Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-06-24

hour, at which rate, aided by q fayoring
current, she passed through the two Aeets
Having no faith in her coming down, the
vessels were found wholly unprepared to st
taeE; only one, the ram General Bragg, had
steam, and her comm lander unfortunately
waited for orders to act in such emergency.
Every man has one chance Farragut is
reported to have said; she has had his and
lost it." The chance was unique. for q sue
csssiul thrust would have spared two ad-
mirsls the necessity OF admitting disaster
caused by over-security. The retreating
Tyler was sighted first, and gave dekuite in
formsIion OF what the firing that had been |
heard meant, and the Arkansas soon fol- |
followed. She fought her way boldly |
through, passing between the vessels Of war |
and the transports, firing and receiving the |
IRE OF each az she went by, most Of the pro-
iecliies bounding harmlessly from her sides;
but two nioe-inch shells came through, kill
ing many and setting on Ere the cotton back
ing. On the other hand, the Lancaster, of
the ram fleet, which made q move toward
her, got shot in the mud-receiver which
disabled her, scalding many of her people;
two of them fatally. The whole affair with
the fleets lasted but few minutes, and the
Arkansas, having passed out of range, found
refuge uader the vicksburg batteries.
The two hag-oficers we're much mortified
at the success of this daring act, due ss it
was to the unprepared state Of the fleets; and
Farragut instantly determined TO follow her
down and attempt TO destroy her as he ran
BY. The execution Of the plan was appointed
for late in the afternoon, at which time
Davis moved down his squadron and en-
gagged the upper batteries as a diversion.
Owing TO difficulties 10 taking position, how
ever, IT was dark vi eu by the time the feet
reached the town, and the ram, anticipating
the move, had shifted her berth a. soon as
the waning light enabled her 10 de so with
out being seen. She could not therefore be
made out; which was the more unfortunate
because, although only pierced twice in the
morning, her plating on the exposed side
had been much loesened by the batteriag she
received. Ooe nine-inch shot only found
her a. the feet went by, and that killed and
FOUNDED several of her people. All Farra-
"1ts feet, accompanied by the ram Sumter,
| detached for this service by Flag Officer
Davis, passed down in safety; the total loss
| IN the action with the Arkansas and in the
| second passage of the batteries being but FIVE
| killed and sixteen wounded. None of this
| feet ever returned above Vicksburg again.
The Upper Mississippi fotilla in the same
encounter had thirteen killed, thirty. four
wounded, and ten missing. The greater part
of this loas fell on the Carondelst and the
Tyler in the running fight; the former hav-
| ing four killed and ten wounded, bes DIES two
who, when shot oil the enemy caused steam
to escape, jumped overheard and were
| drowned. The Tyler lost eight killed and
sixteen wounded. The commando officer
of The Arkansas reported his loss as ten
| killed and fifteen badly wounded.
The ram low lay at the bend Of the river
between tive forts. On the 22d Of July,
Flag Officer Davis sent down 10 attack her
the iron-clad Essex, Commander W. d. Por-
ter, with the ram Queen of the West, Lieut..
Col. Ellet. They started shortly sfter dawn,
the Benton, Cincinnati, and Louisville GOV.
ering them by an attack upon the upper bat
terles. As the Essex neared the Arkansas
the bow facts OF the latter were Stacked and
the siarbosrd screw turned, so that her head
swung of, presenting her sharp stem and
beak 10 the broad square bow Of the assail-
ant. The latter could net afford to take
such an offer, and, being very clumsy, could
not recover herself after being foiled in her
first aim. She accordingly ran by, grazing
the eDemy's eide, and was carried ashore
sstern Of him, in which critical position she
remained for ten minutes under a heavy fire
then, backing and iswinging clear, she rar
down the river under FIRE OF all the batteries
but was not struck. When Porter saw that
he would be unable to ram, he fired into the
| Arkansas bows, at fifty yards distance, thres
solid niHe-inch shot, one Of which penetrated
and raked her decks, killing seven and
woundips six OF ner small crew, which ther
numbered only forty-one; the rest having
been taken away as she was not it for imme
diate service. The Queen of the Yves
rammed, doing some Injury, but not of ;
vital kind. She then turned her head ~
stream and rsjoined the upper fleet, receiv
ing much damage from the batteries as sh,
went back.
Two days later, Farragut's fleet and tn,
troops on the point opposite Vicksburg, un
der the command of Gen. Williams, wen
down the river; Farragut going to New Or
leans and Williams TO Baton Rouge. Thi
move was made necessary by the falling c
the river and the increasing sickness of tn,
climate. Porter, on his passage down fort
night before, had expressed the opinion
from his experience, that if the heavy ship
did not come down coon they would have /,
remsip till next sesson. But the health o
tue mtn, who had now been tire. months NJ
the river, was The most powerful cause TO
the change. % the 25th of july forty pc
cent. of the crews OF the upper fosills wer
on the sick list. The troops, who bein;
ashore were more exposed, had but 800
for duty out of total Of 5000. Two week
%, fore the Brooklyn had -ixty.eight dow
cut of 800. These were almost all sick will
climatic diseases, aud the cases wcre incre as
Jog IN number snd intensity. The Copfeder
aies nov having possession of the point oppo
cite Vicksburg, Davis moved his q et to tn
mouth Of the Yazoo, and finally TO Helena
The growing boldnese of the enemy aloD,
he banks of the Mississippi m ade the rive
~ unsafe, and supply and IT nsport yes
sells, unless conveyed by an armed steamer
were often attacked. One had been sunk
aud The enemy was reported 10 he establish
ing batteries along he stores. Taese coul,
be easily silenced, but to keep them unde
required a number of gunboais go that th
communications we're seriously threatened
The feet was also very short handed, n eed
ing 500 men TO fill the existing vacancies
Under these circumstances Flsg-Oficer Ds
vie decided to withdraw to Helena, betwee
which point and Vicksburg there was u
high land on which the enemy conld per mi
Dentlv establish himself and give trouble
By these various movements The ironcla,
Essex and the ram Sumter, now permanent
separated from the up-river feet, rem aine
charged with the care Of the river belo,
Vicksburg; their nearest support being th
Katshdin and Kineo at Baton Rouge.
On the 9th Of August the Confeder ate
under the command of Breckenridge mad
an attack upon Gen. Williams's forces 9
Baton Rouge. The Arkansas, with tw
small gunboats, had left Vicksburg on tn
third TO cooperate with the movement. Th
Union naval force present consisted OF tn
Essex Sumpter, Cayuga, Kineo, and Kstah
din. The attack was in superior force, but wa
calamity met, the Union forces gradual
contracting their lines, while the gunbost
Katshdin and Kineo opened fire as coon Q
Gen. Williams signsled to them that the
could do go without injuring their ow
troops. No Confederate gunbosts came, an
the attack was repelled; Williams, however
falling at the head OF his men.
The Arkansas had been prevented fror
arriving in time by the failure of her ma
chinery, which kept breaking down. Atte
her last stop, when the order to go ahea
was given. one engine obeyed while the othe
refused. This threw her head into the BAN
and her stern swung down stream. Will
in this position the Essex came 10 sight be
low. Poweress TO move, resistance was use
less; and her commander, Lieut.. Slevens, se
her on FIRE as soon ss the Essex opened, th
crew escaping unhurt 10 the shore. Shortl
sflerTsrd she blew up. Though destroys
by her own officers the act was due to th
presence Of the vessel that bad calamity al
tackled her under the gurs Of VickshuTg, an
lain in wait for her ever since. Thus pei
ished tee most formidable Confederate iror
clad that had yet been equipped on the Nil
sissippi.