, 1873-11-28
His Barbarity at the Capture Of Fort
St. Charles.
How ilo Fired OIL Browning Union
Soldiers and Saiioi'g,
How Col. G, N. Fitch, Of Indiana, Re.
garded the Matter.
Fry's Bullets, Fired In Violation Of the
Usages Of War, Find Tlloir Mark
at Santiago do Cuba.
Retrfbl1tion After Eleven Years.

Rotribution After Eleven Years.
The following account Of the capture Of Fort
st. charlos. In which Cnpt. Try, tho lato conf
mandor OF tho Virgulus, took prominent part
aud acquired an unonvlublo notoricty, Was writ
ton by LAT. ". L. Fawcoato, thon war-corro-
Hpondcnt OF tho Missouri Democrat aud now
financial editor OF THE Ci11cAoo Tn1nuvE,
In putuaua'a "Robellion-Record," ,"-a work
which was intended to ombraco tho most succnot
md comprehensive account Of each action dur
ing tho war,-this is tho only unofficial account
OF tho capture Of Fort st. Charles:
Mna1ru1s. June 10, 1867.
Tho gunboat Concstoga aud transport Jacob
Muasuinlan havo just arrived from White. llirer,
Charles On that rivor BY the gnnboa.s Of tho
expedition which loft hero on Friday last. THO
noot conoiatod Of the gunboats Mound City (lag-
ehlp). st. Louis, conestoga, and Lo1ington. and
Jacob M!issulman, having On board tho Forty
| N. Fitch.
o. Saturday last the aoot reached the mouth Of
ascend tho stream. On Tuesday morning about
o'clock. polng within two miles Of tho supposed
locality OF tito fors, mud tbs Mound City boing In
advance, Capt: kitty began shelliug tho woods
l NRSAA
order to covor tho landing OF Col. Fich's tfoops
| from tho transports. Tho landing WAS effected
| little over milo below tho fort, on tho south
| west bank OF the river.
Tho fort, situated On ridge about rs feet in
height, which runs nearly parallel with, and
| about 200 feet back FROM tho southwest bank of
tho river, was not completed, having only breast-
works for two Of the battarieB, but no Worsa for
two 42.poundcrs was OH tho front Of tho
| ridge whero 1t puts In oloae to tho river; thoso
two guns had boon tho armament Of the gun
boat Ponchartraiu, which tue rabola hsd aunk 30
diatoly abreast Of tho battery. Two
to e Her Ter one q, 1f Which Ind on hor pilot house
ponchartrain. The lower battery, composed OF
five 12-pound fleld-pieces, was about 500 foot
further down atroatn, where the ridge was fur
thor from tho stream and the whole place was
mandor Of tho ponchartrain, and who Was onco
a Lieutenant IN tho Unitod States Navy.
At about lalf-paat 8, WHOM tie Mound City ap-
Proached within leas than mile, tho first, or
first Indication Of tho exact location Of tho bat.
tories, AZ they Ind been concealed BY tho heavy
timber In the Intervening bottom land, Which
was only cleared along tho rivers edge and at
Mound City immediutely moved up aud
delivered several broadsideH, aud, leaving the
aees aha a G9nssgs enEod sa'd ed On
opened tire. Tho aght had lasted about thirty
minutes after the firing became general on both
hldes, and tho lowor battery Of held-pieoes were
9sa' ran s ssRss upps pssry nas aR apnad S mon no
city On on tho port aide, neer the second
caaemate,, killing five q. six .mou
and Knocking large holo in tho steam drum.
| tnHtHTltjp tGhf11 II,
umes. Killing tho ongine-room gun-room, and
piIot:house, aud scatdiug 1926 persons. Tho
shrieks OF tho poor fellows confined between
dooks IN tho ai scaa1ng vapor wero ssd to be
inutantly snHocatod, but al WHO wero able
CROPPED thoir way to tho ports and jumped into
tie riYor. aud minute after the explosion fifty
OF ai1ty OF tliem wero struggling in tho water.
Tho Conostoga immediately camo up and sout
| out two boats TO pick them up. One Of tho
Mound oity,a boats was also launched by Mas
ter'a liato simmos Brown, ono Of the fow off,
GERS wlo was not seriously hurt. During this
tiEno both gunboats and the small boats wero
drifting down the river. As tho Mound City
driftod near the shore, near the lower battery, i
sortie waB nlaue from tho battery, which aome
cmy to board the Mound City, but which utter
wards proved to bo for the purpose Of firing on
tho sealded mon in tho river, which tho prisoners
say thoy did at the command Of Capt. Fry. Tie
hoid-peces of tic lower battery wore also turned
upon tho boats that wero picking up the wound
I'd, aud q twolve- pound slot knocked sway The
bows Of one Of the conestoga's boats. Many
wore hit by the firing, aud sunk before tho boats
could roach thom, and only ~ out OF tho Mound
Oitys crew Of 180 answered to ther names at
tue calling of tho roll, aud wore all that cscapod
unturt.
Another singular accident now occurred: Tho
Mound City's btarloard broadeldo guus had boon
loaded just before the slot struck the steam-
drum, aud had not been fred Bnoo; but, nearly
half~an-!our after"ard, ono Of the wounded gun
nora had become cntauglel in tho lanyard wElicl,
il attached to tho lock Of Tho gun, and, IN Lis
. wsishinE with tho pain, fired tho gun. Tho ball
took oloct on the Now National, wiicl, had la1ld.
Cd her troops aud como up to tho rescue Of tho
Monna city. The ball struck hor behind the
.. wheel, aud ranging forward, cut OF the etonm-
Pipe, immediately disabling hor, and slightly
scn!diug tho Second Engineer.
Col. Fitch, who Ind now gainod tho summit Of
tho ridge short distance bclow tho lover bat
tory, fearing that one Of the other gunboata
might meet with au accident similar to tho
: Mound Clty'a, ggnalod the gunboats to
; ceaso firing, and that he would storm tho bat
and, after making considerable Of dotous, t6e
Forty-aixth attacked the batterios in tho rear,
delivering their fire q they came up, charging
over TUG AZ guns sa and ki!ll9s the gunners at their
quarter. and rocclyiug none from tho man Of
tho Forty-atxth, who woro anraged at tho das-
taral1 firing upon tho hoplcas men III tho river.
Only two Of those who wora in the battery were
tahon prisoners tho reat werc killed. Tho H.
diana troops then oamo over tho brow Of tho
ridge. and dlown into tho wooded bottom land next
the river. iu pursuit Of those who had been
firing on tho Mound City's crew; the Rebels re-
treating rapidly up tho bank of tho r,ver,--the
forty-sixth firing on them as they ted, Killing
tho creator portion OF them. In tho flight. Capt.
Fry, their commander, was wounded Iyy bali in
the baos, was captured, aud Ia now d prisoner
on board tho conestoga. The nobe 'loHs III
killed Ia not known, but must hive Included tho
creator portiou Of thoir force as wo hnyu only
tilfly riisouorH, mud only few arc known to
have escaped. Opinion1 ditrer alao as to tho
number or The nobols,-some setting 1t ss hlgh
AZ 600. aud sayilg tllat Col, Fteh'n estl,nate of