, 1864-07-09
TIE KEaRSARGE and THE
ALABAMA,
Graphic Description Of the Fight
by an Eyewitness.
FURTHER DETAILS AND INCL
DENTS,

''ea6tern passage" 1ne men were lmme-
diately beat to quarters, and every man
In order to put beyond the shadow OF
doubt any question abont a violation Of aeu-
tra1 territory, Captain Winslow, Immediately
upon discovering the Alabama, headed bis.
vessel out to sea, and steamed away from the
port until he had reached distance Of about
seven miles. the Alabama following in her
wake, at distance offs mile and half, the
rebel fiag, so soon to be struck, Haunting
Eauci1y III the breeze Of morning.
After reaching an ot1ing Of about seven
miles, the Keafsa1ge slackcned speed aud
slowly, allowing the latter to approach her.
While bringing her port side to bear upon
the Alabama, Tor the purpose Of fighting the
battle on that side, the Kearsarge, reservlug
her fire, and death-ike silence prevailing on
board, permitted the Alabama to approach
within distance Of twelve hundred yards.
The KearBarge 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 slde-
When the Alabama had arrived within the
distance above mentioned she opened the
combat With = broadside tired ot the Kear-.
sarge. The Alabama fought seven Of 1er
guns, two more than were used by the Keas-
sarge, and also on her 6tarboard side. None
Of the shots struck the kearsorge, one or
two passing over and the rest falling short.
The reverberationB Of the cannon, and the
wicked. wh.zzing sound which the shot made
IN passing through the air, however, excited
the men, Who were anxious to return shot
'0e captain s9sa wlne1ow, however, deemed 1t wise
to allow bis antagonist, evidently flushed
with The hope Of d SPEEDY and an easy victory,
Tie Alabama, still approaching slowly, fired
aseeond and third broadstde, none Of the
shots, however; taking effect, before the
Ktarsarge returned a shot.
When the proper distance seemed to be OBJ
tanned Captain Window opened his batteries
broadside into her as rapidly as the gnnners
could load and fire.
ALVEY scene was now exhibited. =.
The moment it Was known that the Ala
bama was leaving port, the people Of tile
town, who for solIe days Ind been on tho
q..i tt,r, began to flock towards the entrauce
to the port, and before the first gun was fired
hundred were gazing from the high ellis and
eminenccs which surrounded the port. The
first sound Of cannon shot, distinctly heard
waiting for certainty, and q crowd OF ex-
curslonists, having just arrived from Paris,
without the renottst idea that one of the
pretlicst naval contests Of the age was to be
thrown in for amusement In few minutes
Thousands of people were gathered upon the
0lltoQb 4oOhAuS5 Oua ApoH t0b open etA3 HutEe
the Contestants were engaged in deadly
strife.
All the military and naval authorities OF the
port were assembled there, with BpyElasses
ip their hands, and witnessed the fight with
great satisfaction. Even with the naked eye
the combat could be distinctly observed, tor
the day was particularly bright and clear.
After the Kearssrge opened her batteries
upon the Alabama. rapid and continuous
fire Was Kept up from both sides: Each yes-
sci of course kept her steam up, and each Wus
sailing In circle In q direction opposite to
the other, keeping the starboa ard battery bear
Ing upon her antagonist
Spectators.deseribeth the maneuvering of both
Tes6tls d beautiful. They continued up.
| preaching each other until, towards the end
of the fight, Q distance Of but about fire hun
dred yards separated them. 49,.
The Alabama fired much more frequently
than the kearsarge, and wasted great deal
| were badly aimed, wild and high. Evidently
| her forte WEE to attack and awe into Burren-
der unarmed merchant vessels; but from the
first the firing from her showed that she was
not competent to gEapple With the trained
| Many Of the shots, however. struck and
cut the rigging of the keareaEse, without in-
| tlicting, however, any serious damage-the
shrill whistle Of every one as 1t flew over
their heads exciting the crew Of the Rear.
Sarge ind rendering them. more than ever de.
| terMtned to conquer.
The fight commenced at twenty minutes
past ten O'Clock, and lasted Just one hour and
five minutes.
During this time four shots lodged in the
hull Of the kearearge.
Eight shots in al struck her hull One
rifle shot passed etitely through her smoke
board side, below the main rigging, near the
shear plank, bursting and wounding three
men, causing the only casualties to the crew
of the keatearE55c during the light
One OF there, man named Dempsey, had
his arm taken of, and the others received
fractures Of the legs. Another rifle shell
struck uLder the stern and lodged in the rud-
der post without exploding; another carried
away the starboard lite buoy; another
scratched the hammock nettlngs att.
Three 92-pounderB passed the port side, op-
posite the Wardroom hatch. Another car
ried away one Of the cranes over the ward
room hatch, and, taking a slanting direction
upward, passed through the bottom of the
cutter on the port eide. Another rifle shot
struck the top Of the engine room skylight,
passed through the skylIght window. Sew
cral struck The starboard light but their force
! was broken by chains hung On the side to
cover and project the boilers. These, there
fore, caused no damage. Shots were contin
ually whizzing through the rigging like hall.
|
more casualties did not occur.
The first shot noticed as producing any
effect upon the Alabama struck her amid
ships, but in her upper works, making {
perceptible gap, but doing little or no seri
Gus damage. About halt way through tht
tight M 11-inch shell exploded on the Ala
bsma's deck, near one of the divisions, kill
irg fifteen out Of the nineteen men, and scat
teTing bones and flesh in all directions, ant
cutting one man entirely in two.
H-.D Dr%r& t11%u I?-x H..
pere literally ssran blood" Third Lieuten
ant Wilson, also taken prisoner, says be wa
Knocked down four times, but escaped with
| out wound.
From the deck Of the Kearsarge it conlt
be plainly seen that her effective and de
s'ructiye fire was seriously ipjuring the Ala
bsma, and as each shot struck her Side loui
cheers went up from the crew of the Kepr
Sarge, more than eyer enthusiastic By
speedy prospect Of success During the en-
tire fight the men {Who5e first baptism will
fire this Was} acted with the greatest cool
Lees and determined courage, not einglt
tne Of them showing the white feather.H
fired during the; fight from the Kearsargc
a,d it ID computed that the Alabama fred al
| least 1Wice that nu1nb.F.
AT q quarter past eleven 1t was observed
tlat Captain Setnmes had altered his opinion
u relation to the proWess and skill Of his
clusion that "discrction was the better mart
nf yalor;" had, In short, rs our nmlable
President once @ elegantly expressed 1t, decided
and commenced tteaming in the direction oi
the French coast, evidently desirous OF pIac.
ing himself as speedily as possible within the
limits OF the " murine league" which marke
the boundary between French territory and
the COMMON ocean.
The Kcarsarge Immediately followed, the
Alabama continuing to fire her stera gun
Finding that the speed of the Kearsarge,
or to hers, The Alabama s1ackened her speed,
and It Was reported that she had struck hei
flag and seemed to be settling; but her bouts
were not lowered, because, as was after
wards learned, they had been shattered by
the shot from the KenrsafEe. No white FLAG
being seen from the kearsargc, she delivered
another final broadside, which did more dam.
age tbun Al1 the previous ones.
The white flag was then run up from the
Alabama, md boat from her approached
the Ksa1sarge.
The firing then finally ceased.
After saving all the men she could find, the
keatsorge took pilot and came into Cher
bourg, arriving here about two o'clock, with
ont, 1t is believed, any serious danages, al
though 1t will require her some two Weeks
probably, to repair.
Capt Wiaslow, giving as reason that ht
had no room to Keep them in, immediately
paroled the prisoners-fye officers aud sixty
TWO mcn-and they went on shore.
The officers thus paroled were Surgeon
Gait, formerly of the United States Navy
Third Lieutenant Wilson, Third Ensincel
Pundt, Chief Engineer Freeman and the boat
swains. Several other officers, whose name!
haye not yet been able to ascertain, vert
picked up BY French boats.
It is doubtful whether the action OF Capt
| WirsTow In parolng the prisoners will mpe