Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1864-07-15
THE KEAsksAGE AND THE AL

THE KEAksAGE AND THE Al
- ALBANIA.
Graphic Description OF the right by an
! Eye.Witness.
! Correspondence of the New York Herald.l
/ CHERpouRo, June q. 1864.
A little before ] 0 o'clock on this beautiful,
bright, sunshiny Sabbath morning, the kear-
sage then lying about four miles off the port,
the Alabama was discovered steaming to.
wards her through what is known as the
eastern passage" The men were immedi.
atcly beat to quarters, and every man sprang
to his place, eager for the COMMENCEMENT OF
the fray.
In order to put beyond the shadow of a
doubt any question about violation OF nel.
trail territory, Captain Winslow, Immediately
upon discovering the Alabama, headed his
vessel out to sea, AMI steamed away from the
port until he had reached distance Of about
seven miles, the Alabama following in her
wake, at a distance of mile and a half, the
rebel flag. so soon to be struck, Haunting
saucily in the breeze of morning. rs.
After reaching an offing OF about seven
miles. the Kearssge slackened speed and
turned her port side toward the Alabama
slowly, allowing the latter to approach her.
While bringing her port side to bear upon
the Alabama, for the purpose Of fighting the
battle on that side, the kearsage, reservng
her fire, and death like sill nee prevailing on
board, permitted the Alabama to approach
within distance OF twelve hundred yards.
The Kearsage had five guns with which she
fought the battle, mounted on the port side,
her crew not being sufficiently large to work
| the whole seven guns upon one side.
When the Alabama had arrived within tho
distance above mentioned, she opened the
combat with broadside fred at the Kear-
sage. The Alabama fought seven of her
guns, two more than were used by the Rear.
sage, and also on her starboard sido. None
of the shots struck the kearsarge, one or
two passing over and tho rest falling short
The reverberations of the cannon, and the
wicked, whizzng sound which the shot made
in passing through the air, however, excited
the men, who were anxious to return shot
for shot.
Captain Winslow, however, deemed it wise
to allow his antagonist, evidently flushed
with the hope of speedy and an easy victo-
~, to approach still nearer.
The Alabama, still approaching slowly,
fired second and third broadside, none Of
the shots, however, taking effect, before the
Kearsarge returned shot. ..
When the proper distance seemed to be
obtained, Captain Winslow opened his bat.
teries upon the rebel, and poured broadside
after broadside into her as rapidly as the gun
ners could load and fire.
A lively scene was now exhibited.
The moment it was known that the Ala
bama was leaving port, the people of the
town, who for some days had been on the
qui rire, began to flock towards the entrance
to the port, and before the first gun was fired
hundreds were gazing from the high cliffs
and eminences which surrounded the port.
The first sound of cannon shot, distinctly
heard in this town, brought out all who had
been waiting for a certainty, and crowd of
excursionists, having just arrived from Paris,
without the remotest idea that one Of the
prettiest naval contests Of the age was to be
thrown in for amusement In few minutes
thousands OF people were gathered upon the
hilltops looking out upon the open sea, where
the contestants were engaged in deadly
stlire.
All the military and naval authorities of
the port were assembled there with spygass-
es ia their hands, and witnessed the fight
with great satisfaction. Even with the naked
eye the combat could be distinctly observed,
for the day was particularly bright aud clear.
After the Kearsarge opened her batteries
upon the Alabama, a rapid and continuous
fire was kept up from both sides. Each yes.
sci Of course kept her steam up, and each
was sailing in circle in direction opposite
to the other, keeping the starboard battery
bearing upon her antagonist.
Spectators describe the mancuvreing Of
both vessels as beautiful. They continued
approaching each other until towards the end
hundred yards separated them.
The Alabama fired much more frequently
than the Kearsarge, and wasted great deal
more powder and ball. Generally her shots
were badly aimed, wild and high. Evidently
her forte was to attack and awe into surren-
der unarmed merchant vessels; but from the
first the firing from her showed that she was
not competent to grapple with the trained
and disciplined crew of vessel Of war.
Many of the shots, however, struck and
cut the rigging Of the Kearsarge, without in
flicting, however, any serious damage-the
shri!l whistle of every one as it it flew over
their heads exciting the crew of the Rear
sarge and rendering them more than ever
determined to conquer.
The fight commenced at twenty Esinutcs
past ten o'clock, and lasted just one hour
and five minstes.
During this time four shots lodged in the
hull Of the Kcarsarge.
Eight shots in all struck her hull. One
rife Shot PASSED entirely through her smoke
stack; another rifle shell through the star
board side, below the main rigging, near the
shear plank, bursting, and wounding three
men, causing the only casualties TO the crew
Of the Kearsarge during the fight.
Another rifle shell struck under the stern
and lodged in the rudder post without ex.
ploding; another carried away the starboard
life buoy another scratched the hammock
MEETINGS aft.
Three 62.poundcrs passed the port side
opposite the wardroom hatch. Another car
ried away one of the cranes over the ward
room hatch, and, taking slanting direction
upward, passed through the bottom of the
cutter on the port side. Another rife shot
struck the top of the engine room skylight,
cutting clear across it like a saw, and finally
passed through The skylight window. Sew
eral struck the starboard light but their force
was broken by chairs hung on the side to
cover and protect the boilers. These, there
fore, caused no damage. Shots were .contin-
ually xhizzing through the rigging like hail
stones, and It seems almost miracle that
more casualties did not occur.
The first shot noticed as producing Any
effect on the Alabama struck her amidships,
but in her upper works, making perceptible
gap, but doing little or no serious damage -
About half way through the fight an 11-inch
shell exploded on the Alabama's deck, near
one of the divisions, killing fifteen out Of the
nineteen mer, and scattering bones and flesh
in all directions, and cutting one man en-
tirely in two.
One of the Alabama's crew says the soup.
pers literally ''ran with blood" Third Lieu
tenant Wilson, also taken prisoner, says he
was knocked down four times, but escaped
without wound.
From the deck OF the Kcarsarge it could
be plainly seen that her effective and de-
,tr,,ot;ro Ero vu.s cor;o,,clv ip;,rinp tho A Ia