The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-11-28

Early on the 18th, the vessels commence
ed leaving, and by noon all were anchored
outside the Southwest Pass. The flag
ships tender was busy, and signals were
passed, and every thing was in suspense,
till about three O'Clock, when the fleet
weighed anchor and started off, in two
lines, in north-westerly direction in the
following order: on the port line, the Cres-
cent, Clinton, Pocahontas. Empire City,
Nassau, Peabody, Exact, Zephyr, and the
gunboat Owasco; on the starboard, the ST.
Marys, Thos. A. Scott, Northerner, Hussar,
Belvedere, General Banks, Bagley, and the
gunboat Virginia; the gunboat, or sloop-
of-war, Monongahela, guiding US off to the
southwark.
The Clinton, on which was, had on board
the 18th and 18th Maine regiments.
! The weather was rough when we left New
Orleans, and, although it gave some signs,
at intervals, of clearing up, it continued
rough. The waves We're in an i'll humor
from the start, and would not be pacitied.
They continued to roll, and lash and foam
in their anger, with a persistence that was
utterly discouraging to landsmen. Day
and night, night and day, the dark, crested
waves came leaping and rushing upon us ;
and continually the vessel rolled, the tim
/ bers creaked, the men staggered and tumb-
led, and all rest and comfort was hopeless.
So it continued up to the night of the
|
increased, and rain began to fall. Soon af-
ter midnight it blew a gale, a "norther."
I was walked by being stood on my head,
| but had no time for remonstrance till was
on my feet; again on my head and again
on my feet, when the simple, but touching
couplet from Mother Goose occurred to
me
| "Here she goes up, up, up;
And there she goes down, down, downy.''
Over went the furniture in the cabin, and
every thing loose was tumbled and knock
ed about. The creaking of the timbers of
the Clinton, which had been unceasing all
along, now almost amounted to crash.
managed to hold on to my bunk and, as
lay there-or stood as the case might be-it
occurred to me, Will she go down? In
favor of the proposition, l remembered
that the Clinton was new and untried, and
hampered in her course and action by mil
itary orders; against, the position, that she
was new and staunch, and that Captain
Baxter would do his best, any orders to the
contrary Notwithstanding. Finally l con-
cluded that if she went down, down it was;
and I might as well die comfortably in my
bed, as to jump overheard with thousand
others, and engage in an unequal contest
with the surging, angry biiiows-with
which comfortable reflection / went TO
sleep again.
In the morning the gale had abated but
the fleet was in sight. 1t still rained. 1t
was not rain either, but a heavy mist,
sweeping in clouds over the sea- like the
spirit of Satan moving upon the waters
So desolate and desolating a scene could
not be imagined by any who had not seen
it. To sailors, even, it was serious; to
landsmen absolutely terrific.
! AS the gale continued to subside, and the
rain ceased, the vessels that had kept to-
gether resumed their place in line, and
, moved slowly on to their place of destina-
ton. Other vessels came in and took their
place; and, on the 3lst, all the transports
were in but three.
There was some place ofrendeZv0us agreed
upon near here, but out of sight Of land;
but owing to some difference in the reck-
oning, or some other cause the fleet was
not collected at the point specified. Arri-
wing near there they wandered about some
times in sight of each other, and sometimes
in sight of land. This was on the afternoon
of the 3lst. On that day the Mcclellan
morning dispatched her tender, the Levia-
than to order the fleet to come up. The
order found us about twenty five miles out,
and as it did not prescribe any order of
going, we all went at once. The Clinton
was soon in the lead, distancing everything;
the st. Mary's and Crescent coming next.
1t was about three O clock in the afternoon
place.
3 The slowness of our voyage-occupying
five days in coming $50 niles-was owing
to the Crescent, our file leader. Why she
did not run faster l do not know; but her
, speed was never over six miles an hour.
, The missing vessels are the Bayley, Po-
cahontas and Zephyr. No fears are enter
tanned for the Pocahontas; but much solic-
itude is felt for the Bayley and Zephyr
, both frail vessels. The Monongahela was
was sent to look after the missing vessels,
and has not yet come up; and the Owasco
> is also absent.
On our arrival here, prearations were
, made for sounding the coast; but no pro-
!, gress was made that day except to acquire
negative knowledge that the thing could
not be done without surf boats. This might
have b9en acquired in less time, by looking
!, out upon the white foam of the breakers as
they dashed upon the bar about three
, fourths of a mile distant.
This morning the little tug "Dree'' ran
|, in and made the soundings, and immedi-
ately after, the Clinton and Gen. Banks
weighed anchor and started in. The Gen.
Banks drew the least, and went ahead
, The Clinton drew all the water there was
, in the channel-about seven and a half
. feet. The point of Brazos Island is fur
ther out than the point of Padre Island,
which gives the current an oblique direc-
4 ton across the channel, or, rather, gives
the channel an oblique direction, and caus-
ed an eddy and return current on the
Padre side, while, just at the point where
= the bar is passed, the current strikes the
starboard bow, and, with the return cur
I rent striking the port side of the stern,
! causes the vessel to swing round and eth
: er run out again or go broadside on the
, breakers. II was an ebb tide when we
: crossed, and the current very strong. Cap
tain Baxter was the pilot, and had never
crossed the bar. Of course, all were inter-
: ested, and all excited. We were just clear
: ing the bar when she commenced swing
ing out. "Port!'' shouted the Captain,
from the rigging. 'Port it is sirv' and
! around went the wheel. lizard port"'
"Hard over, sir y but she wouldn't mind
her helm. On wewent, straight for shore.
= Some hard words dropped from the rig
q q ging, but there was no faltering. ''Shall
. stop her?' asked the engineer. "Noi |
a . stood in the pilot house, with the bow and
! fixed object on shore in line. She was
going straight for it; but presently "She
> swings!' was heard-around she came,
q and we Were foated in still water in the
harbor of Brazos.
/, Tho RanEc fformarlv tho Crao1a r,,x,;,o