The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-03-08
TIE CAPTURE OF THE INDIAAOLA.
~~~~~->~~N~<-~~~-~~~~~-~~
Her Operations Previous to
Her Loss.
GRAPHIC DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGHT.
THE MDIAN0LA BADLY DAMAGED.
Tho Rebel Fleet Below ViCkSburg
and Its Strength,
Cur nisslssippi River Correspondence.

Cur Misslssippi River Corresponde nee.
YorNG's Pc.rr, La, I
TIMER MnEs ABOVE VIcKsBU Ro, iep. 20, 1865 J
After the capture OF the Queen OF the West we had
hoped that the Indianoa would speedily succeed in re
taking her Il seems doomed TO disappointment,
ana 10 have additional modification OF losing tho In
The with which she passed The batteries at
Ncksbug and Warrenton appears to have created too
great confidence in her abilities.
or BOTH 1iG QUEEN AND TIE INDiASoLA
has mainly that these boats al
lowed proceed alone into the enemys country. Had
the Queen Of the West been attended by any other OF the
gunboat fleet she could easily have been saved
after running ashore at Gordon's Landing. Had the In
danoa been similarly ACCOMPANIMENT doubtful IL the
rebels would have ventured to attack her.
g.
with those who escaped from the Inflated Queen Capt.
proceeded with the lndianoa mouth of Red
river in pursuit Of the Webb The chauccs OF overtakng
her very remote, the Webb could easily steam
three miles in the time that the Indanola could
make one. The pursuit. not nm need until the
Webb had been absent for hours only pros
poet OF ng the rebel was in the event or
her lying by for fuel from other cause. By
time the ndanoa reached the mouth OF Rod river The
Webb at least hundred miles above on her way
Alexandra.
RIVER,
the In1anoa proceeded short distance up that stream
the ioosolt>for any rebel gunb ats transports
that might make Their appearance The Gu
trance to Atchaisaya bayou was watched, IN the
hlpe that some boat might emerge its way to Port
Hudson she upper Red river No capture made,
the boats doubtless warned by courers OF the
presence Of the lndanola. Ascending Red river some
twenty or thirty miles, Captain Brown ascertancd that
the Queen had been removed from the bar where she
stuck fast, and was repaired and ready for action,
CHANCES
This discovery put face upon the whole matter
1t unsafe for the Indanola to remain longer Red
river, the Queen might at any moment engage her
where the stream that she could be
handled to advantage. The Queen having built to
Cincinnati and lower Mississippi packet suf-
hcienty short to enable her pass the locks OF
at Louisville Her possessing this qualification rendered
her valuable for service on the Red river and other
n1rrow streams, where 4 would be nocessa,
poworful boat. long that could be handled
with difficulty anywhere out Of the Mississippi.
THE ORDERS GIVEN 10 CAPTAIN BROWN
similar to those Colonel Ellet He was TO cruise
tha Mississippi and up the Red river no found 1t
practicable it circumstances rendered it necessary TO
leave the latter stream he to make his way TO Big
Black river and attempt its ascent as far as the bridge of
the y,cksburg aud Jackson railroad fifteen miles In the
OF Ncksbnrg. The destruction Of this bridge would
the railway connexion between Vicsburg and the
cast and strike severe blow al the rebel stronghold.
II was deemed hishy important that 1t should be
yshed aud there is much cause to regret that 1t
neglected by both Colonel Ellet and Captain Grown
their downward trips.
on LEAVING RED RIVER
tho Indanola headed for Big Black river which cmpties
into the Mississippi at Grand Gulf forty miles below vcks
burg stopping at Natchcz for few hours he learned
rebel that attack had been made
Port Hudson, but TINT General Banks had massed
sideral force Baton Rouge The rebels stated that
Gen .er the officer In command at that point and
that ral Banks AT last accounts was In Now Orleans
II sac tful If their statements could be implicitly
lied upon. The PEOPLE Of Natchez appeared neither
friendly discourteous-eyidcnty desiring TO con
duct themselves that they would receive no censure from
the Confederate government while at the same time they
preserved their city from the shot and shell OF gun
boats
SptAyoiA REACHED GRAND GULF,
at tho mouth Of the Big Black without any incident
81 The batteries thes bluff hred single
shot at the ndianoa, and received in return warm well
from her two eleven inch guns One Of the shells
set are house that had been left unburncd ut the
time Admiral Farragut put the town flames In June
The rebel battery, which evidently consisted Of but
three guns did not open again upon the ndanoa though
she lay for a long time within range.
Her arrival at Grand Gulf was on Tuesday morning
and the afternoon OF that day she prepared TO ascend
the Big Black purpose of destroying the bridge
previously referred to- About two NJ her lookout per
ccived cloud Of smoke arising below and il soon
STEAMBOATS, WERE ASCENDING THE RIVER
could hardly be hoped that any boats from the lower
otla had passed Port Hudson, IL al conccturcd
that the approaching boats could he other than the
rebel craft from Red river. There were two OF them,
aud both burning coal The foremost perceived
20 be tho Webb, while the other the Queen Of the
West II is known that the rebels have recently fitted
Up the Doubloon, Quitman Louis dor and Magenta, IN
order to them rams for boarding. Their
in taking arrie, Lane has brought this mode
Tho history OF the Queen IS too well known TO need
repetition here. The Webb built several years
nee ana used for towing purposes in the harbor
New York She was noted as being very powerful
aud QUICK boat using two separate engines working in
dcpcndcnily OF each other. just before the broke
OF she was sont to New orleans, ostcnsby be used
there Tor TOW vessels from the Gulf Constructed FOR
summer and winter towloat, she must necessarily
great strength Of hull ana Of engines and would
be admirably fitted with little alteration 10 be used
II is said that shc can easily make twenty miles
an hour up the Mississippi OF thirty miles when moving
with the current There other boat the that
could hope to cope with her n point OF speed Even the
famous time made by the Eclipse and shotwen in 1858
would be excecd by the Webb. II is thought the gun
boat Bragg Formerly the Mexco), captured al Memphis
IN June last, would come nearest the mark made by the
Webb.
uros.
Al tho time the Webb came in sight OF the Fra No.
s, and fred upon by the Indanoln, she was
bat few moments IN getting out of sight, after
ouce heading down the stream and putting her engines
fairly operation. II IL easy to understand with what
orce could strike another GOAT when fully under head
way The strongest steamer in existence could hardly
hope 10 escape unhurt from such collision The Webb
being tho Of the rebel boats the FIRST
ceye the shot from tho eleven guns the Indsno
one OF these struck her upper works and though casng
INJURY ana not n a Re Ws S,n DC,
with tho evident design striking the indanoa on the
arbord sic opposite to the point where the Webb was
approaching shot from the lndaDols penetrated this
heat in such stop the action OF her machinery
io,a time second shot striking the Webb turned her
upon the lndianoa she lost much OF her momentum.
rHE SHOCK OF rHE COLLISION.
board side Just aft the turret, causing her umbers
tocrak icarfully Had the blow been delivered with
ful force there Us little doubt that the lndianoa would
have been 80 crushed IN that she would have sunk mne
dateiy As the Webb fell away from tho ndsnola the
latter threw one OF her eleven inch shells directly through
the uppor works % the Webb The shell exploded In tho
waicr q hundred yards from the boat after passing
through the cabin OF the rebel boat and causing much
havoc on its AZ the time the Webb brought
her forward thirtywn FOUNDER bear upon the ndi.
anoias turet but the balls glanced Of without any eject.
rHv QrEEN RErrRNs
As the Webb had delivered her blow and fallen
hack the Queen Of the West came up again the other
sde cndcavong 10 initiate the performances os her
sort The indianoa brought her guns 20 bear ulon
tue Queen, and " her shot passed directly
through the after part Of the cabin, domolishing
y 70 considerable extent Another struck the piot
house knlcsng large portion or lis tor completely
away and evidently dscoucertng those within A. coon
- MS shot struck the Queen sho steercd very wildly and
instead ~ dealing vigorous blow lndlnnaa
pat,t