Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1864-11-10
A REMARKABLY. Chapter In Naval Warfare.


clad with on armament of two hundred guns, and yet
come out of the engagement with few spllnters de-
tached from her inner easing to mark the damage 10 nef
interior The Tennessee lay in the rear OF our Meet
after the forts had been passed on the morning OF the
18th of August And of fourteen vessels at Admiral
Farraguts disposal for the attack all were perfectly
sound and uuipjured except the Iecumseh' which had
been sunk by a torpedo, when the ofder was gwen
shortly after eight O'clock to bout ship, and give bat
tie to the RAM signal given to all the feet not
only to commence the attack with guns, but to run her
down at full speed. The Monongadela, stem trlg-
ee not ron-clad, the first to strike the tennessee,
but the shock tremendous as must nave Deen " al
arpnary craft, had apparent effect upon the ram
The AdmraTs flag ship, the Hartford, next dashed
against her bow at full speed, Immediately followed up
the terrific stroke with whole port broadside of nine
inch shot and thirteen pounds OF POWDER at distance
of twelve feet but still the oaken and iron the"s and
sinews of the monster showed perceptibe oosenlnS
Or feebeuess. The monitors and the remainder OF the
feet then closed in upon her and she surrendered SIM
ply when she no longer had Eea"ay to move IN. ne
pounding lasted fer full hour and hail. at the end OF
that time she given up by her commander, Buch-
anan ia condition which enabled the engineers OF ouI
feet 10 report the 18th OF Ausust-eght days after
the fight had taken place-tha she was IN state to
| do good service"
The bare facts of the engagement hva to be recalled
along with those relating the size, form, structure
and armament Of the Tennessee, they serve to frus
trate each other The leigh of the Tennessee tom
stem to stern deck 200 feet her depth 48 feet and
her drauGht Of water about IA feet. Tue deck covering
is Of inch iron plates The protection to the sides Is
an overhang which extends about feet below the va
ter line and is covered with double layers OF two inch
! wrouqht iron. The distance betweea the outside or
knucke Of the overriding deck, and the base OF the
casemente ten feet. 1he inner sides OF the vessel
far known hy an approximate measurement, are
eight feet Trick The prov is less formidable IN dnen
81 ms than mig ut have been supposed extending only
| feet under the water
The easement OF the Tennessee, which is 78 feet
inches n length, and 20 feet inches in width leaves
an open space either side CT feet lat the greatest
breadth of besm) and the framing of the casing
sist of heavy yellow p6e beams, Ii inches thick, laid
together vertically inner plankpg OF pine laid hori
zontay 81 inches thick, ard outside OF the latter
layer of oak timber inches thick, boed VERTICAL
IT, and covered with pIatipg-6 inches thick, for
ward, and inches thick abatt and on the Sides The
armor plating is fastened with bolts 10 inches in
diameter, with washers aud nuts fastening them inside.
The Tennessee had an arment of six ct what are cali
ed Brookes's rifcd guns. Ihe two pivot guns (tore
and aft) are ~ och BORE and four broadsdes are
inches BORE Inc wight of the proectles found 10
| be 95 and Ito pound solid shot.
The steering ARA cement, and The provision for the
protection of the pilot and hemsman, engineers
have found to be exceedingly detective The machine
~ consists of two " non-condensng engines, with
cylinders twenty four inches IN diameter, and s5ven feet
stroke These had bean taken out OF some old river
steamboat the machinery department eVldently being
held altogether of minor accou ut in the general plan
Of the builders AS ia most heavily clad the ven
tiIation was found TO be exceedingly bad The main
defect however thus far discovered is in tbs port shut
ters several Of which seriously damaged by tbs
shot from our heavy guns. Nine eleven nch shots
| were foul to have struck within space OF few
square ct, not of which, however, penetrated the
casemate. Much of her plating wss started in many
places, and on the p.7t side nearly amdships OF the
casemate, a fifteen inch solid shot knocked hole
through her and backing potion O the latter
falling off in splinters
The rammng OF our vessels left no visible marx On
the outside of the Tennessee; but as she makes two
inches water hour than she did prior to the
fight, it is presumed that some of her invisible joints
must have been partially deranged with her repeated
conclusions with the assalling feet.
The Tennessee has lately been used by Admiral Far
ragut to good purpose in the assault Fort Morgan
that preceded its surrender and expect that she
will yet do as much good service, and take rank
amongst the most powerful iron.clads in the navy of
the Union.-Nes YORK Times.
The Recent Affair at Eastport-A Faiiu-s Cut
Off Forrest.
The handsome "lIttle affair at Eastport, Mississippi
seems to have been astonishing for the Yam
KEGS. They had garized force eff Forrest, but
it appears, cut Of larger slice thap they could we'll
~. letter from that point gives the following descrp
pretty little affair transpired day before yesterday ct
port eight miles from here, which may be worth the
telling. On the morning OF that day. two gunboats and
three transports, having on board ak thousand
with the Intention supposed Of destroying the rail-
road and cutting of Forrest They did road
and tunatey for them they cut OF Of Forrest
than they could Conveniently tote does not take much
OF him, you know, to make full load for three times the
same bulk OF his enemy Having thrown the cable of
of their anspora around peg the bank the Yankees
began land their guns and horses wholly unconscious
that single company Of Forests command within
that that terrible individual with his whole force
the north side 81 the river At that moment Forrest
was quietly eatrg his breakfast ia Iu a, having come
down on the tIain from Cherokee the Fenng before
They wanted nobody to tell them that hev had big thing
Oh hand and feeling no teaE OF lurking foe they dem
had been dschagng an invoice Of hoop poles at Cuciu
uat.
But among tbs black jacks the hill not far from the
landing, quietly roeosed the gallant Colonel Kelly,
maudpg brigade with about three hundred of bis and
battery OF artillery The unsuspectiDg Yankees
busy bees leading out their horses and dragging
the shore when suddenly they heard hin
rumble Just then several fafhes OF lightning and ella pc
Of thunder broke loose among the black jacks aud
quantity of rebel shells were hurled into tho mdst of the
crowd This part of the mornings entertainment was
neither the posters the small bills; and hence the
ition of guns expecting nothing of tie
The result b ~a every one Of them M he
captain OF which heard to shoye her IF there
thunder and d-natiGn Why the hi don't you shove
her off there The pilot rang the bell uriousy
engineer and while the gang panks yet crowded
the frightened dev Is the gay tearing her
starboard wheel into kindng wood against the bank,
large quantity of damaged and dirty shoddy vert into
the water. The uprosr was terrific. The getting away
sublime
the whole fact took to it's heels under tu head of
steam, but did damage One Of the transports
reaching the landing Colonel Kelly picked up thirteen
prisoner, three brass rfad pieces, and sixty
artillery horses. The guns brought Up and put
the yesterday morning, General Forrest superil
tending the shipment himself number of the enemy
sled, but did not learn how many. Hail dozen
moro who took the swamp when beat backed cut
have since been taken ID cut OF the weather, adding 80
many more to the number Of prisoners.
It reported that two Of the ports sunk by
battery lower down the river but was not enough
to II myset. 1t be evertheless the sound
of firing in that direction pervadsd the atmosphere