The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1884-03-13
SAVING THE NATION.
tC0ntinued from LIST pace. ]

mindful of the explosions around us. How
viii it end? VIII the Queen sink with all her
brave men on board7
But her consort is at hand-the Monarch
commanded by Captain Ellet, brother of Col.
Ellet. He was five or ten minutes behind the
Queen in starting, but he has appeared at the
right moment. He, too has been unmindful
of the shot and shell falling around him. He
aims straight as an arrow for the Beauregard.
The BeaGregard is stiff, staunch and strong,
but her timbers, planks, knees and braces are
no more than laths before the powerful stroke
of the Monarch. The sharpshooters pour in
their fire. The engineer of the Monarch puts
his forcepumps in play and drenches the decks
OF the Beanregard with scalding water. An
officer of the Beauregard raises a white cloth
upon a rammer, the signal for surrender. The
sharpshooters stop firing. There are the four
boats three of them floating helplessly in the
stream, the water pouring into the hulls
through the splintered planking.
Captain Ellet saw that the Queen was dis
abled, and took her in tow to the Arkansas
shore. Prompted by humanity, instead OF
falling upon the other vessels of the fleet, he
took the General Price TO the shore.
The Little Rebel was pierced through her
hull by half dozen shots. Commodore Mont
gomery saw that the day was lost. He ran
alongside the Beauregard. and, notwithstand-
ing the vessel had surrendered, look the crew
on board TO escape. But shot from the Cairo
passed through the boilers of the Little Rebel.
The steam rushed out like the kissing OF SER
penis. The boat was near the shore, and the
crew jumped into the water, climbed the bank,
aDd fed TO the woods The Cairo gave them a
broadside of shells as they ran.
The BeauregaId was fast settling The Jes-
sic Benton ran alongside. All had fed save
the wounded. There was pool of blood upon
the deck. The sides of the casemate were
stained with crimson drops, yet warm from the
heart Of a man who had been killed by a shell.
" Help, quick !" was the cry of Captain May
nader.
rushed on board in season to save wound
ed officer. The vessel settled slowly to the
bottom.
81 thank you," said the officer, /" for saving
me from drowning. You are my enemies, but
you have been kinder 10 me than those whom |
called my friends. One of my brother officers,
when he fed. had the meanness to pick my
pocket and steal my watch, thinking il was
the last of me-"
THE FIGHT GOES ON.
There is no cessation of the cannonade. The
fight gees on. The Benton is engaged with the
Lowell. They are but few rods apart and
both within stones throw OF the multitude
upon the shore
Captain Phelps stands by one Of the Bentons
rifed guns. lie waits to give a raking shot.
runs his eye along the sights. and gives the
word 10 fire. The steel pointed shot enters the
starboard side of the hull by the water-line.
Timbers, braces, planks-the whole side Of the
boat is torn out. The water pours in. The vessel
settles to the guards to the ports, to the top of
the casemate, reels, and with lurch disappears.
1t is the work of three minutes.
The current sets swiftly along the shore.
The plummet gives seyenty-five feet of water
The vessel goes down like a lump of lead. Her
terror-strieken crew are thrown into the cur
rent. 1t is an appalling sight. A man with
his left arm torn, broken. bleeding and dang
ling by his side. runs wildly over the deck
There is unspeskable horror in his face. He
beckons ROW TO those on shore, and now to his
friends on beard the boats He looks implor-
ingly 10 heaven, and calls for help. Unavail-
ing the cryi he disappears in the eddying
whirlpool. A hundred human beings are
struggling for life butleting the current, rails
ing their arms, catching at sticks, straws,
planks, and tiInbeTs. Heipl helpl helpi"
they cry. 1t is wild wall of agony mingled
with the cannonade.
There is no help for them on shore. There,
within dozen rods, are their friends, their
fathers mothers. brothers, sisters, wives. chill
dren-they who urged them to join the service,
who compelled them to enlist All are power
less to aid theml
They who stand upon the shore behold those
whom they love defeated, crushed, drowning
calling for helpi It is AN hour when heart
strings are wrung Tears, cries, prayers, efforts,
all are unayailing.
SAVE THEM, LADS.
Commodore Davis beholds them His heart
is touched. Save them, lads he says.
The crews OF the BentoR and Carondelet
rush TO theiF boats. So eager are they to save
the struggling men that one Of the boats is
swainped in the launching. Away they 60;
picking up one here another therefor or
twelve IN all. 4 few reach the shore and are
helped up the bank by lockers on; but fifty or
sixty sink TO rise no more. How noble the
act How glorious. Bright amid all the dis
tress. al the horror, viii shine forever, like a
star OF heaven, this act Of humanity.
The Price. Beauregard, Little Rebel and
Loyell-One-hah of the rebel heet-were dis
posed Of The other vessels attempted to fee
The Union feet had swept steadily on IN an
nnbroacn line. Amid all the appalling scenes
Of the hour there was no lnll in the cannonade
While saving those who had lost all power of
resistance, there was no cessation of effort to
crush those who still resisted
4 short distance below the Little Rebel, the
Thompson, riddled By shot and in flames was
4 run ashore. little farther down stream the
Bragg was abandoned. also in flames from the
4 explosion OF q 9-inch she'll thrown by the ST.
Louis. The crews leaped ON shore and fed to
I the woods. The Sumter went ashore near the
! t-ihtAS AAS1rAs 4 nc van DoEn di0uC escaped
She was a swift steamer and was soon beyond
reach of the guns of the feet
The fight is over. The thunder of the morn
I ing dies away aad the birds renew their sing
ing. The abandoned boats are picked up The
! Thompson cannot be saved. The flames leap
around the chimneys. The boilers are heated
I 70 redness- s pillar OF fire springs upward in
] long lances of light The boilers, beams of
/ iron, burning planks, flaming timbers. cannon,
shot and shells are lifted five hundred feet in
1 ar III an expanding, unfolding cloud filled
1 with loud explosions. The scattered fragments
rain upon forest, field and river as if meteors
! Of vast proportions had fallen from heaven to
earth, taking fire in their descent. There is a
| shock which shakes all Memphis and announces
| to the disappointed, terror-stricken, weeping,
humiliated multitude that the drama which
they have played SO Inadly for twelyemonth
is over-that retribution has come at last.
Thus, IN an hours time. the Confederate feet
was annihilated. Commodore Montgomery was
to have sent the Union boats TO the bottom
but his expectations were not realized his
promises not fulfilled. 1t is not known how
many men were lost on the Confederate side,
! but probably from eighty 10 a hundred. Colo
mel Ellet was the only one injured on board the
| Union fleet. The gunboats were uniniured
The Queen of the West was the only boat dis
abled. in striking contrast was the damage
20 MontEOmery's feet.
The victory opens the Upper Mississippi from
Cairo 10 the stronghold of Ficksburg.
70 be continued