The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-02-04
REMINIsCENCE OF A REBEL RAM.

Set w NNhsoAS' "A oo'"AeA
Confederate army assisted" as the
French say, in running the ram, and
gives an interesting sketch Of the hot
encounter, in the Little Rock (Arkan>
sas) Gazette. He says:
If l remember rightly, the Arkansas
was in length 100 feet by breadth of
tbirty-two feet, and was clad outside
with railroad iron, 30 placed as to dove.
tail together, inside Of which were bales
OF tightly compressed cotton, while still
inside was q thickness along the vessels
side OF twenty inches of solid live oak
timber. From thus being protected one
would have supposed her sides to have
been impenetrabls. Not so, as we had
occasion to find. The Arkansas eat
about five feet above water, while amid.
ship was built gun deck, the sides of
which were perpendicular, while on the
ends the inclination was at an angle OF
forty-fve degrees. Had her sides the
same inclination she would have SUI
tered comparatively little. Her arma-
ment consisted OF "two smooth bore
sixty-fours' in the bow, two "r'tie
thirty-twos" al d q nine-inch shell gun
on each the starboard and port sides,
making in all.ten guns. Each gun
was manned by sixteen men, thus max
ing 100 men, exclusive of officers, engl-
neers, pilo,s. fremen and coalsheavers,
numbering twenty five. thus making a
total OF lS5 men, cooped up on the gum
deck in a space forty feet long and
thirty.two feet wide, and with the tenn
perature 1902 Fahrenheit. The machin-
ery of the Arkansas all lay below the
water line and far aft. The pilot house
was situated in and was part Of the gun
deck, and was plated with eight steel
Still it was not ball proof.
On the morning Of July l4th, 1862,
the ram was cast loose. On the morn
ing of the 10Th we hove in sig hit OF two
Federal gunboats, the Carondelet and
Tyler, then out as picket boats, and
about three miles in advance OF the
main fleet, which was lying quietly at
anchor at the mouth OF Yazoo river.
The Federal fleet numbered twenty-slx
vessels, including the picket boats.
Some of the fleet was composed OF the
finest vessels in the United States navy,
among which were the sloop OF war
Brooklyn, and the steam frigate Hart.
ford the latter, which had q splendid
armament, as was found out to our sor-
row during the fight. When we came
in sight Of the picket boats lively
skirmish took place, they retreating
until lust as they reached the main fleet
the Carondelet sunk, going down until
the water reached her port holes. Her
crew all took to the water, and some OF
them attempted to save themselves by
Getting on the Arkansas, but were un-
successful IN their attempts. A few mo-
ments after the Carondelet went down
the TYLER went up by thu assistance OF
a well directed shot from one OF the
bow guns, which shot went through her
boilers.
GIVE AMI TAhb.
At this stage Of the game the enter
tainment commenced in earnest, as we
we're in the midst of the fleet, and as
we came within few yards OF the
Hartford the vessel discharged ter
rife broadside at us, with fears on our
part of blowing US out Of the water.
ONLY four shots from the Hartford took
effect on the Arkansas, but the damage
thew did amply repaid for the loss OF the
remaining nine Of the broadside. One
of the shots, weighing l2S pounds, took
effect lust aft OF and a little above the
forward port hole on the port side. at
which / bad the honor OF commanding
q GUN. The 1913 pound ball went en-
tirely through the layer of railroad
iron. also through the bale OF cotton
and the twenty inches of wood, killing
four men in a row on the eide OF the
vessel next where the ball entered,
went through the smoke stack ana
killed three men on the other side ana
buried itself in the wood beyond
Strange to cay, the man standing near,
eat the place where the ball entered
remained unhurt, which can be &C
counted for only in this way; lie was
At the time the ball entered, STOPPING
over adjusting the block and tackle IN
the ring. bolt, and the shot, weigh
ONLY ninety pounds, struck ait OF the
On;jdIe mort hole on the port side, pass
inc through the iron ratings and lodg-
ing in the cotton The third ball OF the
same weight as the last named, struck
att of the rear port hole on the port
side, and lodging in the cotton, set hre
to it, as did the second shot, both o.
which compelled US to cut away the
wood work on the inside, that we might
rio nose to extiuguish the FIRE: The
fonrth shot did no damage, having
,truck q quarter boat which was hung
to the davits, thus cutting it in two
One stray rifle thirty-two" struck our
pilot house, killing one man instantly
and wounding another so badly that tn,
he died in a few hours. The
same shot cut two felloes out OF the
wheel, but not entirely disablingit. The
federal fleet was 60 situated at anchor
and moored to the shore, that the YES
sells com prising it were all brought 70
bear on the port side of the Arkansas
The starboard side received only two
shots, they being from the TYLER, In the
beginning Of the fight. The , Sa.tlt
commenced in earnest at nine oc'och
and lasted with undated fury Tor 1--WE y
hours and forty-five minutes, although
the distance from the mouth OF .n'
Y va river to vicksburg is onl!
als sHU miles, still we could not ru,
with any speed, as have before sad
on acco:nt OF the low stage Of water
together with the ignorance OF IN
n;iots az to the channel. The Arkansa
HE of winning twelv,