The Republican journal., 1883-05-03


handed, and now retired of her own will
After 6 O'clock she could have steamed
out to sea in spite of all opposition, but
steamer from which she was to be cOaled
and provisioned had run away to avoid
capture. The Albemarle had not sutfi-
cient coal aboard to last her six hours
and only provisions enough for one ration.
While it cannot be claimed that she was
defeated, she was nevertheless batf1ed in
her original object and was obliged to
leave the field to the fleet.
GOING INTO THE FIGHT.
When the Abemarle left her anchor
age to steam down for the feet the crew
were instructed to keep perfectly cool
and not let the conclusion of shot con-
fuse them. 1t was given out that the
ram was invulnerable, and that the only
moment of danger would be when one of
the port-shutters was open. Most Of the
rihe-men and some of the gunners filled
their ears with cotton, and specialinstruc-
tions were given to keep clear of the
sides of the ship.
The Albemarle was confident of de-
feating the fleet and getting out to sea,
but after the capture Of the Bombshell
and the flight of the steamer the ram sim
ply fought as if TO see how long she could
endure the pounding. The Confederates
were never satisfied with the results of
the fight. A craft of her strength and
power and 50 easily handled ought to
have sunk two or three Of the wooden
fleet by ramming and sent the others to
the bottom with her enormous shot
What she actually accomplished was not
of the least consequence. She made
only two attempts to ram a vessel, and
instead of directing and concentrating
her fire on one craft until disabling it
she engaged the whole fleet and wasted
many Of her shot 10y wild firing.
BEHIND THE ARMoR.
The first nine-inch shot which struck
the Albemarle staggered a dozen men
ard made a dozen others cry out. ! have
talked with fifty different men who have
fought on board of rams or iron -clads,
and all agree that the sound OF a heavy
shot striking the iron armor is something
which has no comparison. The heavier
the wood packing the less echo there is
when struck, but the jar of every shot is
plainly felt all over the craft. To the
noise Of the enemy's shot is added the
fire of the heavy guns aboard, and it is
no wonder that some men are made deaf
for days afterwards.
At one time during the fight Of the AL
bemarle she received from thirty five to
forty shots per minute. Men who had
cotton in their ears compared the situa-
ton to one being in a cavern and hearing
a thunderstorm raging outside Those
whose ears were wide open were almost
deatened, and the flame Of we'll trimmed
lamps died away and was totally eXtin-
guished under the outside pounding.
This fight accidentally revealed the fact
that one who placed small pellet of cot
ton in each ear and some substance in
his mouth to keep his teeth apart, suffered
the least Of all. This same thing was after
wards tried on board Of Federal mortar
schooners, and took away much Of the
unpleasant sensation.
THE RAMS INJURIES
When it is remembered that the Abe
marie received over 300 heavy shot and
shell, and was struck by vessel steam
ing at the rate Of eleven miles an hour,
it seems wonderful that she suffered so
little damage. The muzzles of both her
guns were injured by being struck by
shot as they were run out, but not enough
to cripple them. She had three plates
of her armor cracked, her smoke stack
somewhat damaged and Que of her port
shutters badly dented, but so far as her
injuries went, and so far as the gun boats
had the power to damage her, she could
have maintained the fight throughout a
whole day, Not man was killed and
only two or three slightly wounded by
fragments of iron entering one of the
ports. That wooden gun boats dared
lay alongside an ironplated ram and
fight her for hours was of itself wonder
full thing, and that chill-end nine inch
shot could be hurled at the ram from a
distance of 300 feet and scarcely leave a
dent in her armor was a lesson in naval
warfare eagerly accepted by every navy
in the world. VI. QUAD.