The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1864-01-20
The Monitors Judged by Their
commanders.


of Admiral Dupont, We mako The follow.
ing extracts:
Capt. Drayton Of the rassaic, reports:
At the fourth shot from ll-iuch gun |
was struck in quick succession in the lower
part of tho turret Ivy two heavy shot which
bulged in its plates aud beams and forcing
together the rails on which tho ll.iuch car.
riasc worked, rendered it wholly useless for
the remainder of the action, several hours
being necessary to put it in working order.
Soon after twas discovered that there was
something the matter with tho turret
itself, which could not be moved; and
ON examination it was found that n part
of tho ring underneath it had been broken
| of and being forced in board had iammCd;
on clearing this tue turrct could again be
moved but for somo time irregularly.
| A little after very heavy rifle shot
struck tho upper odgc of tho turrEt, broke
all of is eleven plates, and then glancing
upward took the pilot house, yet with such
force as to- make an indentation of two and
u half inches, extending nearly the whole
| lcngth of the shot. Tho blow was SO severe
rs To considerably mash in the pilot house,
bond it over, open the plates and squeeze
out the top, SO that on one side it was lifted
up three inches above tho top on which it
|
house, and rendering it likely that the next
shot would take off the top itself entirely.
Capt J. Rodgers, of the Wechawkon,s says :
| Two or three heavy shot struck the side
armor near the same place. They have so
broken tho iron that it only remains III
splintered fragments upon that spot much
of it can be picked OIL by hand, and the
wood is exposed.
Il. 10 ,,nIn
hole, through which water ran into tho vos-
sci but it was not large. Thirty-six bolts
were broken in the turret, and a good many
in the pilothouse but AS these arc con
ccalcd by an iron lining, have no means
of knowing how many.
At one time the turrct revolved with
difficulty in consequence of n shot upon
its junction with the pilot-house, but it
worked well again after Il few turns had
been made with higher steam
Captain Wordcn of the MontNuk, reports:
| desire to say that experienced serious
embarrassment in manmuvcring my vessel
| IN the narrow and uncertain channel. with
! the limited means of observation afforded
! from tho pilot house, under tho rapid and
| concentrated fire from tho forts, the YES
sells of tho fleet close around me, and neither
compass nor buoys 10 guide me. After
tca.ing the weight of the enemy's fire, and
observing the ohstructions | am led to be-
lieve that Charleston cannot be taken by
tho naval force now present, and that had
tho attack been continued, it could not have
failed to result in disaster.
Commander Daniel Ammcn, of the Patap-
SEQ reports:
Forly-sevon projcctilcs of the enemy
struck the vessel. No damage was done
which disabled hor, although injuries were
received, which multiplied, would do 30.
Forty bolts of the smoke stack were broken
and chain around will be necessary to it's
continued security. am indebted to Act
ing Master Vaughan, transferred Temporal
riiy to this vessel, for valuabloa aid in avoid
ing collisions as it ia out of the question
for ono person to observe properly from
the various light holes. | think want OF
vision one of the most serious defects of
this class, making it impossible to fight
them advantageously to avoid dangers or
to make q satisfactory reconnaissance.
Another question of great Importance as
relates to their efficient employment, is the
character of the battery. If it is proposed
to batter down forts with 10 inch gun,
then it is quite plain that We have to come
within distances at which heavy ordnance,
if employed in heavy batteries against us
cannot fail in the end to injure or perhaps
disable us.
Commanders G. w. Rodgers, of the Cat
skill, reports:
was surprised to fnd even with this
severe fire, that these vessels could bo 30
much injured in So short time, two or
three having passed me during the action,
to which some disaster had happened. This
vessel was struck some twenty times, but
without any serious injury, except one shot
upon the forward part of the deck, which
broke both plates the deck planking, and
drove down the iron stanchion sustaining
this beam about one inch, causing the deck
to leak.
Commander Fairfax of the Nantucket says:
Our fire was very slow, necessarily, and
not half SO observable upon the walls of the
forts as the rain of their riile-shot and
heavy shell was upon this vessel. After
the third shot from the l5-inch gun, the
port stopper became jammed, several shot
| striking very near the port and driving in
the plating it was not used again. =
| am convinced that although this class of
vessels can stand a very heavy fro, yet the
want of more gnns will render them com
paratively harmless before formidable earth
works and forts. | must say that am dis
appointed beyond measure at this expert
ment of monitors overcoming strong forts.
1t was fair trial.
Capt Downes, of the Nahant, reports
We soon began to suffer from the effects
of the terrible, and believe, almost unpre-
cedented fire to which We were exposed,
and at 4;30 the turrot refused to turn, hav-
ing become jammed from tho effects of three
blows from heavy shot. The bolt
heads flying from the inside Of the pilot
house, twice struck sensless the pilot, iir,
Solield, ami Edward Cobb, helmsman, was
fatally injured, leaving me alone in the
pilot-house, the steering gear becoming at
the same time disarranged.
We received the following injuries to
| the vessel and fittings, besides those al
ready enumerated the plates on side ar;
NOR broken badly in several places, aud in
one, where struck by two shots in close
proximity, par tly stripped from the wood
and the wood backing broken in, with edg
ing of deck plates started up and rolled
back in places. On port quarter side ar
NOR deeply indented, and started from side
and extremity of stern. The deck is struck
twice damagingly-on shot near the pro-
peller well, quite shattering and tearing the
plating in it's passage, and starting up
twenty-five bolts another starting plate
and twenty bolts aud slighter blows are
numerous.
In smoke-stack armor there are three
shot marks one that pierced the armor,
making a hole fifteen inches long and nine
inches broad, displaying grating inside and