The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-07-14

| competent gunner on board, excepting the cap
| tain of tue forward pivot, hundred pound rifle
| gun. lie was an old English maf-of war man,
| trained IN the British navy The captains OF the
| other gnas were not competent gnnners, Though
brave men. We eame Ia sight ot The kearsa ge,
| and she steamed towards US we eiDscd as rap
| Idly possible. The men were aH lying down at
their suns, smoking and gesting, tine order having
| been passed TO make uurselves ~ comfortable as
| possible aad reserve our strength till the COM
| mencement of the action When the kearsarge
| was within about one thousand i've hundred yaids
OF ms we opened ire, each Gun tiiHe AZ soou as IL
| WIS pointed aad properly elevated we hred three
| bfea tsides before the Kearsarge returned shot
The drsf she'll she sent came ihreusi near the for
| ward rifle port, at which I was stationed II
| caused many splinters, and sttnc man nj our
gun. lie leaped away with MS < silIsied, and
| ano.hcr man at the next gun fell dead The she'll
caught our slide rack, and | tSiaS Tue man was
, Allied by one of our own shot, which was thrown
against hin. by the sheii of the kcafsasgs
The iflnr here became coalfhua On hoih sides
we firing at least two shots to their rne-we Cred
| sheiis almost siiog-ihcr. but tew solid shot
wcre fred. A. the sf ef p vot qua, shortly after,
| two or three men ws,e cut right In two besides
others being woand.i Then the crew Of omr after
| guns were ordeEsd by Semmes ID mi mp the va
eancs at the pivot ean, which was ilit second sun
| 'fcin tae stern, We were consequently ihen only
feittibg SIX guns. F5f some time aittt there was
| very iiaie eamsge done by The kaafsitge'5 guns,
'heif elevation being rather figi the slot passing
| over, ana though not ipjufins our hull, greatly
| Damaging our spars. About twenty minutes afs r
thG commencement OF the act toG the spanksr ga
"a which oar coors was set, was sle away abd
| the eolors ihis biought down ueariy&l the deck ,
iho spar hIngin-, and the 4c.le Z Lhngiag about
t~ehiy iee' Rom The deek, the ceIoaS sti remain
/ ins In sight.
| About The same ume oui fof ward piyo, gun sent
two wei-difccted she,ls, one at wnich struck the
| chains which projected the kearsaise's boilers,
penetrating ihG chain but de;tg no such dana ge
| as was expected wesHpposet then that her en-
| snes were knocked tD Fiec' = aud that the Kear-
| sarge would soon down. We gave three cheers
l ~ ls ~, hmm rod far
| ward rifle pivot, aud would certainly have paue-
| tfatcd the chain and entirely III salicd The ktar-
| 3a' ge hid our powder been good, thtS gun
| %aGld have carried the shell and taken effect at
| hFe miles with dTy powder Our powder had been
I Tong Time on board, and was dampened. The
! night before the action III rev Seven n barrels of
| damaged powder overheard, and had freqaeEtiy
| thrown Wder over
| The next shCN We sent struck the steInp0st of
| the kcar3arse without exploding Had this ex
| nloded the kearsaree Won d have been h,own to
! p!ccrs Al his time We had received serious
| damage i'h.s was about half all hour after the
| ti@bt commenced. After ihat the shooting Ga our
! Ttbecamc worse, aud that OF tn. ksarsarge bet
| ter. Our Euas were tcn much elevated, and shoe
ovet the i<eafsarge the men all fought well; but
the gunneIs did dot know how to point and elevate
| tn guns. capt @emmes. during all this time, was
| sanhIgg just forward Of the forward Ogglug with
an opera glass; in his hand, and leaning over the
| rail. The guuHerS were left 10 themselves to
II ht tbs guns, and no particular ordegs given
| 10 The gunners during the fight. Capt Semm,s di
| FtctGd The r1nRnv.lBg Ot the ship.
1hs sheman belonging to our gun
| right ia two by OF the kearsaiges Shots while
| he was bringing she'll 10 oar guu. Fis name
James Hart He vas blown all 10 pieces, and no
| taing was found Of him waicl, could be fecog-
njzed gxccr; the collar of his shirt, Several men
Wrte wouudcd and carried bfiow. The first
ifous disaster we met with from shell which
| carried away our iudder. About the same tine
more she'll came into our coal bunxers and pene-
ttatcd the boilers putting the fires aud bury
| Ing several ot the ii emeu under the coal Some
were killed, and otaers dug alive The vessel
was 6iiCd with smoke and steam All our puwet
It movement then was over
Ths kearsaIge then gradually began TO edge
round on our poti quarter. When she reached
ih5 position tis "fticr was given Ia lie down,
We expected 10 be faked fore and att. few Iniu-
ules Afterwards HE sail tEi.nmefs were called
away To loose ,he fote Iysa and head sails taat
she could DC stetTtd. She was then standing into
shore We then considered Ourselves ioae ior, as
The Alabama was ,apsdiy settling do not think
our screw was DANA, ed. The keaTs1rga kept up
a Cp,i!n.sG% tiG Un our port sidU, aid shifted
csct cur euns To ttai siio. odt men then very
!ltigoCd and many disabled aT wounded We silii
fred well possible from the p6ft side though
knew Ihc DAY lest. When the heads ais
were loosed Tia lGIdcr ci cur pivot gun john H"b
eits, young Ncishmau, while eruiged iu the
worh, had tie iogfer part of his body open,
which caused his eEtiais 10 pr@frUde With his
iiis hanging uHt Ee walked towards his gun and
fell dead on deck without utIriiig wcfd. Mir
Anderson, a mishipnan, statcHdd i'll the after
DIVISION, WIS knocked overheard, his leg which,
was shot or remaining on board. lie was flom
Savannah, I'd was a of Major Anderson.
Capt Semtses about The same time was wounded
IN the hand by splinter lie tied his haudkcr-
chief round bis hand, but never lefi his p 81,
The dead, of whom there were about eight, and
the wounded, numbering perhaps tw. I've, instead
Ot hCiGg carried below, were lying about the dCck
he carnage was awful, some OF the men beng
literally cut 10 pieces There was nEci coniu ,ion
on board, though nothing like panic, excepting
on the ,rt al one or TWO, who we've not Eusiist-
n. .sidI a :. mn
having ran below and stated 10 the doctor thai he
was wounded, was ordered on decS, be not heing
wounded and was Immediately shot in the back
ny an Ola man named lie kS, an English seaman,
who had been long in the Engish navy he shot
him with his revolver. lie died soon afterwards
oHr first lieutenant, MIR kei, seeing the battle
was 1851, ran III SeIH,ues aud told him he mist
strike The coiors, as the vessel was sinking fast
SemmCs merely replied, "rry tn get 4 Iit!e more
headway on her" and to the fast wou i net order
the coofs 10 be struck. The cuor halliards about
this time We're sh0t away, and the culuTs fell 20
the decs. The report was circulated fore ANA aft
that they were down. and for a moment the Eear
sarge ceased firing. When our men saw our coiors
yyefe down they were enragcd aHi most of them
turned .ouud On their officers Several o. them
ran aft 10 Captain SemmGs with drawn cut
iIsscS.
one of them told him that If he did not imme-
di3telg hoist the coors he would cut him duyu
~ the same tine Mr. sinclair, the fourth !icutrn
ast pointed a revolver al this mans head 10 shoot
Inn dead III case he made an attack on the Tap
tain.
Capt Semm - was perfectly eoeI, and did not
even draw TITS swoId. He said bs admired tn
c0ufage OF the men, Dut The coiars were down, the
vessel was sinking, i3d ne did not wish that aay
more lives Shol!G be lost. IL was for ;iltir own
benef.t that lac refused 10 ra'se the coinrs as
soan The co.0rS were shot away by the order of
81 kot, white nag was held up as a sigaa, OF
Sarrendtr. man Juolped up tho spankef
Doom aud held 1t UP the best way he could In his
hands. This caused the Offices of the Kearsatge
ina ginethat Il was one our men SUI persist
iag In holding up the Confederate flag. They con
tnusd firing, and poured at least three broadsidcs
iato alter the white flag was held up We had
also al this lime hted a lee gun In token of sur
render, but Icing the kcarSaFge SUN fling on US
the word was passed along The deck among US,
''there's 10 quarter for us" Some OF oar guns
were then fired again, particularly our foremost
thfrsy two While the men Wore cutting away the
bo1t5. Capt S@.nmes gave orders for the wounded
10 be put in the bua:s quickly as possible aud
taken away, refusing erei, thiag in the shape of
boat himself. Che to be taken to the
yacht Deerhound if possible, if not, TO the Kear
sage, At this time the werdroom was tuH OF
wafer, nd the ship rapidly settling
The chief engiaeer did not leave the engine
room Till he up 10 hts waist IN water While
tho men were cutting away the boats and putting
In the wounded, Captain Semmes wal. ed down
into his cabin without saying word Ills cabin
was then partly filled with water.
Two of our boats pulled off, carryin the wound
ee-lhe kearsarge having ceased firing the re-
nsliuGer of our boats 1--WE hat six being ali ser-
susIy dam aged DGe OF -thsse boats took the
wounded on board the KearsaTge, on which sh /,
ielt ,l,eRi and IN receiving permission 90 and
ME K up more drowning and wGnaded men, Instead
of doing so pulled of 10 the yacht. This may not
have baen exactly right, bat wa were Justified In
ANYTHING after The KraTsarge had fired three broad
sides al us after Our cotors we've down I was Or