Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1863-04-23
Attack Of our Iron-Clads on Charles.
ton Harbor.
Account by an Eyewitness.
From the New York Times.

gramme--the Reokuk, which brings up
the rear of the line, lying down nearly op-
posite Lighthouse inlet, and the others
extending On at intervals of q cables
length--the WeehasoEen leading the van.
The head of the line is some four miles
from the position the fleet is to make be-
fore opening fire, and all the batteries on
Morris lsland-they must run within easy
range OF esch-have to be passed.
The fleet is hardly in motion, however,
when the leading vessel, the Weehan6en,
stops, and all the Others have to stop
also. The cause of this delay, as we al
forwards learned, was the arrangement of |
a raft which had been attached to the !
Weehawken for the purpose of exploding |
torpedoes and clearing away obstEpctions. |
This instrument il one of the inventions
of Mr.. Ericsson's fertile genius, and con-
sists Of raft about twelve feet square,
composed of transverse timbers, eighteen
inches III thickness, fitting on to the Prov
of the vessel. From the forward part OF
this raft, suspended from cable six feet
| in the water was to be large ojectile,
containing several thousand pounds OF
powder, so constructed that the line of
traction would be forward and laterally,
and capable of being exploded from the
turret by means of a lanyard. One OF
these RATS which had been brought down
was attached to the WeehaWken, which
for this reason was assigned the leading
position in the line. Owing to the purely
experimental character of the device, how
ever, the projectile was not attached to
the raft, but in its place number of
| had w
it was hoped would be found OF service in
exploding and tearing out torpedoes. In
the course of getting under way, these
grapplings had become fouled in the
anchor cable, and this was the cause OF
the delay of the Weehauken and Of the
whole fleet.
1t takes an hour to set this matter to
rights, and at kalf-past one O'Clock the
fleet is once more under way. depend
upon it that there were two parties thai
watched the progress of the iron flee,
with an intensity OF interest that words
are too feeble to expressive, spectators
from our vessels, and the still more inter
ested spectators in the forts, who kept uf
perpetual signalling of its approach
from point to point.
Slowly the leading vessel, followed by
, the other eight ironclads, moves up the
main 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 tht
. fleet. The FIRST battery to whose fire i
will be exposed is Fort Wagner, and ont
fixes his eye on it.and the WeeAawken, ap
preaching nearer and nearer. She come
within range of the fort-no fire. She
passes across it-still no fire. The seconc
I ship comes up, and meets the same silen
, reception and so on, one by one, till
with the Keokuk, the whole nine files by
without q single shot from this seemingly
l formidable work.
Meantime, while the fleet is passing
Wagner unmolested, the leading vesse
has come up with the next rebel work
battery Bee. The same silent reception
for her; the came silent reception for th,
7 whole feet. What is the meaning of this
3 The enemy is obviously holding back hi
fire until he can deliver it withsthe great
: est possible effect.
Tie line has now passed across Morri
{ Island and rounds to make the entranc,
3 of the harbor, coming within the circle O
+ the fire of Fort Sumter and the batterie
on Sullivan's Island. The suspense be
comes painful.
"There was silence deep as death,
= And the bold i held their breath
In an instant hollow square of smok
rises from the top of SumteI-a hollow
square of flame shoots up-a crash coun
terfeiting 'Jove's dread clamors' bursts OF
!, the ear, and whole broadside stream
: down from the barbette guns It is pre-
] cisely four minutes past three in the after
- noon.
.. While the Weehaaoken is receiving thi
I fire, the others are gradually coming up t.
3 the same position; but the leading vesse
= instead of passing on above Sumter, so al
s to place herself, in the prescribed station
opposite the northwest face, sheers off t.
i the right, and lies stopped between Sum
ter and Moultrie!
!. TIE REBEL DISTRACTIONS.
! From our point of view, no cause fol
this unlocked for development can be per
ceived, but to those on the Weehawken il
is only too apparent. Stretching from q
point close to the northeastern angle Of
9 Fort Sumter, completely across the chan
nel to Fort Moultrie, is stout hawser
floating on casks, on which are hung nets
, seines, and cables, strung with torpedoes
: The vessel comes afoul of this, whisks or
r the nasty entsnglements with its propel.
Ter, is thus deprived of all .motiveS power
and is at the mercy of the current, to be
: drifted ashore into the hands of the rebels
! If this fatality was not actually realized by
the iron clsds, it was owing to the admi
rable skill of the captains OF the foremost
ships, who, when their vessels were just
On the point of touling, sheered off, and
8 saved themselves and the feet.
The right channel being thus INSTRUCTED
it remains to see what can be done with
, the left, between Sumter and Cummings
3 Point. But tits, too, is still more effec'
tually blockaded by = row of piles, rising
ten feet above the water, aud extending
across the whole width of the passage
: Looking up the harbor another row OF
3 piles discoses itself, stretching across
from Fort Ripley On the middle ground to
. Fort Johnson.
THE IRoNsIDEs UNMANAGEABLE.
Thus brought TO pause, it onl y remain
ed for the iron clads to take rp such posi-.
tons as they could. And the complication
3 was further increased by the ill behavior
of the flagship, the 1ronsides. While steam
ing along up through the passage in front
of Sumter, she is caught by the tideway,
. and veered off from her course. and her
t ,uge iron frame refusing to obey her ruda
der, she becomes in great part unman-
ageable. This embarrassed not her only,
but all that portion of the feet following
her. The two Monitors Immediately be-
hind (the Catskill and the Nantucket) fell