The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-02-10

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WEDN ESDAY MO agTN,
ieomed up largely ahead Of us ~ way,
shouted Capt Wood " give way, be- y way p
rsDeaied Lieut.. Loyail, and give wa1 " did un.
u ths boats nearly sptans on Of o.. tn. The
iastfuctiaas were that one division ,id board
forward, ths other astem but, ,hrou oms mis-
take, all but two Of the boats went f6 Ia, Lieut.
Loyaii's alone going an and Capt d's amid
ships. ! was In the boat with NJ 6All, and
could see the Yankees had Ill ~ e In the
ways, just sft the wheei-house, and = came up
they greeted " with voley of muat ky, which
aassaed In oar very faces, the balls ~ niIsg sa-
pleasantly into the boat or iato the W1tbt beyond.
The men gave way strongly, and a. lin the
boat struck the side the srapasl we Thrown on
board the steamer and we were fase Alongside.
Still the dnag c0ntioued with great ret1lty. and,
having no support, We got the heavt1g sf It, only
dividing with Capt. Woods boat, ~ feet from
10. Hot and fass goes the firing; - Yankees,
having all gotten on deck and armeds ypfs pouring
It into us with remarkable rapidly. xJAe flashes
came faIl in opr faces, lighting ffaek Ap with a
deathy pallof, while ths sulphur0us leal Of burn
ing powder psrvaded the air. Sruckxbf splinter
the drst Ore, bringing profusion Of b3s1d frsm my
face and nose, could scarcely see oxcsmprehend
all the rapid movements Of cur lit14 heet but
knew ouI boat was first at the side, Capt. Wood =
close after, then came Lieuts Hosc Kerr, Porcher,
Gardner, Roby, asd Wilkinson, while shors dis
tance away, slaekened up TO prevcas running down
ihe other boats, was Gift with his IAenches. Our
loss oaee fast, Lieut.. Loyal aas Il GIN, en-
ginsef, sprans forward to LEAD the men on
board. At this time tho Ore was the hottest
have ever seen even In three years cx-
perience in war, and hardly dared hope
ons-half our number would come out alive
NJ. Wood, especially, looked every moment to
see fall Standing upright In his boat, he gave the
orders as coolly a. he had done an hour befo~ the
enemy were in sight. Finding had sustained but
slight splinter scratch, went forward to follow
Mr.. Loyal, when a marine, shot through the
heart, fell heavily upon me and crushed me down
over the thwarts. Ex,reated from this, / found
the ship was ours, and Mr. Wood, upon the hurri-
cane deck, was endeavoring 10 stop the fight, as
tbs Yankees had called for quarter. 1t ceased In
a moment, and the prisoners sent aft and secured,
and the wounded gotten where the surgeons could
attend to tbem, Poor Gill was lying in the gang
way, shot In four places and MORALLY wounded,
and Midshipman Palmer Saunders, cut down in d
handto hand fight, was breathing his last upon the
decks.
The fight was now ended; the boarders were
successful. And here should say that the Un-
derwriter was moored, head and stern, to the
shore, under three of the largest batteries, and
hardly stones throw from the wharf. The fas h
Of the guns and the report Of musketry had aroused
the soldiers on shore, and they wsre now wit :
nesses of the scene, but determined not to be in
active ones; for, regardless of their own prisoners
board, they fired shell into US, which, striking
the upper machinery and exploding On the deck,
produced a terrible shock. was iu the cabin at
the time, and thinking the vessel had been blown
up, rushed on deck like others. Another shell ex-
poding over the deck explained the cause of the
commoti0n, and told US the shore batteries had
opened fire. Tospare the prisoners and wounded
Capt. Wood ordered them to be put into the boats
and the ship made ready for firing. But for them
the shore shots would have been returned, for
Lieut. Hoge had opened the magazines, and had
stationed the men at the guns. As the steam was
down, 1t was found it would be impossible to take
time to get 1t up under the heavy fire Of batteries
not one hundred yards away; and so, the wounded
and prisoners being put into the boats the vessel
was fired In FIVE minutes after our boats had left
the side the Underwater was one mass Of flame,
burning up the dead bodies of the Yankees killed
in action; also, three or four dead negroes In the
coal bunkers.
Writing this four days after the hght worn down
with the fatigue OF arduous duty and Of sleep!ess
nights, am entlrely unable 70 do justice TO this
naval battle, and | trust come other pen more
worthy will hand Il down among the records Of the
war. OF course, in the darkness Of the night,
there were many things which did not NEE; my
eye -many acts Of daring, and many deeds of he
rolsul. Ali fought weil. There was no halting,
no cowardice; every man stood at his post and did
bis duty. The conduct of the officers was beyond
all praise. Cool and collected in every movement,
they executed their posts well. From Commander
Wood down to the youngest midshipman, not one
faltered. Conspicuous among all was the conduct
Of the marines, a company Of them, under Capt.
Wilson, being distributed through the boats
Al we came up 20 the ship they rose
and delivered their fire, taking accurate
aim, reloading still under the heavy fire
from the Yankees. When on board they obey
ed their orders promptly, and, forming on the huf-
ricaLe deck, not even the explosion Of the monster
she'll among them could break the ranks or turn
man from his post. The steamer was boarded very
The enemy bad sufficient notice to
arm themselves, and the boarders had to fight their
way upon the decks. Worst of all were the land
batteries which turned their guus upon u.s. In the
whole history Of naval warfare, cutting a steamer
from under land batteries has been considered tho
most daring and hazardous achievement that could
be accomplished. The danger and risk is SO great
hat such attempts have been few. The teat OF
Lord Oundouald in cutting out the ship at Caiiao
considered, by all odds, the greatest act attach
ed to his splendid naval reputation, and the read
ers of Maryatt will remember wei his IDEAS upon
the subject. The "Underwriter" lay under three
very large forts, close beside town flied with
troops. and tied head and stern to the shore.
See ng the vessel well on 6re, we turned once
more up the Nsuse. and pulled away from the
town. A heavy storm came up, ihs rain poured
down in torrents, wetting Us to ths skin, and half
flllinr the boats with water. IA we round point
of woods we take last look at the turniag ship,
now completely enveIoped In aane, the iurid light
flaming In the sky and flashing for miles across
the water. Although hidden from our view, we
could SOC by sudden flashes up the sky, and by the
dun, heavy, booming sound which come to us upon
The night air that the shell room was reached and
that the sxplosion had begun. Turning Into ths
creek, we landed on the shore to care for the
wounded. In ths evening they were sent up 70
swim Greek Village, and from thence 10 Kinston.
Two days after the whole party arrived, except,
alas! ll,s four poor fellows isft behind.
TO close, will shy the "uaderwfiter" was q