Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-03-06

Fort Tayloris located about eighty miles |
above the mouth Of Red River, in a bend |
which IS very favorably situated for de-
fense. There are no bluffs or hills there,
but this deficiency has been supplied by
the erection Of artificial mounds upon
which guns are mounted II is casematea 1
with heavy oak timber, and large guam
tity Of railroad iron has been carried there,
TO be laid over this. 1t received its name
in honor Of General Taylor, (son Of the ex-
President,) who has command of Western
Louisiana. A few miles below the fort the
rebels have very large raft in process Of
construction. When finished it will te
moored across the river, to impede the up
ward passage Of onr gunboats, and 1t will
be formidable AFFAIR, Judging from the
amount Of timber cut, and to be used in it.
When finished, the fort win mount eight
guns. from q to 64-pounders. Its object
is to prevent our gunb0ats from going up
to Alexandria and Shreveport, where
great number of rebel transports are
GIaid up 1t can be reduced in a very
shoTs time by one Of our iroH-elads, but
such vessels as the Queen will never take
it.
THE FIGHT.
The fight if such ii may be called, was
one-sided affair The expedieney Of ap-
preaching it, 1 considered doubtful, on
learning that the rebels had even two
heavy guns mounted, and we afteTward
found they had three ready for US. Col
onel Ellet intended nothing more than
reconnaissance, but the windings Of the
river are such that he could not see the
fort until within GOO yards Of it. There
was but one gun on the Queen that could
10 sqy service in fighting a siege-battery
the thirty-pound Parrott-and that was
mounted upon the bow, with no protection
for the gunners.
It was about sundown when we reached
q point TO turn which was to come under
the full fire of the battery. Before doing
this we discovered the smoke Of steam
boat above the fort, and fired three shots
ct her without doing her any injury. 1t
was the Doubloon, We have since learned
preparing for an emergency, BY removing
three hundred negroes, who had been en-
ployed upon the forti6eatiOns. to Alexan-
dria.
The rebels did not respond to our efforts
ct the Doubloon, but wisely held their fire
until we turned the point and got within
short range Of their guns. They had been
target-prsctising upon the position which
they knew we must occupy in an attack
upon the fort, and their experience told
with dreadful effect against our vulnera-
BILE craft. Just as we rounded 10 to pre-
sent the bow Of the Queen toward the fort,
they opened on US. The first shot was, l
think, a 32-puunder. It passed over us a
very short distance, and fell into the wa
So vuhsu Au - Anur
the doomed vessel, l heard it distinctly,
and calling to mind the dreadful naval
contest at Fort DonelsOn just a year ago,
I said to a friend who stood BY me, II
that is the first, look out for the second.
They won't miss us much next time" The
next two shots did us no harm. One Of
them passed between our smoke-staeks.
felt convinced they would strike us if we
remained where we were, and l knew if
they struck US at such short range they
would do US serious injury.
Our men, an sorry TO say, deserted
their guns when the rebels fred the second
shot, leaving the Queen at the mercy Of the
fort. They may have been excusable, as
there was but one gun on the vessel that
could reach the enemy, and that could only
be brought to bear when we were headed
directly toward the object to be fired at
Colonel Ellet, seeing the position we we're
in, ordered the pilot TO back down the
stream, out Of range Of the batteries. In
attempting to do this, the Queen got into
an eddy, which drove her hard and fast
aground While attempting to eztricate
ourselves from this dilemma, a shot
plunged through the deck, passed into the
engine-room, broke two Of the engineers
lamps, and cut the esoape-pipe. The en-
gines were backed, but the stubborn YES
sci would not yield an inch. Our position
was becoming more and more preearious,
as each successive shot struck the wood
work or cotton-bales, and threatened de-
structiOn to us all, in the event of their
reaching the boilers. The cabin was
"raked, and the deck was strewed with
splinters. About half an hour after the
commencement Of the engagement,
plunging-shOt went through the deck, a
few feet forward of the pilot-house, and
almost simultaneously with its crash came
the terrific roar Of steam from below. The
steam-pipe was cut. The same accident,
which resulted in the death Of so many on
board the Mound City, last summer, had
befallen the Que Of the West, and ali
hope Of saving her was lost.
The noise made by the rushing steam
must have been heard by the rebels at the
fort, yet their FIRE increased rather than
diminished, Immediately after our ter
rible situation became visible to them.
Shot after shot struck us with greater pre-
cision than ever, until it seemed as if the
Queen was about to be shattered into
thousand fragments.
MAKING OUR ESCAPE.
It had grown quito dark by this time,
and thunderstorm was setting in. The
rain commenced falling in large, heavy
drops. Vivid flashes Of lightning, and
heavy peals Of thunder, allernated with the
fearful fash and hOrrid roar of artillery
from the fort. The iife-boat was lowered
at the stern of the vessel, and was instant
ly filed to Threatened sinking. The ferry
boat De Soto lay in the river about a mile
below US, and to reach her was our only
hope to safety. She should have come to
our rescue on aseeTtaining our situation,
but instead Of doing so, she dropped fur
ther from Us. More than twenty voices
hailed her piteOusly, but she would not
approach.
The life-bOat gone, there was no hope
for those who still remained on board. but