, 1863-04-03
Qbifogo Gribnute.

ment at Port Hudson.
Extracts from the ''Jackson Mis-
sissippian."
REBEL DETAILS Of TIE FIGHT AT PORT
HUDSON.
a correspondent Of the ;:pw2, writing on
tile 10th, furnishes the subjoincd details Of the
recent engagement ut Port Hudson, between
the batteries and Admiral Farrasut's : 1cet.
festetday, tSunday, 14t1)a 4 number Of the
cnemys vessels came within eight and an-
ehored on tnc point At the head Of Prophets
ls1a14d, abuut fuI! miles down the river The
lfon-clud battery Essex and 4 number of NOR
tar boats anchored close up behind the point.
Having calculattd ID the range Of our batteries,
o. accurately as might be under the circum-
stances, about ) O'Clock iu the afternoon the
mortar boats and the Esttx commenced prac-
tlcc, throwing shells for an hour and half,
but without any damage Or alarm on our side
hour otInidnight for their surprise visit.
Il +
Shortly before midnight, the boats having
folmcd 1lc line Of battle as described, their
decks cleared for action, and the men at their
quarters, the Hartford led the way and the
others promptly followed her direction. At
the r1onlcnt Of tlciF discovery rocket was to
be sent up from The Admlral's flagship, as
the signal for the Essex and her accompany
Ing mortar boats to commence work.
Although there has been no indication Of
such determined night attack by Farragut,
the usual Tlgilcnt precautions were in force
at our batteries. Every gun was ready for
action, and around each piece slept detach.
mtnt IF gu1lncrs. So dark was the night,
ho~cver, and so silently he'd the armed craft
nosed their way up, that thu flagship had
passed some Of our guns and all the fleet were
within easy range before their approach was
known. Almost at the same tfule !: rocket
from our signal corps, and the discharge Of
muekets BY an infansrJ picket, aroused the
line. Quick as fash, while tie FILLING tirc
OF our alarm rocket was yet uncxtinguishcd,
deck another.
Thea came one grand, long deafenins roar
that rent the atmosphere with its mighty
Thunder, elaking buth land and water, and
causing the high battery crowned cliffs to
tremb}e rs if witt, fear and wonder. Every
Gun on the tect, and every 1norterat the point
joined In unc Simultaneous discharge. i =
The batteries On the long
line Of bluff, hut 4 moment before silent Is
the cEurcllA ard, now rcsound to the hu.tyiur
tread IF men, while the quick, stern tones Of
command are heard above the awful liu, and
the faf'lvels glanelag rays Of light from the
Of death and destruction, and show the half:
covered way to magazines.
The sheets Of flame that poured
from the sides Of the sloops ut each discharge
Ill up nearly the wholv stretch Of river, plac.
ing each craft in strong relief against the
nlack IT,. ~. \. Inc noise was stunning to the
car, but they knew not yet the position Of ouz
batteries, and the shut aud shell, fired ut ran.
| dom, had no material effect.
Minute after minute passed AWAY, each
driven to eternity Distracted by the madden.
! ing roar OF So many cannon, and the fleet kept
lea unchecked eon5Ee up the stream. Amaze
| mtnt seized the Yankee officers and men
Where were the long talked Of batteries the
rebels had been constructing with which tt
| taold the Mississippi: Had they been abaE.
| doned in panic caused hy the hombardn4en,
Of the fleets? The marine officer OF the Mis-
| sissirrI, now a prisoner, tells me the query
vas sci iously prorounded whether the rebel:
cheated the brave Yankse tafs out Of 1hs
glory they were expecting to reap. Only toe
] koon did the enemy discover that We Wer(
| but waiting to bring the whole fleet irsetriuv
ul'iy under cur guns before we went to work
For fifteen minutes had they piled at thci,
1nencfrg to relax, from sllecr vcxation, whc,
= flash oflight from the crest OF the cliff lishtE
| Ike ray for 4 shell to r., plunglng through I'll,
1lartford's deck. This was the monitor, anG
once the enemy saw i Gordon Of vivid light as
lung A. their OWN.
Now commenced tho battle in nil its terri
Bic car':eetness. 0utnulnbcred in guns and
ontwc}gheJ in metal, our yolieys were n
| quickly repeated, and the majority of them
uncr.ihg in their aim. As soon Al the enemy
| thus discovered our batteries, they opened un
ths m with grape and canister. which waa
1nt're accurately thrown than their shells, and
threw clouds Of dirt upon the guns and gun.
ners. The shells went over them in every
| conceivable direction but the right one. The
Hartford, very last ship, now made straight
Tor up the river, making her best time, and
trying 10 divert the aim of our gunners b.
her incessant and deafening broadsidcs. She
soon outstripped the balance Of the fleet.
Shot after ehot struck her, riddling hcr
through and through, but still she kept on
| her WY.
! Every craft now looking out for itself and
bound to make its Tery best time TO get by
| got so mixed III, it was difficult, and some
| times Impossible, to distinguish one from
| anofner. 1t was speedily apparent to the
enemy that the fire was great deal hotter
tls'n had been expected, and the Cuptaius ot
the two gunhoats and of the Monougahela,
doubtless resolved quichly that it would be
nladn.ss TO attempt to run such a terrible
gauntlet Of iron hail. Whether the com.
nandcrs Of The Richmond and Mississippi
| had already arrived at the same determination,
| III toWC ~ IL tu0u t1lE[t Is uOt hT0WIl, pul
they all, except the Hartford, undertook tG
put about and return the way they came.
For this purpose the Richmond sheercd In
to The left bank, under the batteries. and ther
circled round. her course reaching nearly ur
TO the opposite point. In executing thi;
ntnenyre she gaye our battcric!
they took excellent advantage Of It, rippInt
her from stern to stem. From the crashing
Of timhCrs, plainly heard during every briG
in,cr,a1 Of the din, and from the view had o
shots that struck her, it was evident that lie
doom was scaled. Instead of making rur
for it, down the river, hugging the opposite
shore, she again turned her PROV toward ou
batteries, and ran right in under them.
As she got this position, 4 voice from or
beard Of her cried out: t'Now let Inc scc yo1
strike me from those hills Cd d-n you.
As if in answer to his blasphcmous appeals,
battery above and below got his range, AMI
while il shell crashed through his forccas,lc,
double charge Of grape swept his decks from
the lnizcnmast forward. It must have don
fearful execution, and the same voice whicl
just before rung ont All oath and a defiance
now exclaimed in pitcous accents" Fo
Gods sake, don't shoot any more! We ar
sinking!"
! 1twa6 reported among n crowd Of obsery
ers on the bluff that II voice from her deck ha'
c1lled out; "Wc surrender! we surrender
If this was eafd 1t was not probably spoken b.,
her commander, who, however, appealed t
our our bat'esiss si, to cease firing upon her as til
Whether she sank do not as yet know
Hcr commander may bare used 4 Yankee arti
t:cc to escape asy the mistaken humanity Of th
yictors, but If she Is mt seriously disabled
then many experienced eyes WIS greatly DE-
ceiyea.
The Mississippi undertook to execute til
same manteuver ot turning round and maxim
her escape back to the point she started from
i She had rounded and just turned down stream
when one -four shots tore of her rudder, all
another went crashing through her machincry
Immediately after came the rushing sound {
steam escaping from some broken pipe, an
the now un,lEina5eable vessel driftcd ayroun
directly opposite our crescent limo Of BATE
ries. Her range Wits quickly gained, aud sh
was being rapidly torn to pieces by our mi
silcs, wien the commander gave the order fo
all hands to save themselves the best Wa
they could. 1t the same time fire broke OF
intWo places.
The prisoners VIC lave taken were Of opinio
she was set on fire by her own officers, bat
is rs likely that it was caused By onr red. he
shot, WHICH were being poured into her unil
tcrruptciljy. At this time her decks wei
one Of her crew, with whom I have convcrSet
who thought that on half Of her complc,nc1
ofmen were included in the list Of eausaltie
-
Gncl are the particulars OF th1S morning
fight at Port Hudson. For the time II 1aste
. ii was one Of the most desperately coutestt
engagements Of the war.
EXTRACTS FROM THE JACKs0SsfEISS1
SIPPIAN
Our correspondent. at Corinth has sent us
copy Of tie jackson +Ni.six~ippidn Of the II
! Of March, from which NC make the folloHit
+ | extractB:
s'THE TCEnETED MONSTER"
n.J,o Jre++u c+inu IF fho TndfapoJo nu3 ~