The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-07-03

Her Capture by Capt. Rodgers.

Her Capture by Capt. Rodgers.
Full Details Of the Engagement.
DESCRIPTION OF THE VESSEL.
Correspondence of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
PoRr ROYAL, s. G., June 10, 1868.
WHAT THE I" ATLANTA " PROPOSED" TO DO.
In order that you may fully appreciate
the sequel to this rebel adventure, / will
here narrate, as have it from the officers
themselves, the object and intention of
their expedition. The following was their
plan They were fully aware of the pres
ence of the Weehawken and Nahant in
Warsaw Sound, but they intended to en-
gage these Monitors, and, having captured
them, to send them up in tow of their gun
boats to Savannah. If, on engaging our
Monitors, they found themselves unable to
whip and capture them, then they intended
to run past them and put out to sea. Hav-
ing gained the ocean, they were to proceed
Immediately to Charleston harbor, and en-.
gage the blockading fleet there, in conjunc-
ton with the rebel rams at Charleston,
which were to come down to our feet upon
certain signals, which had already been
agreed upon, being made by the Atlanta
Our blockaders having been annihilated,
the Atlanta and her consorts would pro-
ceed to Wilmington and raise our blockade
there in similar manner. After these
important victories had been gained, then
an indiscriminate raid upon the Northern
sea-board towns and cities was to be made,
and general havoc ensue upon the land
and sea- This was their intention let
US see how t.. ... ti-
"The best-laid schemes of men and mice, gang
aft aglee."
THE ATLANTA OPENS THE BALL.
But we left the Atlanta steaming down
upon our Monitors, while the latter, es-
pecially the Weehawken, was making
counter advances. The Atlanta, when
she arrived within six hundred yards of
the Weehawken, ran aground, but sue
ceeded in Immediately backing off and re-
gaining her course. But again, as if some
strange fatality attended her, she ran
aground the second time, and in this con-
dition opened fire upon the Weehawken,
which was then within four hundred yards
of her. Our officers, however, did not
know that the Atlanta was aground un-
til the action was over. The first shot
pivot gun, but it fell short of the Weehaw-
ken, and demonstrated that the gunner
who sighted that shot was a novice in the
art.
THE ''wEEBAwKEN" is COURTEOUS AS USUAL.
Captain Rodgers himself, anxious as ever
for good beginning, sighted his fifteen
inch gun, loaded with a solid shot, and
away went this huge missile against the
shutter of the starboard aft port-hole, and
shivering it as well as the iron and wood
work adjoining, fell off into the water
without doing further injury. The At
lanta, in reply, fired another shot from
her pivot gun, which, like its predecessor,
fell short.
Captain Rodgers again sighted his fifteen
inch pet, and the solid shot hurled through
the air, carrying away in its fearful pas
sage the pilot house of the Atlanta. The
falling iron and woodwork wounded Sc
verely, two of the three pilots, SO that the
Atlanta was not only with but one pilot,
but also minus her pilot-house.
Nothing daunted, however, she returned
the fire from her fore starboard gun, but
alas for the aim, the shot failed to hit the
Weehawken. Rodgers again sighted, and
grazed the wreck of the pilot-house. The
Atlanta did not return the fire, and again
the Weehawken sent forth fifteen-inch,
which went completely through the At
lanta's smoke-stack To this the Atlanta
replied with her pivot gun, and her shot
fell within two feet of the Weehawken.
When within one hundred yards of the
craft Capt. Rodgers, wishing to encourage
such laudable ambition on the part of
the Atlanta's guns, sighted his guns for
the fifth shot, and crash went the solid
tifteen-inch shot into the Atlanta's side,
just aft of the starboard port hole. You
can judge of tie velocity of the shot when
I tell you that it completely bent in
wrought iron armor four inches thick, and
shivered into fragments four-inch thick
ness of live oak plank and four-inch
thickness of Georgia pine plank. These
flying fragments struck the men working
the larboard fore gun, killing one and
wounding thirteen of them. The force of
the blow was so great that every man
working the pivot gun fell to the deck
completely stunned. The ball itself rolled
off from the Atlanta's side and fell into
the water.
THE ATLANTA SHOWS THE WHITE FLAG.
The last shot of the Weehawken caused
all visions of the blockade, Charleston and
Wilmington, to rapidly fade from the men
tai vision of the Atlantas officers, and i'm
mediately the white flag was seen waving
from the wreck of her pilot-house. The
action was only of fifteen minutes dura-
ton and she fell a prize to the Weehaw-
ken's prowess in twenty-six minutes from