The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-01-31

were stcamlng down tie river, had JUS
rolled over Tor another snooze, when
WAS arog ed b. eraaI through the side!
Of Tie SHY, together with a rafting re-
pot Of light artillery. In moment
came kick at my door, with the words
"!iailo, CT up, We're in fightm
bounced ,,,t, and being ready harnessed
excepting cost and boots, ran for the hur
ricaDs dee and internal machine" We
were passing UIrcugh Cypress Bend
and thI45s around looked interesting.
On Shoe: abreast the narrowest of the
chanLa', was four gun battery of field
pieces, manned by about two hundred
C2n!el RACES, al pcpptring away like a
fonrth G. Jaly. About hundred yards
ahead y IS tGe s,:raler. She had been
the ta"gs: If tie :irst volley and escaped
damage G4e General Lyon came next,
and hsre L.!I enemy had better luck, put.
| ting al t@ir %! the shot of their SECOND
voilry through us. Il is scarcely ncces-
s&rF 10 25r;i,n that our cargo was IN
Sc1ti.ul. HID aay part of it been struck
tbs cha.';a. If the Annals would have
been "s.t.eH by somebody else.
Next after the L5ou came the trans
port New Kentucky, loaded with troops
and nuieS. Tha third round of the bat
terry pie. t.ar W. She driltod and lodged
upon = ~tld ID" aid lay there helpless,
envciuiec; II, 4 cloud o! steam, while the
battery poured shot Into Eer as fast as
the Guns cpnl,i ba served The men not
busy with the held pieces amused them
selves wjth small arms. Many We're
perchec in the small trees astraddis Of
the limbs whence they kept up a lively
shower u buckShot and little bullets.
Ru5 the. fired too high.
JOHN r0wELL's GUN.
Alongside our les was the gunboat
Signal. CAPTAIN Birch suggested that
she I; Z; sc Size battery and rescue the
disabled transport, which was being
roughly treaso4. The commander of the
sigma objected that, being a ''tinclad,"
lie could rot SO within rause without
endanceriry his own boilers.
eff YOU won't do it, said Birch, "then,
b. Cd, viii -
We rounded to and went for the bat
try. The Ing thirty-tve FOUNDER on
tie fore,asi!e was in chasns of an old
nan ot-wcT man ard abs ;unner, Act
iHg Ensign john Powell. IS we neared
the COn;aJ,Eratas he sent : shell which
s.1tk il 5h2 river bank beneath them.
Another q1:..ly followed and burst in
taa nj Isl 0. Ike convention around the
ans. l. caused "scaa5erment" and
icy began 70 Timber up.
Meanwhile the "infernal machine" was
tested. Aimed into the tree tops it fred
d whole platoon. had squatted down
hahind it 10 aim, and, intent on the
{ feet OF he discharge forgot to keep
clear Of the recoil. l picked myself up
with a sore head, Tor which l was COM
rensatcd ~ witnessing the comical style
in which the occupants Of the three tops
tamhied cut. 1t reminded me of old
time hla"kbrtl shooting. The platoon
was again got into line of Battle and fired
| another h,;zzard wish good effect, while
the old tiIjrty-two pounder put in some
more notices TO quit, SO persuasive that
| our foes were sovn in full retreat across
he beGd, atiectionately followed by our
kind aslicax 50 Ioa. as we could see them.
W FURTHER FIGHTING.
The steamer NV Kentucky was res
c:led sid taken in tow. 1t then behooved
n to hasse;a O. ard pass the other side
OF the bend before The battery reached it
TO Intercept us. Since we had fol ce
enougi !, il would. perhaps, have been bet
10y auG s, 'er & bave landed and captur-
| ell tie guns than to risk their bad marks
naUsl:jp aEai1. Fortunately we got
ahead oC th2m and escaped a repetition
Of tLei. a',cuti0ns.
One . lie party of hostiles was sub,
saquen Is captured, and from him we
| learned nat the she'll 20 appositely
planted ,aoug them from the Lyon kill
ed aaa aanded sixteen men of the bat
tcry 70 how much credit the sinfernal
Machine Vas entitled is uncertain.
Judging by the thermal energy with
wh'rh i: kicked over its epGineerit ought
to have slaughtered all there was left.
Oar lass Was triling, cur escape MIRA
culcls. OF the shots which struck the
Lyon two passed through the flues close
in font, the others just behind her boil.
era. Ona actually knocked off the button
Of til: sloan gaaSa. A divergence OF
enc ;uch. eipbEr way, would have been
distraction to tie entire convoy. 1t
seen, "a as il Providence had purposed
an example OF upon what slender
threads hang everlasting. things" The
loss Of those cargoes of ammunition
might have materially changed results
At T-iekaburg. Had our assaiants sue.
cecd9d in blowing us up it would have
bean rich Joke on themselves. We
we're not thirty yards dis ast when they
struck us, &ld had We gone off, there
would rot iaya been grs.ss spot lett
Of them.
GA F.iAay, July 8, 1866 happened on
h,agd the flagship and le2rned that ne.
gociatious we're in pgogts for surrender
| OF Ficks5aIg. Next morning at o'clock
I went on board again and found the
glad news confirmed. EIcksburg was
ours. 4 tug-boat bad been sent down
around the bend for final verifcation OF
the fact General Grant, in full occupa.
| ion OF the city. would make signal by
display 0; the American flag from the
summit Of Eicl;sburg's Court Hsuse
The tug was TO transmit this signal to
tie fageHip. Tbs Admirars dispatch to
the Secretary of the Navy would then
start at once Cor Cairo.
DAN POLLOCKs BOAT.
The swiftest steamer on the river, the
Wilson, Captain Dan Pollock, lay just
astorn oG the flagship, made fast to the
east bank Of the yazoo by light haw.
ser. She was ''red hot,' shivering un'
der the foIce pressure of her steam,
which escaped the safety valve with that
keen, metallic whistle so significant to