The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-12-12
THE FIGHT In MOBILE BAY.
A Man Who Was on Board the Hartford Cor
reefs Few Of Major Danes Errors.

have been reading the Journals report Of
Major Danes lecture on ''The Great Naval
Battles of the War; delivered at Plymouth
Church on Wednesday night. Having some
personal knowledge of these things desire to
correct O. few mss.atements. which may be only
reporters mistakes, regarding the battle Of
Mobile Bay. Being attached to the flagship
Hartford during the whole Of 1864, and being on
board during the memorable occasion in ques-
ton, believe can speak from observation.
would take exception to Major Danes re-
mark that the attack at Mobile bay was "des-
perate attempt" It was not Admiral Farraguts
habit to do anything desperate. He was we'll
acquainted with the resistance he would meet,
and moved against it with fixed and
deliberate purpose of overcoming it. The
''two strong forts" which Major d. says
mounted 230 guns may have mounted that
many, hut, If my memory is correct, $50 was all
that could be found Yet 1 can assure Major
Dane that the forts were strong enough; nor did
I then, or would now wish for any more guns
THE ram Tennessee was all that the speaker de-
sscribed her as being. However, the three feet
Sof live oak, and ten inches of iron" of which he
kbuilt her casemate. was three and half feet of
Alabama pine with a casing of iron nine inches
thick. The ''best English riHed guns" with
which Major D. armed her. were made at Selma,
Ala were rifed, Of $50 pounds caliber. and
equal in power to any England could produce
The channel through which the ships had to
pass, had been narrowed to 600 yards in width,
while on the Fort Morgan side the condition of
the water was such as to keep them about the
same distance FROM the fort But to say that
this passage had been literally paved with
torpedoes for four miles and half" is ridicu-
ious as anything can be- and is just four miles
and 780 yards wide of the truth. From memo
randa found among Admiral Buchanan's papers,
txva Undo l
anchored in the channel, in three lines, occupying
q space about 100 yards wide. Subsequent in
vestigations proved that such was very nearly
the case OF all this number, but one exploded
and that was under the Tecumseh, as the Major
says, but in sinking she did not suck las in
coffin" 300 men. In this, however. the lecturer
was not quite so wide of the truth as in his
pavement story. The Tecumseh, that morning,
mustered 1l3 officers and men. Seven were
saved; the pilot from the top of the turret. one
gunner, who jumped through a port
lhole just as the turret was going under
water, and two officers and three men who were
an the shot-room when the explosion occurred,
and who came to the surface somehow-maybe
Major ID. can tell. One hundred and six men
were drowned with the Tecumseh. but every
man was hero. This occurred at about fifteen
minutes after7 o'clock, and as the sun rose more
THAN two hours before that time, am inclined
TO think the Major rather late with his first
rays of morning"
1t was at this point in the battle that the
captain signaling that he was on torpedoes and
asking what he should do. The Admiral's reply
was as Major Dane states it. But in his dispo-
stion of the rebel gunboats Selma, Morgan and
Gaines, he is again in error. The Selma was cap
tured by Captain, now Admiral Jouett, the Gaines
was sunk by the Hartford's guns, and the Morgan
ran back under the guns Of the fort. and that
night escaped to Mobile by running past our
ships. If she was sin flames" on that day, no
one knew it; neither did the ram Tennessee now
drop anchor, because she had not, until now,
moved from her anchorage.
In describing the fight with the ram, the
Major again becomes entangled. The order
was to "ruu the enemy down at full spesd," and
all obeyed it who could. The Hartford was not
cut to the water-line when she struck the Ten
Fnessee, nor was the blow severe one. The two
eships were meeting bows on. y and when within
IA few feet Of each other, the Tennessee sheered
TO starboard, and the two ships rubbed noses
somewhat energetically; but the heavy anchor
sof the Hartford caught under the edge of the
eTennessees plating and heeled her over, thus saw
ling the flagship from the plunging shots
which the Tennessee intended to give her. 1t
was while wrapped in the smoke of this russell
with the enemy that the Hartford received
waters edge, and not before, as stated by the
lecturer. 1t was also here that the Tennessee
lost her smoke stack and had her steering chains
broken. which two casualties rendered her help
less If the Chickasaw was made fast to the
Tennessee that day. no one knew 1t at the time,
nor has it since been known until Major Dane
tells it, But the Chickasaw did do the monster
serious damage-more, perhaps. than all the rest
of the feet, as, being of good speed, she took
position in rear and hammered her stern case
mate until it was nearly beaten through. But
one shot from the Manhattan struck
the Tennessee It broke her armor and
ssplintered her timbers but fell outside She
was compelled to surrender because the loss of
her smoke-stack emptied the smoke from her
tfurnaces into the casemate and soffocated the
men, Admiral Buchanan was wounded by a
kehot from the Chickasaw, which entered stern
port and broke his eg-precisely as the opposite
leg was broken in the fight between the Merri-
mac and Monitor His was not broken
nor was there "a large silver through his body.'
Before the war he was Admiral Farragut's
tsenior In age and rank. and not his rival of
Lifetime" As he delivered his sword to Capt
LeRoy, of the Ossipee. to be carried to Admiral
Farracut. he sent with it his regrets at being
compelled to surrender to boy.
WILLIAM COMMONS
UNION Cry. Ind, Dec 10.