Semi-weekly news., 1865-03-16
The Fight in Mobile Bay.

The following is letter from the q d
late executive officer of the Iennes- =
see, which we publish as the first ac- ,
count of the fight in Mobile Bay c
from any person who was on board
that ship during the action:
U. S. FRIGATE PoTuMAc,
Pensacola Bay, Aug. II, 1861
Notwithstanding you must have
heard of the loss of our dear old ship,
and of my becoming prisoner III
the hands of the enemy, l fancy that
a short note from me would not De
unwelcome. nor be considered super
Auous at this time. We were Ger
;tainly under the heaviest fire that
ever a ship received since the war
haran, Three strong and formidable |
jron-clads, one of them certainly our
eaual, and fourteen regular men-oi-
war, We're playing on Us at the closest
| nossibl,. quarters, with nine, eleven
and ifteen-inch solid shot, and with
onnarentlv no internission from the
time we regularly engaged the ne.
until the time of surrender, peiioo
: of probably an hour.
: W.. met them rs they entered the
barbor, and did our best to ram
several of the largest vessels, using
:. ,f course, our guns at the same time;
=, .vh. Yankees had too much spetd
= for us though, and got by Us int" the
hav. with only the injury done them
= ~ onr batteries. We then We're
J. alone. The Gaines was III SINKING
h condition, and was run ashore neal
.r Fort Morgan. The Selma had sur
ot rendered. and the Morgan had lett u
to also. and was under the guns OF inc
r. fort. In the face of all this, our ga,
"a liant ship, after running up our con
j., nrs and the Admiral's flag aaSain
h.. which had been shot away as the en-
sr .mv passed us, stood across the nay
-. and sinelv and unasSisted, we r1
-, ,r.,,.d the most formidable fleet thf
w.. fh,. Yankees could get into that ha
* bor. Thus Greek met Greek; 'He
&c. came the tug of war
af- The fire was really terrible
the Coupled with that, four OF their Ia
,li- l,n., vessels. one of them iron-p!at'
de. on the stem, ran into US at iu!l spec
no and in quick succession: ne f'''
ne ,pino rart Of the affair did us no han
vh" in ,he world. however, and their MI
mil inch solid shot bounded from c
who -,des like ordinary pebbles. l
: an eleven-inch hurt us some anu
END htteen-inch pierced the iron I:
Gets forced out the wood on the lnsi
wed hut did not, however; get thro"
this Bv-and-bve the Admiral was "o"
on ID and one or two We're killed,
has ,hout the same time our after /
.,irc- became iammed by shot ana
II at wandered useless. Next, away
plov- onr wheel ropes, and the relleV
. til tackles came into play. We stet
;hich in this way for probably hai'
I'D of hour, when they, too, were
mira. ,,vav. ~ we'll as the smoke-st'
and and then we We're unable TO n
.out a steam. or to get single gun TO
f his upon the enemy.
likely The fleet saw our cond!'lon'
uper- ,,l;inr advantage of it, took up
)t by ,;nns as.rrn and on each qua
e hlm and were as perfectly satr "l'
/" mas clear of our batteries as II 'li's
prratr hundred miles away. In tins
ncy OF nf things, nothing could be 90
runk DESTROY the ship without deStr1
rmirs, ,,y..rv soul on board, and the y
A kind rL and Captain considered
rn-t"d think very property that the,
ct w. nn m ,.irht to pursue such &C
,nlions An lad fought with perfect d"s
down .;ar and had done their duty
!. Num- 1 Gallant SoIt hcrn mt