the other
IN the opposite, and it was full fifteen
minutes before they could be got clear, and
pass on.
In this plight it only remained for Ad-
niral Dupont to signal to the feet to dis
'egard tho movements Of the flagship.
This he did, and the ships then assumed
Iueh positions as were available and they
.Ould gain, the whole number being at the
mouth Of the hsrbor, between Cummings
Point and Sullivan's Island, and opposite
he northeast and eastern face Of Fort
sumter, at distances Of from six hundred
q . Lhnt.an. N M II.