The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1863-05-07
The Successful RHnninR Of the Batteries
81 PORter'S Fleet. 4. r.. tua..

BEFORE VICKsBURG, April II, 1868.-Yes-
terday evening at twenty minutes past eleven,
Admiral Porter ran the blockade with eight
gunboats and three transports-as follows:
The Benton flag ship. } Lafayette, Csrondolet,
Pittsburg, Louisville, Cincinnati, Mound City,
Gron clads,) and the Prince (wooden)Hand
the transports Silver Wave, Forest Queen, and
Henry CLAY. Soon after turning the point
| above V~icksburg, the batteries on Force Hill
opened upon the Benton, followed promptly
by all the upper batteries. The fleet moved
steadily along in the line of battle, lights out,
and the men at quarters on the bow guns and
Iarhord broadsides. AS each rounded the
point in easy range of the rebel batteries, she
opened FIRE with the bow p~ort-quarEer guns,
throwing percussion shell. Coming INTO close
quarters they fred broadsides of shrapnell and
grape. After turning the point, the Admi-
rails fleet closed up, his line OF battle beng
one and a half miles in length, and describing
an arc inside of a seml-clrcle OF rebel guns,
five miles in length. Every battery was full
Iy manned and rapidly served. The cannon
| AIDE was grand and terrible. The heavy roar
of Dahlgrens, the keen, eager ring Of Parrots,
| the explosion of shell, intermlnghng with
each other, made the earth and water trem-
bic with the sublime music OF war. Over
| two nll0Teu Qull6 VI III y NASot NhAAOAS1 wv
worked to their utmost capacity for two hours.
Huge bonfres, built by the rebels to light
I'M the river, the burning Of buildings fired
nv o1r shell. and the conhagration of the Hen
nv CLAW, lit up a scene, over which hung a
broad canopy of heavy, dark smoke, such as
only a gigantic war can produce. Gen. Grant,
on the Won Phul, near the point above, and Gen.
| Sherman in a yawl below, opposite the mouth
of the canal, and an anxious crowd OF officers
and soldiers witnessed the battle. All Of the
| gunboats passed the Vicksburg batteries un-
harmed. The Benton received the heaviest
fire; a shell exploding at a port-hole, killed
an officer and wounded three men. The Lou
isviIle had three men wounded. This IS prob
ably the total of our loss, except from two OF
our gunboats, from which as yet we have had
nc report.
Of the transports, the Silver Wave (our
Black BAYOU friend Captain MCMILLAN, pass
ed through uniniured; the Forest Queen,
Captain Conway, received q shot through hull;
she was taken in tow by the Benton, and tow
ed through-can be repaired in a few days;
the Henry Clay was fired by a shell In the
cotton with which she was protected, and
burned. The crew all escaped. John Taylor,
pilot. was the last to cave her, and was pick
ed up in the river by General Sherman, OPP
posite the mouth of the canal.
Gen. Sherman went on board the Benton,
which lay by until the feet was again closed
up. The fleet then passed down by the War
renton batteries. The %cannonade at the War
renton batteries was not as heavy as that
which our boats had experienced. What dam
age, was done, we do not know but the in
dlcations of the fire are that the whole fleet
passed in safety. There are no ap%prehenslons
about it. i,
The rebels were evidently disconnected and
surprised, but soon recovered, and worked their
gums rapidly, if not well. What their loss is,
we can not, of course, tell. 1t must have been
heavy. Several batteries were eilenced. Our
own loss is inconsiderable.
1t is not improper now to state that we have
! a large land force below Vicksburg on the
| Louisiana shore, and that the new canal Is q
success.
This morning o casemated Federal battery
| of heavy Parrots is firing at the buildings and
batteries of Vicksburg. The battery is with
in reasonable range, and tells fesrfully.
Sum total eight gunboats, two transports,
and an army corps on the enemy's left Hank,
between Vicksburg and Port Hudson, at q
loss of one man killed, six wounded and a
transport burned. Good enough for one day.