New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-08-23

entirely unmanageable. As it was, the rope SUBJ
stitute was the means by which her rudder was
managed during more than half of her engage
ment.
The shooting away Of her smoke stack
has been by some given as the cause Oh ner SUI
render. Nothieg can be more absurd. Inc ci-
feet of the loss of this could do nothing more
than to lessen her draft slightly, as 1t was oniy
shot away above her upper deck-On level
with which it rested; OF course it could in no
manner have anything to do with the causing
the rams surrender. That fortuitous event
was the immediate result of the woundng OF
her brave though misguided commander, the
terrible hammering at her by our fleet from
every side, the arrangement OF her ports and
consequent uselessness Of three OF her guns,
and the seyering of her rudder chains, rendering
her to great extent unmanageable. FINAL :,
the utter Generalization of her crew at the sight
Of her fallen Admiral MORALLY wounded, as
was supposed at the time, caused them to run
up the white flag and surrender the boat to our
feet.
The machinery of tho Tennessee has been
greatly improved since first begun, ana engines
of greater power put in than those hrst assigned
her. She Is, however, by no means swift, as 1t
is, though capable of making greater speed than
| first stated. IL is claimed that she can make
seven knots, which is without doubt above her
capacity. Her draught is about fourteen feet,
possibly fourteen feet six inches. Her cond'
ton at present is such that III spite Vi III .,io
cannOnading she has received, Ill spi.e vi IA.
ramming she has undergone, III spite VI nei ioo'
smoke stack and her broken rudder chans' sho
eau be effcctually turned against Fort Morgan
tomorrow and with little repairing, whicn eaii
be gyen her as she lies, in few days time mere
she can be turned towards Mobile and made, II
the new channel permits her to get there a
most formidable antagonist against those VINO
built her.
Had this craft, with her three wooden consorts,
the Selma, the Gaines, and the Morgan, been
content TO have lain quietly under the guns oi
Fort Morgan until dark, and have then come
out and attacked our feet with the impetuosity
which they displayed as it war my aSI,
without a shadow of doubt, nave succeeaed III
sinh;ny or destroying half of our ships and gun
boats. If not all; al the darkness would have led
10 our fleets firing, and running down our own
boats. and committing irreparable ana iatai IN
iury upon each other. This matter IL 20 niucn
discussed in the fleet that l again recur 10 u,
10 show how great q danger we have escaped
by the fight and capture when We nave hiaae.
do not wish 10 be understood as saying lnat
the Tennessee presents no evidences Oh ,nc
struggle in which she has been engaged, Tor
most assuredy aud unmstakabiy she doeT'
Her iron armor all over shows the deep lhdeh-
ltations where our balls have struck her hef
iron plates are, many OF them, bent ana "arpeu
by the tremendous blows which she has received
while many of her iron plates nave oeeh ,orn
away and displaced by the acton oil inc sno's
she received.
But for all this, The remming she received
from the stanch old Hartford, the Ossipee. the
Lackawanna, and the MonOngahela, who sever
ally tried to run her down, have caused no
seam to open in her unfolding hull, and she IL
to-day lust as seaworthy IA before the fight, and
when some of her scars shall have been heated
she will do lust as effective service for us IN re-
uellng foreign foes RS she did against us IN the
hands of domestic ones. With few Yankee
,tunroyements in non-essentials, she will, TRUST,
live long 10 the glory Of the heroic old Commo-
dore who captured her.
would suggest that when we get through
with her here She be brought, at a suitable time,
10 New York. where she would, in certain posi-
BILE contingencies be invaluable.
/ shall now proceed to sum up the result OF
onr late achievement in this quarter:
Fir,t-The heroic old Admiral has taken his
uooden ships. manned with iron hearts, his
monitors and gunboats safely past the merry
ordeal Of Forts Morgan and Games, through d
channel sown with more than three hundred
torpedoes, and with the loss OF one OF our nom,
tors only, out of eighteen vessels. has anchored
them inside of the bay beyond the range oil the
guns Of the forts. 80, r.
m;dable Tennessee above described, captured
b. and her crew. and wounded her admiral
lie has capturcd the wooden gunboat Selma
With her entire crew also, he has disabled
the gunboat Gaines, and caused her TO run
under the walls of Fort Morgan, where she was
burned 10 the waters edge on the 9th inst, ana
has driven the Morgan, their last remaining
punboat. in fear and trembling to the North
I'D toward Mobile or beyond there, where
aver She can find resting place for the sole Of
her foot.
Third We have been enabled to throw land
force under tho brave Col. Gr!er Of the Hth
Illinois. across into the peninsula to the rear oil
Fort Morgan, which completely isolates that
fortress and gives the first Turn OF the tourni'
ouet. which will soon loosen the Rebel grasp
npon the last stronghold Of this harbor, and
which land force, not emasculated by the
senseess policy Of Gen. Gordon Granger, VINO
is still retained in command, VIII prove as'rohg
auxiliary 10 the reduction of Fort Morgan.
Fou,ti. We have unbolted and flung wide
omen the gates to Mobile and the state OF Ala
bama. and sent sickening thrill OF dismay and
dependency to the uttermost ends OF the Con-
fcderacy, which will rack the rheumatic bones
of that diseased and consumptive patient worse
than they have ever been rackcd since the fall
of Vicksburg.
Fihh, We have wounded and captured the
Rebel Admiral.
Our loss by the operations thus far are easily
told and quickly repaired. OF the fleet we lose
the single turreted monitor Tecumseh with llo