The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1864-07-16

!. LETTER FROM CAPT. WINsLow.-!f
. following letter IL published In the L0ndo
, Daily Ncscs:
S1R-there have been 20 many nonsens
cal publications on the engagement who
took place between the Alabama and tn
Kearsarge that It II my wish that correc
ton should BE- make.
4 In the first place no challenge was sen
by Captain Winslow:. TO have done wonlt
have been to have violated the order Of tn
i Winslow received . request nom Captain
6emmes not to leave, - he would fight tn
Kearsarge, and would only occupy . day
or two In his preparations. Five days
however, elapsed before they were compile
ted. The Kearsarge's battery conststs O
seven gums, two l1.inch Dahlgren, four 81
Founders, one light rife . FOUNDER. The
battery Of the Alabama consisted Of one
lOO-pounder rife, one heavy 6e do, six p.
Kearsarge. In the wake Of the engines on
the outside, the Kearsarge had stopped up
and down her sheet chains. These were
stopped by MARINE to eye bolts, which ex-
tended some 20 feet, and was done by the
hands Of the Kearsarge; the whole was
covered by light plank to prevent dirt col
lecting, It was for the purpose Of protect
the upper part of the bunkers, a. was the
case when the action took place. Tho Al
ALBANIA had her bunkers full, and was also
equally protected. The Kearsarge went i'm
to the fight with a crew Of l62 officers and
men. The Alabama, by report Of the Deer
hounds officers, had 1JO.
The Kearsarge steamed to sea in order
NJ
should Be raised when far enough she
turned short round and steered immedi.
otely for the Alabama for close action. The
Alabama fired a. she was coming down on
her two broadsides and part Of another |;
no one shot came on board the Kearsarge.
The Kearsarge then aheered and opened on
the Alabama, trying 70 get nearer. The &C
the first to the last shot. The Keerserge
received % shots above and below, thirteen
about her hull the best shots were abaft
the mainmast, two shots which cut the
chain stops, the shell of which broke the
casing Of wood covering. They were too
high to have damaged the boilers had they
penetrated. The Kearsarge was only dam
aged slightly, and / supposed the action for
hot work had just common ced when it en-.
ded. Such stuff as the Alabama firing
when she was going down, and all such
talk il twaddle. The Alabama toward the
last hoisted sail to get away, when the
Kearsarge was laid across her bows, and
dered, which she had done, and was trying
to get her Flags down and showing . white
nag over her stern. The officers Of the Al
ALBANIA on board the Kearsarge say that she
was complete slaughter.hou and was
completely torn to pieces. This il all that
know Of the Alabama. Yours, &C.,
JOHN A. WINsL0w, Captain.
H. G~nH-
the Captain Of the Kearsarge and N. Bon
fills, the commercial agent Of the defunct
Alabama, has been published at Cher
bourg:
CHERBouRa, June q.
To Monsieur BoNFIIs, u. g. s. & KeGg'-
sGrge-SIR: Certain pilot boats which I,
from feelings Of humanity, allowed to
had gone down, took them into Cherboury.
These officers and sailors are not the less
subject TO the Laws Of war they ale my
prisoners, and / demand that they come on
board the Kearsargo to surrender - such.
II they should endeavor to free themselves
from this obligation under cover Of the
means which have been used for their e.
cape, they must expect to meet with no
JOHN A. WINsI.ow, Capt.
M. BOnfils replied as follows:
TO Cdpt. JOHN A. WINsLoW-&ir: have
received your letter OF June q. Your de-
mand ID one which have no power what
ever to entertain, and should have been
addressed to the French Government, with
whom these unfortunatee have found 9
refuge. know Of no law Of war to prevent
. soldier from escaping from the field o,
battle after 9 reverse, even although he
had been made prisoner, and do not SEE
why sailor who saves himself by swim
ing should 30 In worse case. must
therefore, refuse to act as your 90 between
toward certain individuals, whom you Dc
prisoners. cannot, moreover, understand
how the authorities Of the United States
can pretend to hold prisoners in the terri.
tory of the French Empire.
lam, DC, BoNFILs.
THE MoNITEUR AND CAPT. sEMMEs.
"The official journal, in its account O
the naval combat at Cherbourg," says thu
Steele, twill not admit that the Alabams
had struck her nag, but Capt Semmei
takes on himself In his report to rectify
that statement. He, in fact, complains the
enemy continued to FIRE on him even after
he had lowered his flag, and in another
passage Of his report accuses the Ccmman'
der Of the Kearsarge with not having sen,
boat to him until his vessel had sunk
This time the M0ntteNr takes on itself *
refu:e Capt 6emmes; it was ut the moment
WO0u IO0 Al8O0Iu0 W00 01uAlU& ny tAS
stern, while the crew took refuge in thu
bows, which soon disappeared in it, turn,
that the Federal vessel approached and
picked up e men, Of whom II we're wound.
ed Thus, therefore, the Monitewr must
admit that the Alabama struck her flag
on the very assertion Of Capt. Semmee, and
that officer, enlightened by the informa.
ton of the MoniteMr, must allow that he
has wrougfully accused the Captain Of the
Koarsa rn0 Of inhumanitv.O
"OuR FRIENDs."-The Atlanta, Georgia,
Register Of q recent date says:
"Ex-President Pierce, Seymour, of Con.
necticut, vallandigham, Reed, Wood and
Richardson, and hundreds of others are a.
hostile to the war - to Black Republican.
ism. These men are doing N indirect
service. They are not openly and avow.
edly our friends, nor could we reasonably
ask this Of them. II they did NO more
than resist the Capitalization Of Mr.. Lin
coin, that far they are worthy Of our re-
spect and sympathy. If they hold up the
banner Of State Rights, that far they arr
advocating sentiment entitled to our ad.
| miration.
C,,ch a <1,n Conx~o <hn~v - v,,,,.r -