Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-08-17

Monitor IrQn.CIad Tecumseh Sunk
by n TOrpedo-The Rebel GunbOat
Selma Attempts to Escape, but is
Captured by the EsStnccmet-HOrri.
bic Slaughter on Board of Her-The
Hartford and MonOngahela Ram
the Tennessee-The IrOn-Clad Ten
nessee Forced to Surrender to Wood
en- Ships.
BY the arrival of the United States mail
steamer Creole, Captain Thompson, at the
port of New York, Sunday, we have our
first instalment of the glorious news from
Admiral Farragut's victorious squadron.
The reports furnished are full of the most
intense interest; and this latest, achieve
ment of the "Old Salamander" will place
him at the head of the list of all naval
commanders in the world. The consum-
mate GOODNESS and spirited dash evinced on
this occasion have only their counterpart
in his movements in the spring of 1862
when he passed up to New Orleans with an
insignificant. wooden squadron. The loss
of life would have been quite small in COM
parison to the number Of men engaged had
it not been that one of the miserable Erics-
son Monitors was blown up by a torpedo,
carrying with her to the bottom of the bay
nearly five score of precious souls.
[From The New Orleans Times.l
WEST GULF BLoCKADING SQUADRoN.)
OFF Fort MORGAN, Aug. 3, 1864.
The fleet for the reduction of Mobile,
commanded by Admiral Farragut, and
composed of the WinnebagO, Chickasaw,
Manhattan and Tecumseh, of the Monitor
fleet, and the Hartford (fagship), Brooklyn,
Oneida, Itasca, Tennessee and Metacomet,
of the wooden fleet, will commence to-mor-
row morning to pour their iron hail into
the rebel Fort Morgan.
The ball was opened this afternoon by
the Monitor Winnebago, who steamed def
antly up to the fort and threw shell or
two to give the rebs taste of our quality.
She is splendid specimen of Monitor naval
architecture, and is as buoyant as cork
On her your correspondent is located, and
we expect to be first into the fight to-mor-
row. Her officers are every one of them
gentlemen, and have afforded and will af-
ford me every opportunity to witness the
fight.
Captain Thomas Stevens is well known
as an officer "chock full of fight" and he is
ably seconded by Volunteer Lieutenant w.
F. Shankland, Paymaster Girard, ChiefEn-
gineer Simon Shultes, First Assistant En-
gineer John Purdy, Ensigns Morrissy, Muir
ply and Whitworth, Acting Master Me-
gathlin, and Robert Sherman, gunner. To
the latter gentleman / am indebted for fa-
vors to be remembered hereafter.
Of the fighting qualities of this noble
vessel shall speak more fully at some fu-
ture time. The guns in her forward turret
are worked by steam, and that they are ter
rible in execution the rebs will bear me
witness.
On BOARD STEAMSHIP WINNEBAGol
49, August A, 1864.
This morning opened beautifully. Con-
trary to expectations, the land force under
General Granger failing to cooperate, we
did not attempt the reduction of the forts
to-day. But Captain Stevens, determined
not to be baked of his share of the fight,
steamed up in front of Fort Gaines, and at
half-past eleven o'clock this morning threw
his first shell at the transport Natchez,
which was unloading troops and ammuni-
ton at the landing in front of the fort. You
should have seen her leave. In less than a
minute after the shell burst in her neigh
borhood the smoke of burning bacon and
rosin was plainly visible. We gave and re-
ceived about dozen shots, but nobody was
hurt on our side.
That you may fully understand the posi-
tion of affairs let me explain. AS we lie,
head up the bay, Fort Morgan stands on
our right, by and around the Lighthouse
well known to many of your readers: I'm
mediately opposite, and about five miles off,
on the northeast end of Dauphin Island, is
Fort Gaines. Running across from Morgan
to Gaines is driven tier of piles, fastened
together by network of chains. Opposite
each fort channel is left open, of about
fifteen hundred,,yards in width, for the use
of blockade runners. In the channel, in
front of Morgan were placed a lot of bouys,
on which the guns of her water battery are
trained. l say were, for our boys destroyed
about half of them last night. Outside of
the piles are placed the torpedoes.
Just inside of the distractions is lying
the rebels pride and hope-the ram Tennes-
see and three gunboats. Neither of these
have dared to show themselves outside
while we were firing into their transports,
but contented themselves with throwing
shot at us at long range-say about five
miles-when they could have no hope of
hitting us.
Orders have Just come on board for us to
60 into the fight tomorrow, and from the
quantity of fight in the captain and officers
of the Winnebago, and of the fleet gener-
ally, can assure you we shall see fun.
Everything now betokens success on our
part, and before this reaches you Mobile;.I
am convinced, will have fallen.
"WEDNESDAY, August 8, 1854.
The glory is ours. The victory is with
us. l have only time to say that we have
passed Fort Morgan and are anchored in the
bay.
The rebel ram Tennessee is ours, and also
one of their gunboats. Buchanan, the rebel
commodore, is wounded, and hear is
dying.
The Monitor Tecumseh was run on tor
pedo opposite the instructions and sunk
Immediately. All but eighteen Of her Off
GERS and crew went down with her. Cap
tain Crayens, / believe, was her commando
er.
The Chickasaw is shelling Fort Powell.
In the action to-day we have lost about one
hundred and fifty killed and wounded.
The bearer of the above letter informs us
that Fort Powell was blown up and Fort
Gaines taken. We learn from another
source that the fleet which passed the forts
consisted of fourteen gunboats and four
Monitors. @
LETTER FROM AN OFFICER ON BOARD THE
GUNBoAT PORT ROYAL.
The following account is furnished us by
n ctary.ott xyho wac nm hoard fho cr,,,,