The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-03-12
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns.
THE PERILs OF THE OCEAN.
The Voyage Of the Transport Mississippi from
Boston TO Ship Island.

freghted with great number of human
lives ever experienced SO much OF the perils of
fhe ocean as the steamer Mississippi, which left
Boston for Ship Island Feb. 20 1862 carrying
a detachment of Buffers expedition for the
CAPTURE of New Orleans. The Mississippi was
a baruue-riCged steamer of about $500 tons
composite bu!lt-that Is, iron up 10 the middle
deck and wood abOye-thrcc dCcked, brand
new from an East Boston shipyaId, this being
her first trip. except trial trip IN smooth
water. She was a screw steamer with powerful
double engines had the necessary force of en-
gineers, french, etc, aud a crew sufficient TO
work the vessel in any ordinary circumstances,
with a Captain ana four mates. She carried
the 3Ist Mass, Col. GOOding, and Cos. a, b, l.
and / of the 18th hie., with their Colonel, Neal
Dow. and part of the reglmcntal staff. Be
sides these she had on beard several officers and
soldiers of ether regiments belonging TO the
expedition going to JON their commands.
The steamer left Boston the afternoon of Feb.
90. and reached Fortress Monroe Feb. "A after
pleasant passage. At that place she took on
board several tons of unloaGcd shells, which
were placed in a temporary bin on the after
part OF The lower deck, IN the same compart-
ment where the battalion of the 18th Me. was
QuartCIed. They were placed loosely in the
bin without any dunnage 10 keep them from
shifting IN ease the vessel rolled in rough
weather. At that place, also. Gen. Butler came
on board wiih his staff, his wife and her maid.
The whole number of persons on board the
steamer when she left Fortress Monroe must
have been over 500. The hold was filled with
coal AID cummissary stores.
Feb p the steamer LETT Hampton Roads, in
tending to call al HattcraS Inlet To take on
board Gen. Williams and staff but OH reaching
the vicinity Of the inlet, on the afternoon of
the 26lh the wind had risen so that il was
thought unsafe 10 try 10 cross the bar, so she
held her course southerly. The wind continued
Il n 1,~iaa off - no Ii2t
teras, had become so furious a southeast gale
that the steamer had TO be headed TO the wind,
ana tie engines worked only sufficiently to
keep her from drifting. As quite a number of
the 18th Me- hoys were sailors, volunteers were
called for from among them 10 assist the sailors
in managing the vessel.
The gale still kept increasing, and by a. m.
Of the 9th had become so terrific as to place
the steamer III the most imminent danger.
The upper deck of the Mississippi was about 10
feet from the water. and on this deck was
cOoi-house about eight feet high, the smoke
stack going up through this house. The waves
ran so high over the deck that striking the
cook-louse they would dash over the top of it
in under the apron of the smoke-stack, and in
this way so much water went down into the
fre-roon as 10 seriously endanger the fires.
Every man of the 18th Me- who was not
seasick was called, and double line formed
with buckets from the fireroom up through the
for nearly eight hours they had TO work for
their lives to keep the fires from being put out.
From , O'Clock till 8 the writer stood at the
saloon window with Corp. Justin L. Brown, of
Co. g. Corp. Brown emptying the buckets
through the window and the writer taxi ing
them from him and passing them to the next
man III the line.
The view from the window after daybreak
tat which time the gale began 10 abate) was
magnificent but certainly not agreeable, espec-
tally TO q country boy who was then on salt
Ha-er for the first time. To my eyes, unused
to such a sight. the waves seemed at least 80
feet from comb to trough, but were probably
shout % The wind gradually decreased, and,
about 8 a. ~, the main spencer was bent and
set. which 50 steadied the vessel that the water
NO longer came into the fre-room, and we were
relieved from duty after eight hours of the
hardest work we ever did
During the hight of the gale the quarters of
the Maine battalion were Internationally noisy.
1t is true that they were on the lower deck aud
heard but little of tie noise Of the gale, but the
shells which were slowed in the after part of
their compartment were moving with every
roll of the vessel. making a fearful noise, and
threatening every Instant TO burst the hastily
built bulkhead which confined them If that
had happened the danger Of the vessel would
have been much more imminent, if not fatal.
AS none were liz quarters, except those who
were too Se2sicl, 10 stir, their situation was
sufficiently uncomfortable to satisfy the wishes
OF tho worst rebel III the Coniedcr2cy.
The next "A hours after the gale passed
without any particular incident. The crew
with tboiT volunteer assistants were occupied
In putting The vessel TO rights. The event soon
proved, however that the rest of the voyage
was not 20 be noBotonOus. About 10 o'clock on
the morning a the 18th, with the sun shining
brightly, lie water smooth ana land in plain
sight ca the oTaTJOtrd bow, the steamer ran
hard ami fast aground on Fryingpan Shoal
which shares WITH Georges Sh0al off the coast
OF New EuglaLG, the unenviablc distinction of
being the most dangerous shoal on the United
States coast. The men We're then masScd on
deck and marched from bow to stern and from
port 10 sTarboard, while the engines were worked
10 their fell power in the hope Of working her
of the shC&l, bat IN vain. BY some ones blunder
the anchor was cast. and just then the steamer
forged ahead slightly running upon one of
the nukes and making a hole in her bottom
large enough for man to crawl through.
Imagine the situation Of our steamer then
Hard aground Oh one OF the worst shoals Oh the
coast-a Hostile coast at that, /, 800 men on
board and rot boats enough 10 carry 100, hole
through her bottom and 30 help at hand. For
tunately, the steamer WAS built with two water
tight bnlkhcads from the keel to the middle
deck, 50 that only the forward third Of her
filled, and this alone prevented the total loss Of
the vessel with The lives OF nearly all or board.
As soon As the situation was fully realized
signal Of disiTlss was raised. but was soon
hauled down for fear that II might be seen by
the enemy and tha: nelp might come in the
shape Of Z rebel gUubgat. Minute guns were
Their fired 10 attract the attention Of the block
aiding feet Of Wilmington, and by-and-by the
L. ;. gunb0at Mount Vernon hove in sight.
She soon came as near as was safe and laid by
TO give ali the assistance in her power
hawscF vas taken from the Mount Vernon to
the N ssissipPi, and both vessels used the ut
most power Of their engines but with little
effect. The situation OF the Mississippi now
seemed desperate. The wind began 10 rise AND
she laborcd hard Oh the ground. Fortunately
the tide Is well As the wind was now rising.
and a las: resort the boats of both vessels
commenced transferring men TO the Mount
Vernon from the Mississippi, while detail of
men were set 10 work throwing overheard the
shells, which made such disagrccaLle music
during the @2lc, 50 rs 10 Tighten her as much as
possible About 200 men had been transferred
when, just at dark, about 10 minutes before
high tide, the Mississippi succeeded in getting
of the sbo%l.
Her situation. however, was still very dan
ger0us; her forward compartment was full OF
water; she WAS two or three feet down by the
head, so that neither the screw nor rudder
could work efficiently; and before midnight the
wind increased TO a hard northwest gale. Ac-
eompanied by the Mount Vernon she proceeded
10 Cape Fear. where, Ia lee of the land, she
stepped through the night. Next morning
those who had been transferred from the Mis-
SiSsipui TO the Mount Vernon were returned