Daily national Republican., 1864-05-09
FROM THE RED RIVER FLEET.
COMMODORE PORTER'S OFFICIAL REPORT.
Destruction of the Gunboat
Eastport.
She is Blown Up With a Ton
of Powder.
Interesting Account OF the Rebel A.
taeks Upon Admiral Porter's
Fleet.
tNo. I01l
Nj sIssIPPI sauApAoH. 4

VT ALthAhDRtA La april 20, ga.
municaiion No iO6, Il the sinkIne OF m. Es.tn,s
while prnceedi z dOS n IN Alexandria. sau,e1 X,
ne sxplo lion Of torpedo under h,r boitoss, ani
uesf her bow. On hearing this bad news Il nTo
sesd' A. onoe 70 The vessel and found her ,u 1,
IN gun-deek, the water over it on one side
AIsssHd ia iS ho soPs, me- Be 10. and went y
pump-bo 70 then due. Lieutenant Commands
PneIpe had altesdy sent tug d wn for the sam,
host hove In siEht and p ooeedsd on np. Az So1,
nier The other boat came up, and aent her uf
si'o: berg eonndeut that the Essiport would no =
had ordered all her gus taken out and ali he,
amnuniuon transferred 20 other yesseIs, VIII III
~as done by the time resebed her again, forty
Tht hour. ane the pump-brats went up.
was detained = dAS in AIex.ndTiA. maLinr ,
different disposition II the vessels In the M All.
~ pPp,; owing 70 the report Of the pure Of For
rob-ciads up there wi orders 10 remain, and alss
on.nyrd he dsstiHAtion Of various vessels In q .
Wien returned 70 tho Passport found h.Y IN
lair way OF hei Anuat, u ough ali the heavy
neam pumps together did not DO moret an o right
BY hulkhoadlng. Lieutenant Commander PhsIps
vent - work vigorously ~ endeavor To save hi,
vessei' apd ne wa, sec nded by his ofncers and
ereN' DOM think ever Witnessed h ,raer work
han was perfOrme, b. the ofnSers and crew Of
the EastPort, aud II emed TO be the detrrmIns a
ION OF All on ho'rd that she should not fail into
ne hands OF the enemy, n u could he hsiped.
ieIt confident that the ENstpnrt would Be- ssy.d.
u time permitted, ruf I hAd faint dea that oup
army were about 70 fall hack on AlexAndr riS, When
II wou beoone necess sry 10 destroy tbs Es,t
OF perhaps loss snme other efsseis.
On my arrival At Grand Ecore found that prep
hAnons were making 10 move the army IN the
direction OF AleNAndria, and I ordered the I.rTs
Vea.els at once below the rAra with ordsrs 70
heeed slowly to AleN.ndrlA-keepinE with me
ne hgh'sr draft vesaels t0 cover the lanl forces,
aud give protection tn the transports.
The day after my return to Grand Eeore, orders
we're issued ior the army N move N AleIsn' ria.
LAntDnTt a. RN anA 4 al, a
nnr chance Of saving her very small, unleSs ue
we're certain OF having M enemy to annoy Us af'sT
h" army left. Onthe 20 OF April I went down
70 the Easfport again, and after inforuInE toe
comm ander h"W Atters stood, we co Q uded III At
u was necessary 10 run some risks, # we ~isI ed
o s.Ve the vessel. She was now slightly resting
Aised on her.
Tn the 2Ist she started In tow OF the pum n-Ao,,
hampton 90 and with the pump OF Th,mpion
Nn. stransi.rted to the Easport, and eonpeet.r
win her boilers. This srrAHR cement, VII the al.
huon "he or 70 Hyphon pumps, kept the water
DLt Of the nr room and confined u to the bow
waited At point eig m'les belrw Grand
Ss "c,s MSa .spt gunso.s to convey down all
nE up the ,ear towing n't on which were ali
the Eas'parts guns.
On 'h- hrst DAY he Eastport made twenty mile.
ioSn the river, but a. o. lock in the evening ne
{rouhced, from not being In the cham, |, and the
trst OF our difficulties com gienced in Ke,tinE her
ver The bar and other distractions " hlch abound
II would be impossible to give an sdeous,s ide.
the difficulties Of the naVisstion irom the gist
April up to The aS'h the time when Il vas no
nuser considered possible to get the astport over
he sand bars and IosB now oreasinR unless /, me
Ss lowed To remove them. and the enemy were
Eep from annoying US white we were at.Work
he lie I nant Commander comm andInK the
Ea.tport, s. L. Phelps, had done all that man could
Il" to save his vessel and felt II to be matter Of
Jride to get her tn Alexandra
she hal grounded eight times badly, and eash
Inc under eiresmst4noes where It was very doubt
tul u che would come on, but the eommAnAefa
'oDhdrnce never deserted him, and could OF
ielp hut admire his eoolness and faith in EetriuK
Iis vessel to Alexandria, wheA knew there we're
n'eea 10 Pass below with much less water on
h'm
I determined that would never leave this YES
,e u her ttte % long al the commander felt hope
He worked with almost superhumAn efforts 10
eompliSh the obi. ct in vie sleeping apparently
went through pTiVGtions OF all kinds, AID m nIt
ny that mentally, never went through so much
tnXiety In my life.
On the sixth day Of this labor OF hauling IN.
Eastport over the ba's, and Sf,er sonErAt IatinE
u,sflVss that We had passed every ImpedimsnI,
fu and We . arted down stream, with the sIp.o
alton Of m king at least thirty mil.s that day.
rhe vessel hsd alrea y been brought sixty mIles
IN her way, and sixty more would brig her with
Inc army, though were 90 miles ahead Of US,
md the report was that the rebels were following
their rear, also o. posing them In front, and We
isht naturally expect when the army arrival
'Afely in AleHAn ria. that the whole pewer OF the
q
orce Of three light ats, and the Ksstporf, with.
,ut any gunsj indeed we had already received mo-
Ice tt at such were cir Intentions
un April 25th I made knAl tn pass down
tream, and had scarcely started bsfors the East.
portwH h 4dA Asrou q, md this time 10 position
where even the romm.ndsr's pcs ~ relieving
her Jailed. The dtfculty here was wsnt Of wa
ter, and The be OF The river was nlled with logs
'ver hien would BE- impossIbIs to get the yes
el unless we had the time.
We tried TO tighten her by removing her iron
dating, hut this we f. und to be labor be- Ond our
Iower-the plates could not he removed in . short
IhAd determined o remain by the EAstpor' until
she was safe within our Ines, or blown ~, to
prevent her fall, ,ng into e hands OF the sDemS
repArAtoTy instructions relstIVe to her dsGtFuo-
ton, thinklnE her time had eOmFj but, GrIl houe-
III and persistent, he stuck TO the work, and de-
'e'VPd e. ave met wi gr Ater success.
Every SfDrt wAs made to get Tie EAstport on
'ron what proved to be her nnal restiAE place.
The gunbost Fort Tindm4n (Nhoss com ma der
1tyer saw SurpAssed) sHeoe, ded with her stsAm
hpItAn in moving her bow, but only enough to
tet Into worse position right Aoross the shAnnei
With . bed OF loss under her, and from hat plaos
seemed that human power could move her.
The commADd : hA iug admitted there seemed no
rope OF getting her OF unless we had time, and our
3 ear protected, ssve the order to destroy her
Ono ION 81 powder was placed 10 her In various
'oSl ions, she was nlled with such eonbustib'ss
he EAGtpOTt was blown up, Lieut.. CommAn o.
'helps applying the match, And being the last cue
he boat when the EHhtpoTt blew up, covering the
nuAt with fragments Of wood. seven d,neI ent sx-
loSions foil wed, and then the names burst forth
In every direction.
The vessel was completely deGtroyed-as Psrfest
wreck as ever was made by powder She
nAinG troublesome obstruction to blsek up the
channel for snnle time tn oOIe. All AtOTes, ke.,
aerr removed, And such parts Of the machinery a.
jOuld h made available bv the Iebels.
There was nothing but the iron AteG left be-
hind, which nnally tell inS'te the hull some fell
ut hoard, a. ths nre burnt away the wood to
Shch :, ey see "haehed, aud will soon diSTppsar
under the sands.
: I would nave brought away every piece OF iron
1Ad not been warned that had owe, HtAsd my
time.
GanEs OF guerrillAs hogan IN hover on tho Isft
hank OF the rVer, and jus previous to blowing up
the ENsiPorl W. were attacked BY heavy rec
m the right bAnk
This vessel was lying led tn the bank, hnh was
bAektrE 4 out IRON the EAatpOrt In the n Oman, tO
Ei.e the former q eh nee to oW uu without in-
juFy tn Any one. The rebels leeied this nome
H. make their AttAou, and raising suddenly from
he b4 4 opened on GuF little squadron with 800
. 81 ~, and then made rush to board The
Cricket.
De ed, and the rtckst oppius out from the bAnk
puPned on Them with grape and canister. and " tn
! he4T, cross Ire from the Two other vessels the
rebels were routed Ia fiVe MINUTES. Ana this Ss
nEW the Esstport up, and proeesdsd DOWN the
river.
We we're moi mnIssted until we had game about
40 miIes At . point above Cane river When
sounding the pOint, the vessels In elA order anu