Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1864-07-21
Fight Between the Kearsage and
Alabama. t0A


A correspondent of the New York Herald
writing from Cherbough, on the 2lst Of
June, who witnessed the whole affair, gives
very interesting account of the fight,
which he says commenced at twenty min
utes past ten A. NJ. and lasted Just one hour
and five minutes The Alabama commenc-
ed the attack, firing three successive broad
sides at the Kearsage before she replied
The rebel used seven guns, four more than
were used by her antagonist, and fred
much more frequently. After the Kearsage
opened her batteries upon the Alabama,
rapid and continuous fire was kept up on
both sides. During the fight four shots
lodged in the hull of the Kearsage. Eight
shots in all struck her hull. One rife shot
passed entirely through her smokestack !;
another rife she'll through the 'starboard
side, below the main rigging, near the shear
plank, bursting and wounding three men,
causing the only casualties to the crew of
the Kearsage during the fight. Three
thirty two-pounders passed the port side,
opposite the wardroom hatch. Another
carried away one of the cranes over the
wardroom hatch, and taking slanting di-
rection upward, passed through the bottom
of the cutter on the port side. Another
rife shot struck the top of the engine room
shylight, cutting clear across it like saw,
and finally passed through the skylight
window Several struck the starboard light
but their force was broken by chains hung
on the side to cover and protect the boilers.
These, therefor, caused no damage Shots
were continually whizzing through the rig
ging like hailstones, and it seems almost a
miracle that more casualties did not occur
The first shot noticed as producing any
effect upon the Alabama strck her midships,
but in her upper works, making percep-
tible gap, but doing little or no damage
About half way through the fight an eleven
inch shell exploded on the Alabama's deck,
near one of the divisions, killing fifteen out
Of the nineteen men, and scattering bones
and flesh in all directions, and cutting one
man entirely in two. One ofthe Alabama S
crew says the scuppers literally iran blood"
Third Lieutenant Wilson, also taken prison
er, says he-wa knocked down four times,
but escaped without wound From the
deck of the Kearsage it could be plainly seen
that her effective and destructive fire was
seriously injuring the Alabama, and as each
shot struck her side loud cheers went up
from the crew of the Kearsage, more than
ever enthusiastic by a speedy prospect of
success. During the entire fight the men,
whose first baptism with fire this was, acted
with the greatest GOODNESS and determined
courage, not a single one of whom showed
the white feather" One hundred and
lseventy-four shots were fred during the
fight from the Kearsage, and it is computed
that the Alabama fired at least twice that
number At a quarter past eleven it was
observed that Captain Semmes had altered
his opinion in relation to the prowess Of his
Yankee. antagonist, and arrived at the con-
clusion that discretion was the better part
of valor, had,: in short, as our amiable
President once elegantly expressed it, de-
cided to ''turn tail and rum" He veered
round and commenced steaming in the di
rection of the French coast, evidently desi-
rous of placing himself as speedily as posi-
BILE within the limits Of the marine league"
which marks the boundary between French
territory and the common ocean. The Kear-
sage Immediately followed the Alabama con-
tinuing to fire her stern gun. Finding that
the speed of the Kearsage, who was rapidly
gaining on her, was superior to hers, the
Alabama slackened speed, and it was re-
ported that she had struck her flag and
seemed to be settling but her boats were
not lowered, because, as We afterward learn
ed, they had been shattered by the shot from
the Kearsage. No white flag being seen
from the Kesrsage, she delivered another
final broadside, which did more damage than
all the previous ones. The white flag was
then run up from the Alabama, and a boat
from her approached the Kearsage. The
firing then finally ceased The boat was IN
der the command of an English officer,
belonging to the Alabama, who informed
Captain Winslow that the latter was in a
sinking condition, and asked for boats to
rescue the men. All the available boats OF
the Kearsage were now lowered and manned
but before single one could reach her the
Alabama went downtown clear and
straight to the bottom of the ocean She
was at this time about six miles outside the
port and about FIVE hundred yards distant
from the Kearsage. The men, as she was
sinking. jumped overheard. Many were
doubtless drowned-how many is not yet
known. She had about the same sized crew
as the Kearsage, and seventy we're all ths.