The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-15


He then opened communication with the other |
Federal commanders across the Peninsula. after |
which he blockaded e6ectuay the mouth OF the Red
river for several weeks, interceptng the supplies
from Texas which were destined for the Rebel |
forces at Port Hudson and vicksburg. Early in May,
however, he was relieved from this duty by Rear |
Admiral Porter, who had run the Vcksburg bat |
teres with portion of his feet He then returned
TO New Orleans by way OF the Atchafalaya, and |
exercised the general direction Of the naval opera
tions against Port Hudson until its surrender on
July s, Immediately after the captuation Of |
Vlcksburg. The Rebel position having been for |
mally invested by General Banks Farra-
gut co-operated with him in the famous
assault on the 27th Of May, upon
the Rebel works The attention of the enemy being
mainly absorbed by the land attack they sustained
severe damage from Farragut's fleet, which
raned upon their works constant shower of shot
and SHE'LL after compelling them to abandon entirely
their sOutheTnmost battery.
When the great river highway was thus finally
thrown open the entire control of the fleets ope-
rating upon the Western waters above New Orleans
was turned over to Porter by Farragut, who still
remained, however, in command Of the Western
Gulf Squadron until he was temporarily relieved, in
! July, by his second in command, Commodore Bell.
The Battle of Mobile Bay.
Early in 1864, Farragut, having resumed command
| of the Western Gulf Squadron, directed his atten-
ton to the Notifications guarding the entrance to
| Mobile Bay The Rebels, under their shelter had
which they threatened to raise the blockade of the
port. Having reconnoitred the approaches to the
city, he offered, with the assistance OF one or two
| iron-cads and few thousand troops to gain full
! possession Of the Bay. Neither OF these could at
once be furnished, and so he forced to content
himself for several months with threatening demon
! strations, although, he contldentialy informed
the Navy Department, the issue would have been a
| doubtful one if the Rebel ron-clads had ventured
I out from behind the land works and attacked this
| wooden fleet.
In the latter part of July at length four monitors
were added 10 his squadron and on the morning of
the 9th of August the entire eet consisting of the
| four iron-cads and fourteen wooden ships, moved
up the bay two abreast and lashed together Farra-
gut wss still board his old gship, the Hartford
History already recorded that In order to get an
unobstructed view OF the scene OF operations he
caused himself to he lashed to the main-op on this
memorable OCCASION but the following is the origin
of the story as given by the Admiral himself when
| on his visit to San Francisco:-
"At the commencement of the battle in Mobile
bay, for the purpose Of obtaining the best view of
the movements of the enemy and to better govern
part of the rigging of the Hartford just above what
is known as the Misunderstanding. AS the smoke
ascended from the heavy cannOnadng my view
became more Obscured, and ] compelled
to ascend the rigging, gradually, until finally
| this juncture, Captain Perciva Drayton, my Fleet
Captain, fearing, as he said, that might fall
board in case OF being wounded, called one of the
Quartermastsrs lid cutting of piece OF the signal
halyards "a small rope) ordered him TO bring it up to
With this rope attached myself to the rigging. but
not near the masthead. The truth OF the matter
affords an evidence of how wel-tod and plausible
story frequently repeated, becomes universally
| ccpted as fact"
When the head of the noating column came
abreast OF Fort Morgan the latter opened fire, and
the action soon became general. But such terrific
and continuous broadsde was poured into the forts
| that the Rebel gunners were so0A driven from their
positions. BY O'Clock the whole column had passed
Forts Morgan and Gaines, with no serious disaster
beyond the loss OF the monitor Tecumseh, through
the bottom of which, just under the turret, hole
was blown by the explosion Of a torpedo.
| The Rebel feet consisting Of the ron-clad ram
| Tennessee and three gunboats We're meanwhile
| pouring terrific fire upon the Union vessels from
their sheltered position under the guns of Fort
Morgan The Tennessee, during the passage Of the
| FORTS had made dash at the advancing heet but
soon returned to her place of security After this
abortlve demonstration Farragut thought that the
Rebel vessels determined not to risk close quar-
ters, and hence ordered his heet to cast Off their
couplings and come TO anchor. The light draught
gunboats were then entrusted with the task OF de-
stroying the Rebel gunbOats, one of which was cap
tured and another seriously injured that she had
TO be destroyed.
When several OF the larger vessels OF his fleet were
already at anchor, Farragut perceived, about nine
O'Clock that the Tennessee standing towards the
Hartford. OF the encounter which followed, he has
given the following ACCOUNT
was not long in comprehending his intentions to
be the destruction OF the flagship. The monitors
and such of the wooden vessels as / thought best
adapted for the purpose, were Immediately ordered
to attack the RAM not only with their guns, but
bows on at full speed, and then began one of the
hercest naval combats on record. The Monongahela
Commander Strong, the first vessel that struck
her, and in dong carried away his own iron prOw
together with the cutwater without apparently doing
) | her adversary much injury. The IacKaWanna, Cap
tain Marchand was the next vessel to strike her,
which she did at full speed; but though her stem
cut and crushed TO the plank ends for the dis
|
| feet below the only perceptiblc effect on the ram
was 10 give her heavy lift The Hartford was the
third vessel which struck her, but, the Tennessee
| quickly shifted her helm, the blow glaneing
one, and as she rasped along our side, poured
our whole port brOadside of 9inch solid shot within
slowly but delivered their fire as opportunity offered
: The Chickasaw succeeded in getting under her
stern, and 1o-inch shot from the Manhattan broke
through her iron plating and heavy wooden backing,
though the missile itself did not enter the vessel.
Immediately after the collision with the flagship 1
directed Captain Drayton to bear down for the ram
again. lie was doing at full speed when, unfor-
tunately the Lackawanna run INTO the Hartford Just
: forward OF the mizzenmast cutting her down
9 within two feet of the waters edge We soon got
adversary, when she struck her colors and ran up
!, 1She was al this time sore beset; the Chickasaw
e was pounding away at her stern, the Ossipee was
approaching her at full speed and the MOnOngahea,
> LackaWanna, and this SHIP bearing down upon
her. determined upon her destruction. Her smoke
stack had been shot away, her steering cbans were
: gOne compelling resort 20 her relieving tao zles,
and several of her port-shutters were Janmed. In
deed from the time the Hartford struck her until
her surrender, she never fired gun. As the Ossi-
pee Commander lie Roy, was about 10 strike her,
: she hOisted the white flag, and that vessel imme-
: dately stopped her engine, though not IN time TO
avoid gancng blow During this contest with the
Rebel gunbOats and the ram tennessee, and Which
terminated by her surrender at 10 O'Clock, We lost
many men than from the fire OF the batteries OF
4 | OrfA