The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1885-04-30
FARRAGUTS FLEET.
HOW it Passed the Confederate bat
teries at New Orleans.

"a, 1862, says an exchange, red light
| from the Hartford's taffraii warned the
fleet to get under way. Positions IN line
of battle had been taken the night be-
fore and every ship lay shove short, TO
her anchor. The fleet was formed In
two divisions. That to follow up the
4 west bank and tackle Fort jackson was
the Hartford, Brooklyn. Richmond, and
four smaller ships. That to follow the
east bank and engage Fort st. Philip
| we're the Cayuga, Pensacola, Mississippi
Oneida. Iroouis, and three small gun
boats. The three sloops, Hartford,
Richmond and Brooklyn, carried each
| fifteen guns in broadside, beside Drass
| pieces in the tops. 1t was dark night,
| yet stars we're shining. The great river
doomed, for the water was high, and
piles of drift-wood coming down had
kept all look-outs on the alert. The
| First division, Farragut leading, Rugged
| the west bank as close as the Hartford
pilot would permit The pilot was an
old New Orleans man. He had no poll
tics. He was working for money. He
| had a little cage built which let down
from the port fore chains-and dropped
him Just to the waters edge. His idea
| was to get under the smoke. The mid
shipmen were stationed to signal his
orders. Farragut and his staff went for
ward to the forecastle. Captain Vain
| wright took the bridge and Lieutenant
| Thornton, he of Kearsarge fame after
ward, took charge of the batteries. The
two lines steamed slowly up. Porter
mortars doubled their fire. The Con-
| federate forts were silent. There were
no sounds save the swish of the current,
the dull thump of the engines and the
buzz and restlessness of the crew. Far
| ragut stood with his night glass peering
| into the darkness ahead. Wainwright
| was beside him. Watson, his signal Of
/, icer, near. els Bailey we'll up in line?'
he asked, without removing the glass
from his eyes. 'Aye, aye, SIR" said
the signal man, SOFTLY. All at once
there was a flash ahead that Lit up the
heavens, and in an instant the whirr-
| whizz -zeep! of a shot came like sum-
mer mosquito over the Hartford's bow.
Farragut removed his glass and said,
quietly, Gentlemen, the time has come.
| Wainwright have your men stand by
their guns. Pilot ito the man over the
side), do you see that water battery right
ahead2 PIT this ship as close to it as
you can get her. BY this time the whole
Confederate force was reused. Fort st.
Philip opened Fort jackson turned
| loose her casemates; the water battery
had its whole twenty guns IN play.
Away ahead in the gloom could be seen
the preparations of the Confederate fleet
the fire RATS being ignited, the black
| smoke skurrying back and forth, and
withal the deadly missiles Kissing by.
"Port," yelled the pilot, "here we are,
sir" Farragut leaned over the side.
| Cant you get us any closer?' CThe
Hartford seemed then within 100 feet
of the battery.) "Not without danger
of grounding "All right. Port it is:
Hard port! Now, boys" and the old
man waved his glass. The crew waited
for the ship to sheer. and then came the
crash. 1t was the first broadside that
had been fired in that squadron. 1t was
deafening; it was almost paralyz-
ing, but. like the taste of blood,
i the stripped sailors wanted more
of it. From that hour smoke
enveloped the ship. Obeying his orders,
the pilot kept his ship close to the west
shore. By this time the guns of jackson
were all in full play. The smoke was so
dense that from the deck nothing could
be seen but sheet of flames issuing
from the canopy. The fierce hail of iron
from the fort was like the hiss of count
less steam valves. The artillerymen had
poor range, and so most of their fire was
Ineffective. The fleet made little or nc
reply. Pretty soon the Hartford, Rich
mond and Brooklyn were all in position
to bring their guns to bear at close range
The orders were to get as close as the
pilot would allow and sweep the para
pets with grape and canister. It was
hardly five minutes after the ships bat
teries had gone into this work before tho
enemy's fire slackened. They could no
stand it. The ships passed upward By
this time all ahead was black and fire
famed. The Confederates had Sc
af1ame dozen fire RATS, and they wer.
coming down with the current.
The forts were still firing, but in thu
dense smoke nobody could tell where hi
was. A great fire-raft, the flames rising
fifty feet, came swooping down on the
Hartford. To dodge it the pilot made
an error and the ship went ashore in tn,
mud. The raft swung alongside, and il
an instant the flames had caught thu
Hartford's rigging. Lieutenant Thorn
tons fire department was perfect, and i
responded even in the face of such awful
danger. The Hartford's engines backed
and then it was discovered that the ran
Manassas was pushing the fire raft anc
holding it against the ships side "Cas
loose the starboard battery!" yelled Far
ragut. "Quick, gentlemen See thai
ram! For Gods sake! give it to him ?
The ram got it. The Manassas fell of
from the raft, the raft slid by the Hart
ford. and the latter was free Captain
Marley, the commander of the Manassas
seeing he was hurt, tried to make fo
shore. The Mississippi caught him
rammed him. hammered him, and the,
pushed him into the mud. There wa
no time to stop, or Marley would hav,
been prisoner. but he was helpless, AM
it was the duty of the wooden ships t.
get out of range of fire.
Once above the range of fire of tn
forts the enemy's fleet had to be en-
conntered. 1t was getting almost day
light. The smoke was drifting away
and looking ahead the flag officer coui
see the Confederate gun-boats and co,
ton boats and rams. The Federal gun
boat Varuna, Captain Boggs, had alread
dashed in among them, and as the II
suit proved, got the worst of it, fo
after half an hours tussle she went dow
stern first and lost thirty of her crew
The Oneida was also being sorely bese
when the heavy ship came up Fa1ra