Daily Republican., 1883-05-19
THE REBEL RAM MANASSAS,
How the First Of the Kind Ever
Used im Naval Warfare was Built.

How tho First Of the Kind Eve
Used in Naval Warfare was Bull
From the New York World.
The history of the ram Manassas ant
OF her protector and commander shOult
be placed upon record before it IL 10,
la:e TO get the truth. John A. Steven
son, a wealthy retired sea captain, wa
living in New Orleans at the breakin.
ont of the civil war, and the Manassas
was wholly his conception and inven
tion, and it was put atioat entirely a
his cost and expense. Before the battl,
of Bull Run he purchased the Enoct
Train, which had been constructed il
Boston and used as q tow boat on tn.
MississipIn river. She was a double
propeller, with two engines and power
ful machinery, $50 feet long, ~ feet
beam, y feet hold and about 81 tons bur.
den. He took off her houses, cut her tc
her plank-shears and then first put on an
arched deck OF heavy timber, complete
ly covering her from stem TO stern in
the shape of q turtles hack, finally plat
ing the whole with two thicknesses of
l:ailroad iron, bent and fitted so as To
form smooth surface over the whole
outside of the waters edge.
Two short smoke stacks alone pro-
truded above the even surface of the
whole outside The Prov was construct
ed with heavy iron, projecting in front
about D feet, 3 feet under water. She
WAS steered by II wheel entirely covered
under the deck. In case she should be
boarded by the enemy 1t was SO arrang-
ed that hot water could be thrown in
streams upon the boarding party. The
construction of such n novelty at New
Orleans attracted public attention. 1t
was visited by many hundreds of peo-
pie, was called the " Nond-script, and
was very generally ridiculed by the
public. But Stevenson was strong
minded. had faith, had money, and was
encouraged by his friend Captain
Charles William Austin, now a resi- :
dent of Savannah, Ga, who superintend-
ed in her construction.
1t is from him tlat all the facts here
In mentioned were obtained. When
completed, which was soon after the
battle of Bull Run, the next thing was
to obtain n crew Federal gunboats,
heavily armed, were lying at the mouth
of the Mississippi, and it was thest
which Il was intended she should at
tack Commodore IIollins, the Con-
federate naval commander at New Or
leans, refused to detail men for service
in her, but gave consent to Captain
Austin 70 obtain volunteers, if he
could, from ont the navy. Nineteen
were obtained. With these the Manas-
sas proceeded to Fort Jackson, twenty
two miles above the blockading squad
rCn. Commander HOllins allowed
Stevenson and Austin tho use of his
dispatch boat Iva with which to recon-
noltre the enemy in the afternoon, pre-
paratory for ;i.night attack.
They approached to II point just out
of range. There lay the Stoaul sloop
Richmond next TO the east bank of the
river, with twenty-five guns then the
Vinceunes, with fourteen
guns next the sloop .of-war Preble,
with fourteen guns, aid next the steam
war Water Witch, with six
guns. They all lay abreast, across the
Mississippi al the head of the passes,
and beaded up stream, with their
springs out, guns shotted and all re- eidy
for action at u moments notice. These
four Federal boats, with iifty-six guns
and well manned, was mighty power
for the single Nondescript, with nine
teen heroes and no guns to attack.
Some of the Confederate naval officers
had said that the Nondescript would be
blown out of water. Leaving Fort
Jackson at about 8 o'clock on the morn
ing Of October II, 1861, with Captain
Austin, her commander, as the only
man Oh deck and each Of his men at
his proper place below, the ram pro-
Cer.ed to and arrived at the scene of
action about three o'clock in the morn
ing.
The Richmond had been selected by
Captain Austin in the afternoon as the
Federal boat first to beattackcd. Near
ing the Richmond the NondeSrript
was got under the utmost heahway, and
not until she was too near the Rich
nOnd, and until it was too late to with
lraw without discontinue, perhaps
disaster, was il discovered that a schoon-
n was lying alongside the Richmond
N tn" side of the attack. The ram
all steam on, and striking
he schooner first cut her in two and
an the iron prov of the Nondescript
clear into the Richmond. The ram
hen hauled off. The schooner sank.
The Richmond discharged her broad.
side of guns al the ram, but without
fleet. The Richmond found herself
disabled and leaking, and withdrew,
vi OF of 1np 10 "A ut ar
,oats, and the bockading squadron all
down the passes.
The blow which the ram struck the |
chooner and the Richmond produced
uch conclusion upon the ram as to
lisable one of her engines and render
Ter unfit to attempt further aggFessions,
,ut it did not destroy Captain Austin's
Ooting on the deck. The ram was not
ided or followed by any tire-rafts, or
ny STEAMERS or propeller astern of her,
lor were any shells thrown or guns fired
t the Federal fleet, as some Federal
ccounts have described. The ram was
AIKEN back to New Orleans and repair
d, was adopted by the Confederate al-
for her. The Nondescript
vas named the Manassas by Stevenson
oon after the battle Of Bull Run. Af-
er her victory the Confederacy, having
ecn thus taught by Mr. Stevenson
ow to build effective war vessels then,
nd not until then, began changing the
ierrimac into an iron-clad ram at Nor
Dix, Va.
Mr.. Stevenson, in building the Ma
a.sas, buildel greater than he knew,
n in u practical way he gave to the
ublic new ideas as to carrying on ma
ii warfare, which have been since
lNnted and uevelOueu in different forms