The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-09-19

among the dead a poor woman, wife
of the Captain steward, who had her
right arm and shoulder shot away.
The guns were nearly all rendered
useless by the enemy's shell. The side
of the vessel and her stern were riddled,
and everything seemed torn to pieces.
"Fire the guns off !' ordered, "even
if you can't hit anything; don't let
them think we are hurt !" Three con-
trabands loaded and fired one of the
guns-the only one fired after the first
there was no one to fire them.
THE DEAD PILED UP.
In the engine-room | found the en-
gineer dead with his hand on the
Unbelievable. He was standing ready
to obey orders from the deck when
killed by a shell. In his commissions
he turned off the steam, which cused
the vessel to stop. His two assistants
were killed or wounded.
l opened the throttle and the engine
moved, for it had not ben injured.
We proceeded rapidly down the
river, and in three minutes were around
a point.
The Confederates soon finished all
the contrabands that were swimming
in the river or clinging to the wreck.
Some of them may have got ashore,
but we never saw any Of them again.
As soon as the pump-boats were
sunk the battery opened on the little
tin-clad following astern of them, and
raked her fore and aft, killing and
wounding many Of her crew and cut
ting her steam pipe in two, enveloping
the vessel in cloud of vapor.
The rebels troubled themselves no
more about this vessel, Juliet, and she
dritted under the bluff, where the bat
terry was placed. The bluff was sixty
feet high and the Confederates could
not reach the vessel with their guns or
musketry.
The people on board took advantage
of the circumstance, quickly repaired
the steam pipe, and, during lull in
the enemys firing, owing to the vessels
above having opened with some heavy
guns, slipped away and joined her Con-
sorts up stream.
wondered why the vessels above
did not follow me. They waited until
night and then ran the batteries, and
were pretty we'll cut up in doing so.
Our fight was short and one-sided,
for the Confederates had it all their
own way and there was no help for it.
The rebel army, which Franklin had
kept at bay, turned round on that little
squadron of tin clads. They had not
forgotten how badly we had defeated
Green's division, covering the ground
with killed and wounded, and deter
mined to get even with us. But they
had not the satisfaction of stopping a
single gun-boat, or even one of the
transports which had been unwisely
tackled on to the squadron.
The Cricket had thlrty-eight shells
explode on her decks in less than four
minutes Juliet almost as many.
The other two tln-clads did not fare
SO badly. Most of the white men on
board the pump boats escaped.
had a relative on board the Cricket
who had gone on the expedition "to
see Hades." He was satisfied that
what he seen was next door to it, and
he was willing to return to his post.
As | came out OF the engine room l
saw contraband holding on to Mrs.
Holmes horse. "Why Bob,.' said l,
"you are bigger coward than that
horse you are frightened to death and
ought to be ashamed ofyourself. "No,
massa,' answered Bob, 81 amt no
coward. Dis niger STAINS by his
'colors to the last" If you was half
as frightened as this chile you'd swim
70 de sho'. I've got what you call de
moral courage, sah."
And SO he had, and that sort of cour-
age is better than physical bravery.
l took Bob home with me after the
war and made him my coachman.
PILOT DRENING.
In August, 1884, | received the fol-
lowing letter from Pilot Drening, whose
cool bravery on this occasion deserves
remembrance.
Yet grateful country has so far with
held a pension to which he is clearly
entitled. He must be upwards of 80
years of age:
GALENA, ILL.,, Anger, 1884.
Admtral Porter, Washington, ID. c.,
DEAR SIR: Your very kind letter is re-
ceived aud, with many thanks, wish
you a long life and happiness.
Twenty years have passed since the
battle, yet remember each name of the
killed and wounded and living, and how,
by miracle, We were saved from such
terrible firing to see the greatness of the
country that our comrades died to save.
Yours respectfully,
T. G. DRENING.
As soon as possible | proceeded
down the river to Alexandria to bury
the dead and have the wounded pro-
perly cared for. | could do good
to those above they had to run the
batteries, as we did.
-Four miles below fell in with Captain
Selfridge in the light ironclad Mosho.
Had l had single ironclad we could
have driven off our assailants but tin
clads don't amount to much in a fight