Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1883-01-17
FIRST TEST OF THE IRON
CLADS.
Bombardmenf of Ff.nclIIister-
ASand Fort StrOngerThan
an Iron Ship.
nelrnii Fraa Prees.

" AANAA VI AG1A ~ aA4
them against Fort McAllister with a
secret hope that they would be sent TO
the bottom.
# is more reasonable to believe that
this test was made with a view to ind
ing out what they would be able to
accomplish when brought to face the
sea wall Of Fort Sumter. 1t was a test
which proved them through and
through; and while the results tempo
rarily disappointed the friends of the
new style Of fighting craft, they had
strong ground for future hopes.
Fort McAllister was the gate which
guarded Savannah. 1t was built on a
desolate site on the river within two
or three miles of 0ssabaw Sound, the
country being swampy and the river
lined for a part of the way with a thick
growth of forest. The long years have
settled the sandy parapets and wrought
destruction to planks and timbers, but
the fort still stands and the visitor will
find much to surprise him. | believe
that one might to-day dig out aud pick
up from that site three or four tons OF
shot and shell, and this would not be
the fftieth part Of the metal hurled at
1t during the war.
Fort Wagner, at Charleston, was
built of sand because no other mate
rial was convenient. Fort McAllister
was designed as a sand fort, and little
else was used in its construction. Its
walls ofsand were in some places thirty
feet thick, and its bomb proofs were
unusually safe, but at the time Of the
Federal attack in March, 1863, its
armament included none Of the new
and powerful cannon used on Federal
gunboats. Long before any attack
was looked for the engineer of the
fort was told that the monitor would
knock the fort to pieces in one hours
work, but he merely heaped on more
sand. In thickness of embrasures no
other Confederate fort ever matched
it and, though Sherman finally cap
tured the works, il was after the Con-
federacy had been cut u two. Con.
federate armies scattered aud every
soldier knew that the end was at
hand.
Du Pont had learned thai ae could
not pass the fort on account Of the
Instructions in the river, and he de.
termined to batter down the fort
itself. The aaet assembled consisted
Of the Passaic, PatapscO, Montauk.
Nahaut and three mortar schOoners
Each ironclad carried two guns Of the
heaviest caliber, and the schooner;
we're armed with thirteen inch NOR.
tars.
On the Confederate side the onll
preparation made after it was seer
that an attack was to be made con.
sisted of a slight inerease-of the gar
rison. and some addition to the stocl
Of ammunition. Savannah was thor
oughly excited, but such was the con.
fdenee in the fort that no alarm wa
felt.
1t was the first Tuesday in March
The morning vas bright and bslmy
and both feet and toTi were in lighting
condition. The iro1elads we're 4
steam straight up the river and make
. direct attack. hut the mortar schOon.
eEs were t0Eed DO further than th'
bend N the stream, about : nile be.
loE the fort. Here they were not onll
uut Of range, but oai Of the sight 0
TIE enemy, ard il q position 70 drol
their monster shells fair Eithin[ht
EwkE
IhEs vas lnost perfect silezee OF
the Ogssshe a. the Trunclads 6nElll
moved cat tEom their anchorage an,
steamed slowly up the river. The,
ware sui advancing when these NOR
Tar Ehognsrs opened Ere With a roa
Ehlsh shook the earth for mile
around The grand attack 80 Ion
ooltsDplsted and 20 carefully pre-
pared for had begun.
Previous attacks o.. AcAllister hai
shown the ConfsdGates that al futur
great MOVEMENTS toward reducing j
Eylld BE made By way Of the river
The stream had therefore been Oh
structsd By logs and piles until it va
Impossible for q vessel to advsnc
nearer than 300 yards, while tn
channel up which the iron clads nov
advanced vas 50 narrow that they haI
ite move no 10 single fle.
The Passaie vas in the lead, and 4
she came within range Of the fort
hot IRE was opened on her. The yer
first shot fred By the Confederate
struck the turret Of the Passaie wit
a thud which made the whole Graf
tremble. The first shot fred By III
Passsic tell short and exploded In th
marsh, throwing up a shower Of mu
aud water which would have hidden
mountain from sight for a moment.
The ironclads now took positio
and opened FIRE, and all the guns /
the fort which could be brought /
bear returned the compliment. 7
this crash and roar was added ia
awful noise Of the mortar. Savannah
more than fifteen miles away. Lent u
a continuous tremble. Two waite
glasses placed side by side woul
make a ringing which could be hear
all over the house. Doors opened q
shut, dishes were Jared off the shelvC
and people standing on the cobb
stone payements were Jared in ever
nerve.
! For upward Of three hours the 6el
continued at white heat, everv eu
I being steadily worked and almoI
e every shot seeming to tell. The 70.
5 was a target too big to be missed whe
tile range was once obtained, but thel
d was a serious offset. As the ports
: an iron clad are its vital spots. go Al
: the e%mbrasures ola fort-especially
!, sand fort The guns at Fort McA
e listed were so that they were In siel
only when being fred, the same as d
guns.on the vessels, and the iron olat
IS thus found themselves COMPELLED
le peg away at the thick banks ofsan
y One can see to-day the evidences
the power Of the big shells from d
iron.elads. A fifteen inch ~.
weighs not far from $50 pount
/, They are eight inches in diameter. a.
u rom seventeen to twenty inches Ion
One Of these monsters hurled by
es charge of thirty.f five or forty poun
OF powder, from a distance Of 10
a yards, would penetrate a distance
m ten feet in q solid bank OF sand A,
"a then explode, and the explosion wou
Is lift tons Of sand high in the a
Sometimes the greater amount won