, 1864-06-02

nonsdee, rendered this duel pond ,rous ordnance
nen sa sso7e
as u speed R1fsssi3g sss our bow astRe, .ss
has anous EispGs Gdr ,Seq
the golden chance we so, invidngly held ont to
| them. aud puehtpg on to the monsters unGuatded
as 20
Al wAg quiet ~ the night throughout our fleet. 1t
was Cripple for life. A silent but fearful strng-
s s:stterine toa s !ollsss 81 ueket.y he whizpg G
leadcn bullets, and the deep, mnfhed explosion OF
hand grenades, which the brave felo IN our fore
| tbeir fha.pshootere, and creating CONSERVATION
and dlsmaJ among the closely packed crew Of tho
1ron.clad hut not until our pilot house and smoke
tetions Of rife bsls. No one bad yet fallen. We
| had thrown shot and shell square into her ports
from our ride guns on the hurricane deck. .ua
| ever Aperture in her iron shIeld, aud now our
heavy l6oponndef was trimming for another e7ush-
Presently movement WAS felt IN the two ships.
Te heard d crashing Of tmberr, ~ 1T the moment
OF collision. The ran was swtnelng under our
bled with the shocr, as our 100 po1nder, and that
Of the enemy, thundered at each other with sim
nltaneous roar. Another sound. more fearful than
cur eare. The terrible sound Of untoosed, unman.
aEeable steam, rushing in tremendous volumes,
.eeth,ng md hilssins % Il spread, I'll both eom;
of ttiaing yapor. Her ahot haa pierced our boiler
and I'll Wss lcsti No! not lost yetl Our shn.p
fslte stem; which Ind cut deeply into the side Of
ACROSS onr bow, crushing and brnssing our moro
delicate eraff IN her progress, and this stem, thus
ETe1ehea OF, allowed the tro vessels to swing
side by side.s
Now came tho fierce duel for life. Our gunners
could only hope to injure our ANTAGONIST By firing
sho. q lie ts -ith % ists s eset ssa5
nrf{h ARnj
and 6rsd mnzzle to mnzzlc, tho powder from
thote Of the Abenarle blackening tie bows and
sldes Of the saesacns, ss they passed within ten
her poft-aill, and, crumbltnx into fragments, one
piece reboundsd d on to our OWL deck; but the
1sst thst threatening porhole and 81
G-pounder shell followed through the same
opening 1n rapid succession as the tough-sIded
monster drihed clear Of Us, while our starboard
over her quarter, smashing the launches that she
and grating over the sharp iron plates with most
the crews the after guns. watching the moment,
drove their soid shot into her ports. The ele1at,
ipg 1g ecrsW ol our Pasrett rife was broken, and
enemy's port, but hurled its missile acainst her
impact; A e.inch solid shot, fired with an in
creased charge. struck her Inclined roof aud few
en T!ooehes, Ike pebble bounding from a pare
mtnt, into the air beyond, md this ut distance
OF DOL more Than Httecn leet,
tice transpIred while the ship, from hre room to
hurricane deck, was shrouded In one denss mass
The stust5oH a1n vas Ths
rushed mp from below. with their shrfyeled neah
hanging in shreds upon their tortured limbs, the
oat By 81 saT one
ho ssadsd e d.; backen,e sghss s. stood ke
ioosed steam and IT, o. ano fhe
chief engineer Of the sassacus remained, calling
to bis men to return With him into the 1re-room,
to drag the fires from beneath the uninjufed boiler,
Let his name be long remembered by the two huu-
dred beings whose llves saved In that fearful
moment by bis moro than heroic toEtitude and ex-
er1ton. There were no mems Of instantly cutting
Of communication between the two boilers. and
al1 the steam contained in both rushed ont like
fash. exposing the ship to mora fearful eataatro-
Ing the heavy Tres which Threatened our dcstsuc-
tion: AZ this time, our consorts looking toward
necessarily BY tie flashes Of our rapidly served
guns as the GALLANT Sassacua elotiously above
the storm Of disaster that surrounded her, and
Eades b the stubborn. thunder Of her battery.
The sh,p still moved, working slowly ahead.
On TaennR alone. The cloud Of steam at
eaemy of @ es1 ave escapng ssG tns lo @
embrace Of death In which we had held her ior
nearly quarter Of IN hour, and re.reatne discom-
she had Haltied with 60 much b1avado only a fsw
hours before. The broad ensign, which hati yyaycd
30 proudly orer her casemate, on our approach.
now lay dsagE1ed and torn, with its shattered lag
with hard a.port helm. which she answered slowly
but steadily, We again passed down by our enemy,
Our divisions etill stood at their guns, and our
brave Commander, firmly enunc!atlng his tnstsuc-
tione and orders, and guiding every movement of
bis gallant ship With eoolness, precision and re-
1entless audacity that find no parallel since the
days Of Decatur and Baiabridge, those days Of
splendid gallautfy and magnificent courage, calm
i smoking big cigar thro1eh the whole eventual
danger, worthy Of one Of Far1agut's salamauders,
kept his guns at work on our retiring foc So long
as they could be brought to bear, till the 6dssaeIs
tnliy and iefsnuy, ont Of rangs.
Thus ended the single handed encounter between
the 6aeaacue, delicate river steamer, and one of
the mott formidable iron-cads that the enemy hare
a. yet put ahoar. The results Of this novel aud
The guntoat Bombthell, with four rlied guns AID
hlarge supply Of ammunition. IVES captured With
Ill her officers ADd crew, and the A1bemarle which
was on her way to Nawbern to form Junction
with the rebel force then moving upon that city,
back with her guns disabled, her hull terribly
ehnken, and leaking badly that ehe was with tti-
hcultY kept anoat. 30 confident were the rehels Of
the ability OF this 1nyulnezab1e son-csad to reach
her rendezvous, that Gen. Palmer, commanding at
NeWbe1n, IVES summoned TO surrender, and in.
formed thst the river and Sound were blockaded
be.ow," and his communications cut of. The Al
bemax1e did not come to time, but attacked In a
most 1 1mpetuous and unexpected manner, and w*s
forced by an Inferior antagonist to beat preclpI
tate retreat, which she commenced the very mo-
ment That she escaped the grasp OF tbs sassacue.
And. although fhe kept up q ret.eatine fire, sho
Sound. and b her defeat saving Newborn. and
daubtlesa the Department Of North Carolina, from
nNf1f