The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-04-02


louder and still clear unt-bane right your face
seems, fash like that OF sheet lghtnng-a sharp,
terrible exposona then, thudi thud thud the rent
iron strikes in every direction buryiug ts jagged fras
Minute after minute passed away, each driven 70
cannon and the ee, Kept is unchecked course up tho
stream Amazement sezes upon the Yankee officers and
men Where were the long talked Of batteries the rebels
had been constructing with which 10 hold the Mssis
sipp2 Had they been abandoned in panic cased by the
terrible bombarment Of the heetS The marine officer OF
seriously propounded whether the rebes had not evacua
ed their ssronghsd and thus cheated the brave Ysn
Only too soon did the enemy discover that but
waiting 70 bring their whole ee rrerievably under our
they Piled at their monster cannon and now they we're
commencing 10 relax, from sheer vexaon, when hash
Of light from 'hs crest o. elm Lights tnS way oe sns
monitor, and at once tho enemy saw Gordon OF vivid
light as long 40 their own.
Now commenced the battle In all its terrible earnest
0utnumbered guns and outweighed In metal our
yoleys were as Here the paper Is 80 maated snas
batteries they opened them with grape and can
ster, which was more accurately thrown than their
Shells and threw clouds OF dirt upon the guns and gun
ners. The shells them in every conceivable
direction, except the right one The Hartford, avery
best time trying divert the aim Of gunners by
her incessant and deafenng broadsdes She soop out
stripped the balance Of the eet shot after shot struck
hor Kidding her through and through but still shs kept
Every craft now looking out for itself and bound to
lire Of battle and got mixed up 1t was difficult and
sometimes impossible TO distinguish one from another.
II speedily apparent TO the enemy that the re was
great deal hotter aud destructive than had been
peced the captains OF the two gunboats and OF the
Monongahea doubtless resolved quickly that would no
madness attempt such terrific gauntlet Of iron
hail. Whether the commanders OF the Richmond and
Mississippi had already arrived at the same determinh
tion after, is known but they ALL
except the undertook to put about and return
For this purpose the Richmond sheered close in to the
left bank under the batteries and then cced round her
reaching nearly up TO the opposite point In ex
ecutng this she batteries successive
y raking position and they took excellent advantage OF
ripping her from stern TO stem. From tho crashing Of
mbers plainly heard during every brief interval OF the
din and from the view had Of shots that struck her.
dent that her doom sealed Instead of making
down the river, huggng the opposite shore,
she again turned PROV toward batteries and
right in under them. AS she got this position voice
from on board cried OUT "Now let see you strike
me from those hills God damn you' AS il in answer ~
his biasphemous appeal, battery above and below got
his range and while q shell crashed through his fore
castle double charge OF grape swept his decks from the
mizzcnmast forward 1t must have done fearful execu
ton and the same voice which had just before rung oa
oath and q defiance, now exclaimed in piteous &C
cents, "For Gods sake don't shoot any more; VIC are
smkingi'
blum that n voice from her deck had called out awe
surrenderNwe surrender" this was said IL was not pro.
baby spoken by her commander who however appealed
70 batteries TO cease airing upon her. ~ the ship was
sinking As she evidently drifting down in an un-
les lei her alone and turned their attention 70 other craft
Whether not she sank do not yet know. Her com
mandcr have used Yankee urtifce TO escape by
the mistaken humanity Of the victors but she Is not
seriously disabled then many experienced greatly
deceived.
Tho Mississippi undertook 10 execute the
turning round and making her escape back 10 the
point she started from She had rounded and just turned
down when Of shots tore OF her ruddcr,
and another went crashing through her machinery I'm
mcdatey after the rushing sound Of steam escap-
ing broken Pipe, and the now unmanageable
vessel drtsd aground directly opposite crescent line
OF batteries. HIS range was quickly gained, and the
wnsu 0s shs commander gave he order for ali hands
to themselves the best way they could. Az the
haxe asp are % Ina, she was set on Ore by
officers but is quite a. likely that was caused by
red hat shot which being poured into her unn
terruptedly. At this time her decks strewn with
dead and wounded, according TO one Of her crew with
whom have conversed who thought that one halt heI
complement of were included In the iiss Of caSu
| altics.
In the meantime must for the sthcr vessels
Of the eet. The three larger vessels bad occupied mos
OF the attention Of the batteries but the ether craft ha6
| not by any means been overlooked. Two had turned
and down stream. One OF them apparently
escaped without serious disability but the other which
probably the kneo, oated down past the batteries
out being able TO return them and from tho confusion Of
voices and the mngng Of oas, execrations and orders
heard from her decks IT was evident 'hat grss ssnshe
itself was In a critical predicament vessel which was
either the Tennessee Monongahcla most probably the
former slipped by IN the confusion and oDod the Hart
| ford up the river
some dfy 1--WE or sixty persons saved themselves BY
jumping overheard and swimming or wadng from ths
Mississippi the shore. or these the major and captain
Of marines and assistant engineer, with forty ve sailors
and marines, have been arrested by our cavalry ant
brought during the day Sone few others are re
ported 10 be hiding themselves IN the swamp lhe dead
and wounded were left upon the Mississippi which
oated of and started down with the current All th'
other vessels OF range and the spectacle
the burning ship grand and solemn one, yet min
gled nth painful thoughts Of the horrible fa,e Of thos
mangcd unfortunstes who being burned 10 destf
upon this floating funeral pyre As the flames would reach
the shells lying among her guns they exploded b,
one, adding 20 the novel grandeur OF the sight.
When the burning Mississippi reached the po'nt wher'
che mortar boats and other craft lay she created perec
| panic among them Probably from the fear 'of hc
| cast loose from their moorings and run befor'
her, not making their appearance again unth near th'
hour Of noon TODAY The light OF the burning wreck
could be steadily increasing It's distance, Tor tw'
hours and half A. Eve minutes past i've O'Clock wheE
the Mississippi probably within nve miles OF Baor
well known 20 be the explosion OF tbe magazine
Aftor considerable interval Of time long rumblini
sound brought nna proof that the Msssspp, one OF th
nnest vessels OF the United states Navy, which bst
earned historic fame before the commencement Of tn
present ". as The nAsshp OF the Japan expedition wa
| Tho drst shoi IVES fred 81 ten minutes past tweiv
O'Clock and the last ~ twenty minutes past two
The relative oss df life Of the most sgnncan
features Of the anair-- Tho oss sn board the enemy
vessek must amount 10 at least 80 killed and wounded
On the Mississippi alone the loss over l50 The oss
| slightly wounded and man u the First Teonosse
| battalion, severely wounded.
| Prosrotions In Kew York Regiments.
| ALnA~r, April I, 1890.
Tho following promotions have beea made In New Yosi
regiments Forty seventh regiment, Horny Moore, Colo
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