The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-01-31
The Loss of the HOusatonio.
Nara1 Officers account Of the 4Rair.
Terrible Agency an Naual Warfare

Terrible Agency an NaUas Warfare,
We give place to the following account
of one of the most remarkable incidents
connected with the late civil war. Moth
ing in ancient or modern history excells
the self-sacrifcing heruism of the Cons
federates who manned the little craft |
which caused the total destruction of one |
of the most powerful vessels belonging to
the Federal navy The reader will not
fail to discover that the gallant men who
volunteered their services in this under~
taking actually walked down into a COM
mon coffin, so to speak, when they enter
ed the torpedo boat The account given
is certainly a true one, as it was written
by an eye-witness-an officer of the
Housatonie-and published in the Army
and Nary Gazette after the occurrence.
We quote:
OFF CHARLESTON, Feb. 22, 1864
As history of the recent disaster of
the q S steamer HousatOnic may be of
interest to your readers, | will attempt a
briet statement of facts:
On the evening of February l7tb the
Hcusatonic Was anchored outside she bar,
two and half miles from Branch Inlet
battery and five miles and three-ffths
| from the ruins of Sumter-her usual sta>
! ton on the blockade There was but
! little wind at sea, the SKY was cloudless
and the moon shining brightly. A slight
| mist rested on the water, not sufficient,
/ however, to prevent our discernin" other
vessels on the blockade two or three
miles away. The usual lookouts were
stationed on the forecastle, in the gang
way and on the quarterback.
At about 8:45 Of the first watch, the
/ officer of the deck discovered, while look
ing in the direction of Beach Inlet bat
terry, a slight disturbance in the water,
like that produced by porpoise At that
time it appeared to be about one hundred
yards distant and a-beam. The Quar-
termaster examined it with his glass, ana
| pronounced it schOle of fish A 3 it was
evidently nearing the ship, orders were at
once given to slip the chain, beat to
quarters and call the captain.
just after Issuing these orders, the
masters mate from the forecasile reported
the suspicious appearance to the officer
in charze. The officers and men we're
promptly on deck, but by this time the
submarine machine was so near us that
its form and the phOsphOre~cent light
produced by it's motion through the
water were plainly visible Al the call
to quarters it had stopped, or nearly 80, and
then moved tow lrd the stern of the yes
? sci, probably to avoid our brnadside gun.
When the Captain reached cur deck, il
was on our starbuard quarter, and so neal
to us that all attempts to train i gun were
. futile. Several shots were fired into i
from revolYers and rifles; it also received
two charges of buckshot from the Cap
: tain's gun
The chain had been slipped and the
engines had Just begun to move, wheI
the crash came, throwing thinkers ant
spliniers into the air, and APPARENT,
: blowing off the entire stern Of the vessel
, This was Immediately followed by a fear
full rushing of water, the rolling out of
dense. black smoke from the stack, an
: settling Of the vessel
g Orders were at once given to clea
away the boats, and the men sprang t
the work with a will. But we were fill
ing too rapidly. Tie ship gave lure
e to port and all the boats on that side weT
f swamped Many men and some officer
a Jumped overheard and chung to such pnl
tons of the wreck as came within reacl
while others sought safety in the riggin
), and tops Fortunately we were in bI
= twenty eight feet Of water, and two Of tn
beats on the starboard side were lowered
Most of those who had jumped overboar
were either picked u or swan back
It the wreck The two boats then pulle
0 for the CanandaigUs, one ard a half mile
4 distant Assistance was promptly rem
dered by that vessel 30 those remainin
on the wreck
Z At muster the next morning FIVE
our number were found missing. 1h
Captain was thrown several feet into tn
= air by the force of the explosion, and wa
1t painfully but not dangerously bruise
l. and cut,
r 1t was the opilion of all who saw th
strange craft, that it wos very nearly {
y" entirely under water, that there was II
J. smoke stack, that it was from twenty
at Thirty feet in leng h, and that 1t wa
It noiseless In her motion through the WI
ter. 1t was not seen after the explosion
The ship was struck on the staTbnaT
= side abaft the mizzen.mast. The fOIC
20 of the explosion seemed to have bee
mainly upward. A piece ten feet squar
- was blown out of her quarter deck, a
the beams ana C1Fl06S D6l00 DEhke
" transyerseIy across The heavy spanke
4 bonn was broken in its thickest part, m
! the water for some distance was viii
~ with splinters of oak and pine
70 Probably not more than one minuI
elapsed from the time the torpedo WI
= first seen, until we were struck, and n
over three or four minutes could has
'0 passed between thu explosion and tt
l. sinking of the ship Had we been struC
III in any other part, or before the alIrm hs
2. been given the loss Oflife would hFve bee
much greater. 49,
, The HousatOnir was steam slOo
m with a tonnage Of $50, and she carrie
of a battery of thirteen guns. She was cot
N pIeted about eighteen months ago, an
:, has been in the blockade ever since 81
Is the first vessel DESTROYED by contri
ance of this character, and this fact Civ
to this lamentable affair a guiicau,
which it wound not Otherwise posses
In Deserters tell III that there are Other m
at chimes of this kind in the haTbor, read
> to come out, and ut several more are
20 process of const uetion The COUNT
capnot attend too earnestly to The dar
rs gers which threaten our Diockad ny feet
of and tine guubuats and steamers on Il
as ) utheFn rivers
a young man calling himself J.
Pigue recently stole horse from Il
= public quare ia Murlreesburo, and roc
aS | - ~ Nashvilla yvbaro he sold If al