Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-01
FAErlGUT'S FLEET.
PASSING THE CONFEDERATE FORTS
BELOW NEW ORLEANS.
The Famous Fight of April ~, 1852
Beginning of the Battle-In the
M:Ist of the Fray-A Terri
BILE Scene.


the fleet to get under way Positions in line
Of battle had been taken the night before
and every ship lay hove short to her an
chor. The fleet was formed III two diviS-
ions That 10 follow up the 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. Phillip were the Cayuga, Pensacola,
Mississippi, Oneida, Iroquois and three small
gunboats. The three sloops, Hartford, Rich
mond. and Brooklyn. carried each fifteen
guns l.. broadside, besides brass pieces in the
tops.
1t was a dark night, yet stars were shin
ing 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, hngged
the west bank as close the HartfOrds
p lot would permit The pilot wa an old
New Orleans man. He had no politics. He
was working for money. He had little
cage built which let down from the port
fore-chains-and dropped him just to the
waters eige His idea was to get under the
smoke. Two midshipmen were stationed to
signal his orders. Farragut and his staff
went forward to the forecastle. Capt VAIN
right took the bridge and Lieut. Thornton.
charge of the batteries. The two lines
steamed slowly up. Porter's mortars doubled
their fire. The Confederate 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.
Farragut stood with his night-glass peering
into the darkness ahead. Wainright was
beside him. Watson, his signal officer, near.
as Bailey well up in linei" 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- hiZz-
zeepi of a shot came like a summer musquito
over the Hartford's bow Farragut re-
moved his glass and said quietly, Gentle
men, 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 adeadf Put this
ship as close to it as you can get her. By
that time the whole Confederate force was
reused Fort St Phillip opened. Fort
jackson turned loose her classmates; the
water battery had its whole twenty guns in
play Away ahead in the gloom could be
seen the preparations of the Confederate
feet-the fire RATS being ignited, the black
smoke skurrying back and forth, and withal
the deadly missiles Kissing by. Port"
yellei the pilot, "here we are, sir" Farra-
gut leaned over the side, Cant you get us
any closerf" [The Hartford seemed then
within 100 feet of the battery.] Not with
out danger of grounding"
"All right Port il is. Hard-a-portl 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 broad
side that had been fired in that squadron.
1t was deafening; it was almost paralyzing,
but. like the taste of blood, 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 Jack
son 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 countless steam
valves Happily the artillerymen had
poor range, and so most of their fire
| was Ineffective The fleet made little
or no reply, but steamed ahead. Pretty
soon the Hartford, Richmond, and
Brooklyn were all in position TO bring their
guns to bear at close range. The orders
| were to get as close as the pilots would allow
ester 1t was hardly five minutes after the
ships batteries had got into this work before
the enemy's fire slackened. They could not
stand it. The ships passed upward. By this
time all ahead was black and fire famed
| The Confederates had set afiame dozen fire
RATS and they were coming down with the
current
Here was a new danger. The forts were
still firing, but in the dense smoke nobody
could tell where be 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
| the mud. The raft swung alongside, and in
| an instant the flames had caught the Hart
| ford's r -Eiag. Lieut.. Thorntons fire
| department was perfect, and it re-
sponied even in tie face Of such
awful danger The Hartford's engines
backed AMI then it was discovered that the
ram Manassas was pushing the fire raft and
holding it against the ships side. Cast
loose that starboard battery" yelled Farra-
gut Quick, Eentlemenl See that RANT
For God's saks give it to him" The ram
got it. The Manassas fell off from the raft,
the raft slid by the Hartford, and the latter
was free. Capt. War.ey, the commander of
| the Manassas, seeing he was hurt, tried to
make for shore. The Mississippi caught
him. rammed him, hammered him, and then
pushed him into the mud. There was Nc
time to stop, or Marley would have been a
prisoner, but he was helpless. and it was the
duty of the wooden ships to get out Of fire.
Once above the range of fire of the forts
the enemy's fleet had to be encountered. IL
was getting almost daylight The smoke
was drifting away, and looking ahead the
flag officer could see tine Confederate gun
boats and cotton-boats and rams The Fed
eral gunb ,at Varuna, Capt. Boggs, had al
ready dashed in among them, and, as the
result proved. got the worst of 1t, for after
half an hours tussle she went down stern
first and lost thirty of her crew. The
Oneida was also being sore beset when the
heavy ships came up Farragut, through
his glass could see at a glance where the
trouble lay. The little vessels did not carry
guns enough He signaled the big ships &c
form in "ine ahead" that is, single file, and
take tho middle of the channel. The Con
federate fleet was formed in two lines Mar
both siiesl" he called to his captain as the
Hartford's bow doomed up through t.
smoke, and the Richmond, Brooklyn ano
Mississippi followed. Man both sides" wa:
the signal to the other ships.
1t was dreadful. As the line steamed W
ami the heavy batteries poured from bott
sides into the frail and panic stricken Graf
il seemed like horror-laden destruction. The
big river steamers We're all top-hamper
They had cotton bales TO protect tnehi, pu
the shells from the nine-inch Dahlgrens sen'
these flying into mid-air Two of the craft
were together. They seemed filed witt
people; the Richmond sheered within twent,
feet of them and let go broadside. Th'
roof and cabin and texas" and smoke pipe
all went by the board. On either bank, a
the fleet passed up were the wrecks of tn
wretched feet. The officers and crews has
fed Grape and canister from the bi!
ships had kuocked them into match kin
ding, and al were either sinking or burn
ing There was not one vessel left.
SACRED DRAMA.