The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-03-14
HAWK-EYE.
Army Correspondence.
CAMP Both Iowa VOLUNTEERS,
On Outpost below Vicksburg.
February 81, 1868.

1
EDITOR HAwK.EYE:
| l visited this morning the steamboat Era
No. 5, which was captured by the Ram Queen
of the West up Red river, before they we're
compelled to abandon the ram; and on which
the officers and men escaped, and arrived here
at our Picket lines about half past IL o'clock
last night.
1 am indebted to Capt. Conner, and Lieut..
Tuthill, both of the Queen of the West, for the
facts and events embodied in this narrative,
and for many other items not included herein.
Having an official message for Col. Ellet,
was sorry to find the young, accomplished and
dauntless hero, quite ill, and confined to his
bed
The Ram left here, that is our camp, on the
night of the 18th inst. She passed the bat.
teries at Warrenton and on to the mouth of
Red river, without being saluted by Rebel guns
or shot. She bad been down, remember, the
week before, and shown her respects to trail
tors. On Saturday morning, the 14th inst,
when some 100 or 140 miles up Red River, she
attacked and captured the steamboat Era No.
S, laden with 1900 bushels of corn, some
cotton, and number of soldiers. The sol.
diers were paroled, the officers retained as
prisoners, small squad of men and corporal
left on her to guard her; while the ram with q
coal barge in tow proceeded up the river to
reconnoitre some batteries-about husband
while the Queen of the West was under full
steam, she was run hard aground on o bar.
The river makes sudden, square bend to the
right as you ascend it-about 800 yards above
the bend was the rebel battery. The ram was
hard aground, with her broadside to the enc
my's guns. In vain was the order given to
back her. She was stuck fast, while broad
side after broadside from the enemy's batteries
rained pitilessly upon her. The guns on the
Ram had been trained so as to fire as they
passed the fort or battery. She could
not reply, and as the steam, Kissing with
pent-up fury escaped, it was evident the off,
GERS would have to escape, as it was known to
them, that Gen. Lowell, of the rebel forces,
had issued orders that they should be hung
whenever caught. Trusting themselves to
cotton bales, with some twenty soldiers, they
launched forth in the dark, on the tur5id wa
ters of Red River. Some thirteen soldiers and
seven ofthe crew were left on board the Ram.
Among these 1st mater, Capt. Thompson, who
had been shot in the leg day or two before, by
guerrilla, and the I'd Engineer, who was scald.
ed by the cutting Of the steam pipe. These
we're all that had been injured of our men,
They foated down to the ferry boat De Soto,
which accompanied the Ram from here, mount
ing 80 pound PARROT, and thence on down
to the Era No. s. They then destroyed the
De Soto, and made for the mouth of the river.
They were pursued by the Webb, former
New York and New Orleans ting boat, which
they have converted into ram, which is very
powerful. 1t is said she can run Is or 20 miles
against the current of the Mississippi, and BY
two other boats Of speed and power, that have
light guns and cotton bulwarks. At the mouth
of Red River they met the gunboat Indianola.
one OF our new Monitor-but iron clais, carry-
ing two II inch guns. This boat went down
two days after the Ram, and was not known, by
them, to be there.) Under convoy of her, the
Era started up the Mississippi. As they neared
Natchez, the steam ram Webb gained rapidly on
her, (the Indianoa being in ront,) and evidently
anticipated an easy victory, and the glory Of
hanging several Federal officers The Indisnola
displays herself suddenly, by sending her COM
Mi i'm in oh &c uoIr
Quick as lightning the Webb wheels and scuds
back to Red River, followed by the gunboat and
Era. The Era: then by herself, wends her way
up. She encounters batteries and musketry all
the way up-st Grand Gulf, at Hardtimes.Bend
and Perkins Plantations. The rebels seek, by
numerous decoys and marenvers, to induce her
to run this or that side of an Island, where their
batteries may rake her; but she is not fooled go
easily. Though she is an old, dilspdsted boat
protected only by Gotten bales, she run the
gauntlet Yesterday ard last night of one hun
dred guns, ranging from field pieces to siege
guns, without being Lit once. found the off
GERS aud cen on her much worn down with the
fatigue and exposure Of this trip. Az they rela
ted these things, very graphically, and many
mote hair- breadth escapes and exciting Incidents,
thought I would Ike to report them all, but
time nor space will admit it,
Through the kindness of Capt Conner, I saw
several rebel papers-tbe Natchez Courier Of
several dates, the Jackson Mississippian, vicks-
burg papers, and the Grenada Memphis Appeal.
These a.e all intensely secesh. There are many
extracts in all these papers from the Chicago
Times, Columbus, Ohio, Crisis, New York Herr
aid, and Cincinnati Enquirer. These extracts
are, of course, all strongly secesh. Some of
them out. Herod the secesh themselves, in con-
demaation Of our Government, and praise Of
JEFF Davis ability and his Confederacy, and are
paradsd as the feelings and expressions of the
vast majority Of the people Of the North. These
scoundrelly traitors, whose cowardly souls alone
keep them from fighting against the Government
that protects their persons and properties, sho'd