Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-17

n DOmD proofs. luCy rose ulgn IN
the air with a whir. SSH which sent
a chill over a spectator, hungin midair
for what seemed a long minute, and
then took the other side Of the curve
aud pumped down into the fort with
a jar plainly heard half a mile away.
Then followed the explosion, spreading
terror and working destruction all
over the works.
Men who have served on both iron
clads and mortar schooners assert that
the deck of the latter is the worst
place in war during an engagement.
The discharge Of the mortars fairly
lifts a man off his seat. The ears soon
get accustomed to the roar of a can.
non, but the below Of a mortar is not
only positively painful to the ears, but
has been known to produce toothache
and violent cramps. Men on the deck
Of a mortar schooner who do not stand
on tip toe and teeth apart, will be dis.
abled in an hour.
1t was the mortar shells which set
the wooden quarters within the fort
on fire, but such an event had been
anticipated and therefore produced 90
confusion. A few men we're quietly
detailed to remove property and the
rest continued the fight.
just before noon a lieutenant in the
fort had a most singular escape. He
had mounted the parapet to examine
and report the damage caused by a
bombshell. when one fell within six
feet of him. He heard it descending
bnt dare not move. Shutting his eyes
and clinching his teeth, he waited for
what seemed to him two minutes, and
then heard the thud of the missile.
The next thing be knew more than a
quarter of an hour passed away. AS
the shell exploded the officer was
lifted fifteen feet into the air, whirled
over and over, and he came down
thirty feet from where he had been
standing.
After the first half hour OF the fsht
the Confederates directed the FIRE OF
six cannon at the Passaic. she being
200 yards nearer than either one Of
the others, and almost upon the spot
where the target had been placed fol
practice firing. Between 8 and l!
o'clock she was struck twenty times
while the others were hit two or tire,
times each by glancing balls. While
the Coniederates we're doing some 6n,
shooting their ordnance was so ligh.
that the solid shot scarcely lett a den.
in the armOr. When it was seen tina.
the ironclads we're receiving no dam
age, orders were given IN the fort t,
FIRE at longer intervals and only at tn,
port holes Of the vessels.
About noon the irouclads ceasel
firing for two hours to pipe to Dime
and give the men a rest. During thi
interval the subject Of landing in
fantry to attack the fort was sharpl
eanvassed, but finally abandoned
Had such a movement been carriet
out it would have resulted in Z terri
bic slaughter to the attacking party
as the bomb proofs were full Of in
fantry, and the grounds around th
fort udfavorable to an advancing foe
One Of the last shots fired befor
piping to dinner struck a columbia
10 the fort aud dismounted AID rem
dered il useless.
Daring the temporary truce bot
sides made ready for another grapplt
aTkus far four hours had been throw
away IN a tremendous cannonade, ia
ne. a mar had been killed on eithe
side.
Frem 2 until 4 o'clock there was
grand crash, and the news went roun
that the fort was being knocked /
pieces. This. however, turned out /
be false news. The iron clad had no
tried themselves and knew what the
could do, aud at half past two the
renewed the fight with such energ
that the artilierists Ia the fort wei
more than once driven to the boml
proofs. So fierce was the FIRE and 5
terrific the destruction By the shell
that for an hour hundreds Of men looI
ed expectanly for 3 white flag to be ru
up in token of surrender.
At 4 o'clock the Passaic was /
heavily hit on the turret that it WI
in a measure disabled, and the shi
dropped down out Of the fight. 500
followed By the others. 1t was gel
orally believed that Fort MeAllist,
had been SO badly Knocked to piec,
that it would either be abandone
during the night or its destructio
could be accomplished in an hour nel
forenoon. To prevent the Confederat,
from making any repairs the mortal
on the scheoners we've kept going I'll
remainder Of the forenoon and a
night.
The fort mounted only one morta
but this was manned early in Il
tight and was worked in reply 10 tho
aboard Of the sehooners. In eth
case the bombs had to be threwn ovI
{ belt Of woods which completely j.
the schOoners from the fort, and Il
FedeIals had a great advantage nj
only in number Of mortars, but II
fort was a great target and the RAM
was reported BY lookouts until it W
exact.
The bombs from the Confedera
mortar were thrown by guess, and
actual damage was inflicted. Two
them Tell within six feet Of one of d
schooners, and exploded at the Be
{ N of the river and sent up -suI
showers OF water as to nearly hide 4
= craft from view for a moment. Othe
fell in the forests along the banks, Al
t tore great trees to pieces, but not O
! OF them injured a Federal.
+, At an early hour next morning d
/ iron clads moved up to finish the 70,
B but lol a great change had taken pla
10 a few hours. Notwithstanding 4
fire ofthe mortars during the nieI
the garrison had made all repairs IA
a placed everything in complete prer
ration for a new fight. Those walls
sand we're again smoothed, eve
e cannon ready to belch forth It's ba
and one could not have told tina
Q shot bad ever been fred at the worl
la this emergency the feet v
ordered to retire. and this ended I
first real tests OF the ~irenclads. tn
had come within good range, select
berths to suit them, and we're provid
a with much the heavier ordnance a
z greatly assisted by the mortars. b
a they had accomplished nothing. Gu
Is and mortars had together fred neai
M three hundred shells of groat 4;