Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-04-10
RrrrlvrEsro> or IRE Posi- Hrpso> A,r.m.

REEEINTEsIoN or IRE Posi- HrnsoS AFFAIR
The jackson Clis-) ArYeai of tho 18th ult.,
gives the rebel version of the affair at Port
Hudson, from which We extract %. folio
WING
Although there had boen no indication of such
a determined night attack by Fsragut. the usu-
al vi-lart precautions were IN force AZ our bat
teries. Every gun vas ready Tor scton, anil
around each piece slep, detachment 90 Eunucrs.
- dark was the night, however, aui 60 lightly
had the armed craft nosei their way up. that the
flagship had passed some of our guns and an the
fleet were within easy rluri bef.re their approach
was known. Almost II the same time rocket
from our signal corps and the discharge Ut mus
keis bv an infantry picket aroused our line
Quick as a fash. while the falling ire of our
alarm rocket was Vet cxtincuishei there shot mp
into the sky. from the lllrtorl's deck, another.
Then came one grand. long. defining roar, that
rent the atmosphere with the mighty thunder.
shaking both land and water, aud causing the
high hsttcry-crownel elm. 90 tremhlc as ii f9r
fear and wonder Every gun ou the feet and
every mortar al The point ioiuel u One s'muit,-
neon. discharge.
" hen the enemy Rer. thin. discovered o. our
batcrc-. they opened ou them with grape and
canister. which wa, NOR, accurately thrown than
their shells. and threw clouds Of lirt upon the
guns ami gunner. The shells went over them
10 every conceivable direction. except TIE right
one The Hartford. % very fast ship. now made
straight Or up the river. masking her best time,
and trying to divert the sim ot our -unners by
her inc,-sant and dcafenn- br0ad>iie- she
soon outstrprei the balance Of the fleet Shot
after shot struck Ter. rllln- her through and
through; but st'll She kept on her way
The following Observation-Disclosures exploit.
seems to have entirely e-.arej rfr us'io. Of
our men ON board the Richmond
For this purpose the Richmond sisered close
in to the LETT bank, under the batteles, and then
circlei round, her course reaching nearly up 70
the opposite point. In executing this mln0eu-
yer, she gave our batteries successfully a rakiur
position, and they took excellent advantage az IT,
ripping her from stem to stern. From the crash
ing Of timbers plainly heard during every brief
interval Of the din. and from the view bad Of
shots that struck her. it Was evident that her
doom was sealed Instead of making a run for
it down the river, hugginS re opposite shore,
she again turned her PROV toward cur batteries
and ran right in under them. As she got this
position. voice from on board cried out. "Now,
let me see you strike ne from those hills, God
q
appeal. a battery above and below got his range,
and while shell crashed through his fo-ecastle
double charge Of grape swept his decks from
the mizEenmast forward. Il must have done
fearful execution, and the same voice which had
just before runs out sn oath and a defiance, now
exclaimed in piteous accents, "For Gods sake,
don't shoot any more, We are sinking"
1t was reported among crowd Of Observers on
h1s,H hat L. l., !
out; I'VE surrender 'Ve surrender - II this
was said, it was not probably spoken by her
commander, who, however, appealed to our bat
teries to cease firing upon her, as the ship was
sinking. A. she was evidently drifting down in
an unmanageable condition and apparently SET
ting, the batteries let her alone and turned their
attention TO other craft. Whether or not she sank
| do not as vet kT.ow. Her commander NAV
have used a Yankee artihce to escape BY the
mistaken humanity Of the viciors /; but If she l.
not seriously disabled, then many al experienced
observer was greatly deceived.
After giving an account Of the destruction
of the Mississippi, the correspondent eontin-
ues
In the mean time must account Tor the other
vessels Of the fleet. The three larger vessels had
occupied most Of the attention Of the batteries.
but the other craft had not by any means been
overlooked. Two hsd turned round and -tartei
down stream. One Of them apparently escaped
without serious disability, hut the other. which
was probably the Kineo, fioated down past the
batteries in an unmanageahle condition receiving
our yolleys without being able to return them;
aud from the confusion Of voices and the ming
ling Of oaths, execraticns and orders heard from
her decks, il was evident that great slaughter
must have been made among her crew, else that
the boat itself Wis IN a critical bredicament A
vessel, which was either the Tennessee or Nlonon-
Sahela, most probably the former, slipped bv in
the confusion and joined the Hartford NJ the
river.
The first shot was fred at 10 minute. past -
o'clock, aud the la-t one at - minutes ra-t
= "A. m.
The relative ioss Of LIE was one Of the most
significant itaturcs u the slIair-The loss on
board the enemy's vessels Inus; amount % go
killed and Wounded; on the Mississippi alone the
loss Vas over l51. The los IN our Latteiies was
obo lentebaa; u the let Alabama, slightly
and one man Of abe 1t Tsnnez-ee bat
iaiion severely wounded