Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1877-09-29

monitor would extend and prevent the
passage of the fleet but, no, in a few
moments we behold large wooden
vessel, bearing an admira's flag, steam.
ing up and taking the lead.
IT is THE HARDFORD,
and we make for her, but she is too fast
for us, and only a parting percussion
shell, intended to strike at the water
line, is sent after her, and exploding
over the fOreCastle, seems to clear that
deck of a previous crowd. She is in,
and one after another, in a great hurly,
burly--.in the midst of rain of shot and
she'll both going and coming-with an
unsuccessful attempt on our part to ram
one here and one tnere..-the federal fleet
is in Mobile harbor, No more vengeful
torpedoes do their work.
BACK TO FORT MORGAN.
We steam back near Fort Morgan---gC
up or the shield of the Tennessee and
look around. No casualties so far on
the ram. The " Selma" has been cap
tured after a gallant running fght.-.the
Gaines" is in a sinking condition neal
the shore, and the Morgan is not far
off apparently uninjured, The latter
escaped to Mobile that night.
NOW FOR THE FLEET AGAIN.
The fox is now alone, only one of the
geese has been caught in passing to their
base, and now he determined tC
proceed to the base itself. A
few sheets of thin iron patch the holes
in the smoke stack, and of
we start alone tor the Federal fleet some
three miles away. One iron.clad against
three mentors and fourteen wooden yes
sells One advantage we did have
though, like that we had in " Arkansas
in July, '62, in coming through Farra'
CUTS feet to Vicksburg, we could fire al
anything we saw and had only one vesseI
to look after; while the enemy had to be
careful in handling the many and not to
hit each. Indeed it happened during the
engagement, that their flagship was run
into and cut down nearly to the waters
edge by one of their own vessels.
OPENING OF THE BALL.
We soon approached the enemy, A
half mile off | distinctly recolIect firing
bolt at the bunch OF federal vessels
1t missed. 1t was the beginning Of a
naval combat the like of which history
has not seen. For an hour or more a
single vessel contended against a multi,
tude of foes. She was the focus of the
fire of hundred guns. Cannon ahead
and cannon astern, cannon to starbOrd
and cannon to port, volleyed and thun-
dered a perfect storm OF shot rained
upon our shield, and rom within it for a
long time came forh ii reply peal after
peal, shrill and loud, and the shrieking
shell went crashing, hurling home, every
one of them. At one time monitor -
hideous looking monster it then ap'
peared.--came creeping up on our port
side. The slowly revolving turret re.
vealed the cavernous depths of Il monster
gun.
" STAND CLEAR OF THE PORT sIDEW
| shouted An instant after thunder
ing report shook us all, blast of dense,
sulphurous smoke covered our PORTFOLIOS
and five hundred pounds of iron, i'm,
PEELED by fifty pounds of powder, made
daylight in our side, where but a mo.
ment since there had been over two feet
OF solid wood encased by five inches oi
solid iron This was the only fifteen.
inch shot that struck us, 1t did moi
come through; the inside netting caught
the splnters, and there were no casual
ties from it. was glad to find myself
alive after that shot.
"CLIMBING ON" TO THE TENNESSEE.
In army style, charge after charge was
made by the federal vessels upon the Ten
nessee. The idea was unique, that o
one vessel climbing upon the sloping
tides of another and sinking it by sheer
weight; and it was persisted in with a
reckless, daring and urfaltering bravery
worthy of success. | remember the first
shock; twas, | believe, by the Mononga
hela-a |, 400 ton ship rushing through
the water at ten knots an hour, The
Tennessee yielded to the impact and
spun swiftly around as upon pivot.
telt in the forward part Of the vessel al
if / was going through the air, " What
is the matter, Capt, Johnson ?" | asked
" We've been rammed, sir, was the re
sponse from the pilot-house, where he
was standing. Our adversary damageC
herself badly and did us no harm, Five
times the effort was made to sink us by
ramming and five times it failed. The
last time | think it was by the flagship
She came in gallant style bearing dowr
quartering on our port-bow and strucl
us glancing blow. While alongside ant
touching us she fired an entire
BRoADsIDE OF FIFTEEN GUNS,
throwing an aggregate of 1900 pounds
of metal! What a huge effort it seemed
to crush us at once, but it did no mate
rial injury. We had two guns t. responC
and they did 80 with fatal effect. Ate
the action l saw where the powder haC
blackened her sides around the two sho
holes,
And so the action went on for an hou
or more. Instead of ramming we wer,
being rammed, we began the batterin,
and it ended in our being battered. On
port shelters, movable upon pivots ant
intended to protect the men while lead
ing, were one after another jammed in I
closed condition, the steering apparatus
and relieving tackles shot away, thu
smoke stack carried away flush with thu
shield, steam going down consequently
and we became as
ALoG UPoY,THE..wATER.
While the attempt was making by
fireman and seaman to remove one of tn,
rammed shutters, a shot struck the edg,
OF the port, and breaking into innumer
able fragments swept enc OF these mel
figuratively and literally into a thou
sand pieces, and mortslly woundiug tn,