Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-08-25


good deal would be accomplished by the
explosion. and also advised that the vessels
should be run out twenty-five miles and
the steam drawn, lest their boilers should
be blown up by the explosion.
The arrangements necessary to carry
out this enterprise had to be executed by
the navy. hat-bottomed, light .draughf.
worn-out propeller of two hundred and Fifty
tons, called the Louisiana, was ordered to
and arrived at Hampton Roads on the Both
OF november, 1864. She was subsequently
altered to resemble blockade-runner
| at Norfolk, Va. Under an order of
Admiral Porter's, in which he stated that
the chances were ''death or glory. honor
or promotion" Commander Alexander O.
Rhlnd was selected to execute the plan for
the explosion, which was fraught with so
much danger. After having changed the
appearance of the vessel, she was sent
down to Craney Island, at the mouth of
the Elizabeth River, where she received
one hundred and eighty-five tons of
powder. 1t was placed on the berth deck
! In fifty pound bags, also in the coal-bunk-
er, and the rest in the deck house. On the
18th day OF December. 1864, a temporary
crew was placed on her, and she was TOW we'd
to Beaufort and anchored near Shackelford
Banks. 1t was here she had thirty addi-
tlonal tons of powder placed on board her.
On the morning of the 18th of December
this immense torpedo was again towed bv
the Sassacus to a point off New Inlet, ar
irving there little after dark. The sound
lngs had only been completed on the 18th
of December. However, Admiral Porter
had already determined to explode the
powder boat on the following night. At
about half past nine O'Clock in the evening
of the 1S:h OF December the Wilderness
took the torpedo ia tow and stood in
toward Fort Fisher for the purpose of exc.
cutting the order. But the threatening as
poet of the weather, the disappearance of
the II hts on the mound, induced Com
mander Rhind to give up the enterprise
for the night. At eight o'clock in the
evening General Butler received letter
from Admiral Porter to the effect that he
had already sent the powder boat in to
have it exploded. General Butler imme-
diately sent General Weitzel and Colonel
COmstCck on board the Malvern to ask a
postpOnement. . l. was evident that there
| could be no benefit derived, if the troops
could not be landed and the enemy pre-
vented from gaining time to repair
damages. The a. D. Vance was then des-
patched to countermand the order, and
met the Louisiana returning from the fort.
] Thus ended the first attempt to explode
the torpedo.
It was now evident that the wind was
freshening, and all the old salts predicted
gale. The troops had been ten days on
transports. The coal and water was ex-I
hausted on nearly all Of them. This made
a resupyly ut cessary. Besides this, gale
had arisen aud was rapidly increasing to a
terrific storm. As a simple matter of safe
ty the army fleet was obliged to go to some
port of shelter. On the morning of the
10Th General Butler took the wise precau-
ton to send few vessels into Beaufort
that needed supplies. By the Goth the
a. ell h. TO- Ill
with al its fury. Nearly all the transports
were sent into Beaufort, N. O., for q safe
harbor and for supplies ; but the stanch
old Baltic pointed her prov to the sea, and
nobly rode out the violence of the ele-
ments. The navy also remained outside |
One small army vessel that had not received !
the order to go into Beaufort, and which |
had on board battery of artillery, came
near being lost. The men in the midst of
the gale were obliged to dismount the guns
and take the carriages apart and put them
in the bottom Of the vessel, to save her
from total wreck. General Butler accom-
panied bis fleet. From this point he sent
a staff officer to Admiral Porter, to inform
him that he would return off New Inlet as
soon as he had coaled and watered, GER
tainly by the 25th of December, 1861
Every one went to work to supply the tran
sports and to prepare them again for sea
service. This was not accomplish until
the morning of the Oath of December
These vessels could not have been resup-l
piled at an earlier date, for it was only |
by the almost superhuman efforts of the |
officers Of the fleet that it was effected by
the time mentioned. In order to water
the fleet they ha1 TO send fifteen miles up
the railroad. The gale had not entirely
spent is fury until the morning of the 23d
of Dec mber.
While the army was thus storm bound
in Beaufort, without coal or water, Admit
raj Porter determined to attack Fort
Fisher.
The Admiral, in his report dated North
Atlantic Squadron, United States ship
Malvern, at sea off Beaufort, n, O. Dec.
26, 1864, says: after the Southwestern,
the wind chopped around to the westward
and gave US beautiful spell of weather,
which 1 could not afford to lose; and the
transports with the the troops not making
their appearance, determined to take adj
vantage Of it, and attack Fort Fisher, and
| its outworks. On the Odd I directed
Commander Rhind to proceed and explode
the vessel" The explosion of the powder
boat was to preoede the attack to be m ade
on the following day by the navy alone,
for it was we'll known that the army could
not be present on the Oath day Of Decem-
Der. It is a remarkable fact that, although
General Butler had suggested the use Of
his immense torpedo, the privilege of be-
ing personally present at its explosion
should not have been at least accorded
him. The success of the enterprise would
seem to have demanded the presence of
the army, so that in case any of the sup
posed effects of the torpedo had been ex-
| perienced, 1t could have been in a posi-
tion to reap the benefits resulting there
from.
Is it fair to presume that the sailors
and marines could have operated against
the fort, even though its garrison we're IN
a demolalized condition, as effectively as
the army, trained and accustomed as it
was to this speciality in warfare The
Admiral must have had the utmost conf
dence in the powder boat to think that
he could, after the explosion, send few
of his marines ashore to walk In and take
possession. However, the fact remains
thas the army was in Beaufort. N. O.,
when the Admiral ordered Commander
Rhind to explode the Louisiana.
|