Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-04-25

1Attopul - W H. l1OSls
Mound City, -
Tuscumbia, Capt. Shirk.
Of these gunboats all are iron-cad save the
Price; and except the TuScumbia and Lafly-
cite, will be recognized as the veterans of
many hard-fought battle. The Price is a
powerful wooden boat, that was captured from
the rebels last June before Memphis The
IuScumba and Lafayette are new boats COM
paratiyey; the former is sort of monitor.
with square turrets on her bow and stern and
is propelled by both a screw and paddles; the
latter is an immense mass of iron, with pow
ertul machinery, and guns of the heaviest
caIibre. Each of the boats had added to her
armor all the protection possible, with baled
cotton, hay, railroad iron, heavy timbers,
chains, or anything which would add strength
to their weaker parts.
The transports selected were the
Forest Queen (side-wheel), Capt Dan.
Henry Clay (side-wheel), commanded by
her mate.
Silver Wave (stern-wheeI, Capt. Nc
Millen.
After loading the holds of these vessels
with all the supplies they could carry, cotton
and hay were placed around their machinery
sufficient to protect their vital parasitic up
per works, pilot houses, &C., were left to the
care Of Providence and the bad gunnery of
the confederates. The night of the 18th was
first liked upon as the one in which to carry
out attempt. The transports, however,
had not finished taking in their supplies, and
the matter was necessarily adjourned until
the next night. Wednesday night came, and
just as everything was supposed ready. the
crew of the Silver Wave grew weak in the
knees, and refused to go, with the single ex-
cepton Of the captain. This produced de-
lay that was not remedied until too late to pro-
coed that night. Finally, during yesterday
every necessary preliminary was completed
soldiers were placed upon the Silver Wave
and the absence of a pilot was supplied by
Lieut. Geo. O'Neil Of the Tkirtieth Ohio, who
volunteered for the hazardous undertaking.
L believe that in the case of the Henry CLAW
nearly the entire crew was made up of SOL
diers, while in the case OF the Forest Queen
Captain Conway and his clerk, Billy Blenker,
together with every man belonging to the
boat, volunteered to remain with her and
share her fate.
Last night (Thursday) everything was in
complete readiness before dark. The plan
decided upon was that the iron clads should
pass down in single file, with intervals be-
tween the boats of few hundred yards, and
that when in front of the batteries they should
engage them with their hroadside guns, max
ing as much smoke as possible, under cover
of which the transports should endeavor to
pass unseen.
Lights twinkled busly from the Vicksburg
hillsdeS until about 10 o'clock, when they
disappeared, and about the same moment song
and laughter on our side were hushed, as a
shapeesS mass of what looked like great
fragment of darkness was dscerned floating
noiseless down the river. 1t was the Benton.
1t passed and disappeared III the night and
was succeeded by another bank Of darkness
the Lafayette, with the Price dashed to her
starboard side. And thus they continued
across the narrow vista which opened itself to
our eyes, as if huge shadows detached them
selves from the darkness above, foated across
our vision, and disappeared in the darkness
below. Ten of these noiseless shapes reveal
ed themselves and disappeared, and then we
knew that all the actors in the play had given
us the first scene of the first act.
Three quarters of an hour passed; people
heard nothing, save their own suppressed
breathings; saw nothing, save long low
bank of darkness, which like black fog,
walled the view below, and Joined the sky and
river in the direction of Vicksburg. And all
watched this gathering of darkness, for in it
we knew were thunders, and lghtnings, and
volcanoes, which at any instant might light
up the night with fierce irruptions. So long
time passed without anything occurring that
people begun to believe the rebels had de-
termlned, tor some malevolent purpose, to
allow the fleet to pass below without obstruc-
ton; some men offered bets to back such
opinions. However, this supposition was
hardly preached ere it was contradicted most
emphatcally. AT just a quarter before eev-
en-, two bright sharp lines of flame flashed
through the darkness at the extreme right OF
the Wink shurcr battariae. oDd in
the whole length of the bluffs was blaze with
fire. The fleet which had rounded the point,
and now lay squarey before the city, at once
responded by opening their ports and pouring
their broadsides Of twenty-five heavy guns,
charged with grape and schrapnel directly
against the city.
This introduced the second scene, and a
most exciting scene it was-the stars were
velled with crimson, the earth rocked with
heavy thunders. A great cloud of smoke
rolled heavily over the gunboats, and in this
the three transports entered and made their
pest ume' down the river. The EForest
Queen winch was in the advance, received
shot in the hull, and another through the
steam drum, which disabled her instantly.
The Henry Clay, that came next, STONED, to
prevent her running into the other, and at
the same moment was struck by shell which
set her cotton on fire. The crew, demoralized
by the stoppage and terrified by the fire, ran
aimlessly around for a few moments, then
launched the yawl, sprang into it, and pulled
for the shore- The pilot finding that no en-
gineer obeyed the bells, staid for short time
till the fire began to seethe around him, when
he seized plank, jumped overheard, and was
picked up by gunboat. The Clay, in the
meantime, became a great blazing mass, that
foated down the river until it disappeared be-
low Warenton. Had she been manned by
men of nerve, the fire would have been ex-
tingushed ard the boat carried through safe
ly; the fact of her floating so far shows that
her huh was uninjured.
The Forest Queen was taken in tow by a
gunboat and towed below without any further
damage The Silver Wave did not receive a
scratch. The Vicksburg batteries were
passed in about an hour and quarter. Upon
reaching Warrenton our gunboats took the
initiative by pouring in their broadsides the
instant they reached position; and so contin-
uous and terrific was their fire that the enc
my scarcely ever attempted to respond. In
fine, the fleet ran the blockade, losing only
the Henry Clay, and one man killed, and two