The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-02-12

Col. Wood amidships. The enemy,
who had gathered IN the ways just aft
of the .yhoel-house, greeted us as we
came up with volley after yolley of
musaetry, which, flashing in our very
faces, rendered plainly visible the posi-
ton of our opponents. Our men worked
with a viii, cool and determined, In
spite of the deadly fire that now and
then struck down ona of their COM
rades. As soon as our boat struck the
sides of the Underwriters the grapneI
was thrown aboard, bringing us close
alongside, and We-were soon scrambling
mp her sides, the firing continuing Hn-
abated. Lieut.. Loyal was first on deck,
with Gill, engineer, and Col. Wood at
his side, leading the men onward. Fol.
lowing IN their steps came Lieuts. HOge,
Kerr. Roche, Gardner, Roby, Wilkin-
son, Cooke and Scharf.
At this time the fire was hotter than
L had known during three years expert
ence of the war, both in the army and
navy, and hardly dared hope that one,
half of our number would escape with
their lives. Col. Wood, a brave son of
our glorious old state, I feared every
moment to see fall, but standing up
right In his boat, issuing his orders as
coolly as before the enemy were IN
sight, he seemed to- bear about him a
charm which rendered him bullet-proOf.
One after another, in fatal succession,
our men were shot down, crushing in
their fall others.
Once on deck, the fighting commenced
in earnest, hand to had, with cutlasses and
pistols, each one with rush selecting
his man, an 50 unequal were our num-
bers that some struggled with three OPP
Onents at the same time. In few min
utes the capture of the Underwater was
complete. After defending their ship
gallantly, fighting desperately in all
parts, their brave commander slain, and
the majority of their men killed or
wounded, the enemy called for quarter.
Our loss was over one-fourth of opr
number-six killed and twenty-five
wounded. Poor Gill was lying in the
gangway mortally wounded, shot in four
places and Midshipman Sanders, a gal
liant youth, cut down in hand-to-haUd
light, was breathing out his young life
on deck.
The fight vas ended, the boarders
successful. The Underwater being
moored head and stern under three
large batteries and scarcely a stones
throw from the shore, the report of the
musketry had aroused thesoldiers on
| SAOIcs tuQ GLSy were Soul dCbIN6 VII
nesses of the scene, for, unmindful of
their own prisoners aboard they fired a
shell into us, which, striking the upper
machinery and exploding on deck, pro
| duced a terrible shock. Fast and
! heavy they succeeded each other, aud
we soon found that the shore batteries
had opened on us. = DIX
The prisoners were ordered into the
boats, and the ship soon made ready for
action. LIEUT.. Hoge opened the maya
zine and manned the guns, but the
steam being down and the machinery
disabled, it was found impossible to take
time to get away under the heavy fire of
the batteries, not hundred yards dis
tant so, taking time only to hurry the
| prisoners into the boats and remove the
wounded, the vessel was fred, and five
minutes after our evacuation of her the
Underwater was one mass of flames,
consuming the dead bodies of the feder-
! ais killed in the action -