The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-01-17
A 8YS.B0AT RUNNING THE GAUNTLET.

the flag officer, under date of March Both,
| at once began to prepare the Caronde.
let for the ordeal. All the loose material
at hand was collected, and Oh the 4th OF
April the decks were covered with it, to
protect them against plunging shot.
Hawsers and chain cables were placed
around the pilot-house and other vulner-
able parts of the vessel, and every pre-
caution was adopted to prevent disaster.
A coal-barge laden with hay and coal was
dashed to the part of the port side on
which there was no iron plating, to pro-
tect the magazine. And it was truly
$ id that the old Carondslet at that time
resembled farmers wagon prepared for
market. The engineer led the escape
steam, through the pipes, aft, into the
wheel-house, to avoid the putting sound
it made when blown through the smoke
stack.
All the necessary preparations having
been made, informed the flag officer of
my intention to run the gauntlet that
night, and received his approval. Colo
mel Buford, who commanded the land
forces temporarily with the f1otilla, as
sisted me in preparing for the trip, and
on the 4th brought on Captain Hollen-
stein, of the Forty second Illinois, and
twenty-three sharpshooters of his com.
mand, who volunteered their services
which were gratefully accepted. Colo
mel Buford remained on board until the
last moment to encourage u.s. l inform
the officers and the crew of the character
of the undertaking, and all expressed a
readiness to make the venture. In order
to resist boar ding parties in case We
should be disabled. the sailors were we'll
armed, and pistols, cutlasses, musksts,
boarding pixies, and hand grenades were
within reach. Hose we're attached to the
boilers for throwing scalding water over
any who may attempt to board. If it
should be found impossible to save tie
vessel, it WAS designed to sink rather
than burn her, as the loss of life would
probably be greater in the latter case by
the explosion of her magazine. During
the afternoon there was promise of a
clear, moonlight night, and it was deter.
mined to wait until the moon was down.
and then to make the attempt, whatever
the chances. Having gone so far, we
could not abandon the project without
bad effect on The men, equal almost to
failure.
At ten o'clock the moon had gone
down, and the sky, the earth, and the
river were alike hidden in the black
shadow of thunderstorm, which had
now spread itself over all the heavens.
AS the time seemed favorable, ordered
the first master to cast off. Dark clouds
now rose rapidly over us, and enveloped
us in almost total darkness, except when
the sky was lighted up by the welcome
flashes of vivid lightning, to show US the
perilous way we were to take. Now and
then the dim outline of the landscape
could be seen, and the forest bending
under the roaring storm that came rush
ing up the river.
With our bow pointing to the island,
We passed the lowest point of land with
out being observed, it appears, by the
enemy. All speed was given to the YES
sci to drive her through the tempest.
"Ths flashes of lightning continued with
frightful brilliancy, and almost every
second wrote correspondent, ''svery
brace, post and outline could be seen
with startling distinctness, snshrouded
with blush white glare of light, and
then her form for The next minute would
become merged in the intense darkness"
When opposite Battery No. 2, on the
mainland, the smoke stack blazed I'D,
but the fire was soon subdued. 1t was
caused by the root becoming dry, as the
escape-stsam, which usually kept the
stacks wet, had been sent to the wheel
house, as already mentioned, to prevent
noise. With such vivid lightning as pre-
vailed during the wholo passage, there
was no prospect Of escaping the vigilance
of the enemy, but there was good reason
to hope that he would be unable to point
his guns accurately. Again the smoke
stacks took fire, and were soon put out;
and then the roar of the enemy's guns
began, and from Batteries Nos. 2, 3 and
4 came almost necessarily the sharp
crack and screaming sound OF their rifle
shells, which seemed to unite with the
electric batteries of tho clouds to annihi-
late u.s.
While nearing the island or some shoal
point, during few minutes of total dark
ness, we were startled by the loud, sharp
order, Hard a-port"' from our brave
and skillful pilot, First Master Hoel.
We almost grazed the island, and it ap-
pears were not observed through the
storm until we were close in, and the
enemy having no time to point his guns,
fired at random. In fact, we ran so near
that the enemy did not, probably could
not, depress the guns sufficiently. While
close under the lee of the island and dur
ing lull in the storm and in the firing,
one of our pilots heard Confederate
officer shout elevate your gunsn' Eyes,
confound YOU said the pilot, in much
Jn-Ar law Ssalauata - T. -, hi
that the muzzles of those guns had been
depressed to keep the rain out of them,
and the officers not expecting another
night attack in such a storm, and arriv-
ing late, ordered the guns elevated just
in time to save us from the direct fire of
the enemy's heaviest fort; and this, no
doubt, was the cause of our remarkable
escape. Nearly all the enemy's shot
went over us.
Having passed the principal batteries,
we were greatly relieved from suspense,
patiently endured, however, by the off
GERS and crew. But there was another
formidable obstacle in the way-a float
ing battery, which was the great "war
elephant of the Confedcrates, built to
blockade the Mississippi permanently.
AS We passed her she fired six or eight
shots at US, but without effect. One ball
struck the coal barge, and one was found
in bale of hay; we found also one or
two musket bullets. We arrived at New
Madrid about midnight with no one hurt
and were most joyfully received by our