Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-09
FARRAGUTs FLEET.
HOW &c Passed the Confederate Bne-
aerIes nc new Orleans.

/ uCcb 10 yet uu0EE way IoSlttOuS III iAuC
OF battle had been taken the night be-
fore and every ship lay hove short" to
her anchor The feet was formed In
two divisions. That to 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. Philip
were the Cayuga, Pensacola, Mississippi,
Oneida, Iroquis, and three small gun
boats. The three sloops, Hartford,
Richmond and Brooklyn, carried each
fifteen guns in broadside, beside brass
pieces in the tops. 1t was dark night,
yet stars were shining. 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, Rugged
the west bank as close as the Hartford's
pilot would permit. The pilot was an
old New Orleans man. He had no poll
tics. He was working for money. He
had little cage built which let down
from the port fore-chains sand dropped
him just to the waters edge His idea
was to get under the smoke. The mid
shipmen were stationed to signal his
orders. Farragut and his staff went for
ward TO the forecastle. Captain Vain.
wright took the bridge and Lieutenant
Thornton, he of Kearsarge fame after
ward. took charge of the batteries The
two lines steamed slowly up. Porter's
mOrtars doubled their fire. The Con-
federate 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. Far
ragut stood with his night-glass peering
into the darkness ahead. Wainwright
was beside him. Watson, his signal Of
ficer, near. Is Bailey we'll up in linem
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-
whizz-zeep! of shot came like a sum-
mer mosquito over the Hartford's bow
Farragut removed his glass and said,
quietly, "Gentlemen, 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
aheadg Put this ship as close to it as
you can get her. BY this time the whole
Confederate force was reused. Fort st.
Philip 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 fleet
the fire RATS being ignited, the black
smoke skurrying back and forth, and
wiLhal the deadly missiles kissing by.
Port yelled the pilot, +" here we are,
STRIP Farragut leaned over the side.
1 nln
Hartford seemed then within 100 feet
of the battery.l sNot without danger
of grounding sAlI rigl8. Port it is.
Hard-a-port! Now, boys!p and the old
man waved his glass. The crew waited
for the ship to sheer. and then came the
crash. 1t was the first broadside that
had been fired in that squadron. It was
deafening; it was almost paralyz-
ing, 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 jackson
were all in full play. The smoke was so
dense that from the deck nothing could
be seen but q sheet of flames issuing
from the canopy. The fierce hail Of iron
from the fort was like the hiss of count
less steam valves. The artillerymen had
poor range, and SO most of their fire was
ineffective. The feet made little or no
reply. Pretty soon the Hartford, Rich
mond and Brooklyn were all in position
to bring their guns to bear atclose range.
The orders were to get as close as the
pilot would allow and sweep the para
pets with grape and canister. 1t was
hardly five minutes after the ships bat
teries had gone 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
adame dozen fire RATS. and they were
coming down with the current.
The forts were still hring, but in the
dense smoke nobody could tell where he
was. A great fiTe-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
Hartford's rigging. Lieutenant Thorn
toms fire department was perfect, and it
| responded even in the face Of such awful
danger. The Hartford's engines backed
and then It was discovered that the ram
Manassas was pushing the fre-raft and
holding il against the ships side Cast
loose the starboard batteryl" yelled Far
ragut. s'Quick, gentlemen See that
RAM For Gods sake give it to him ~
1 The wnsxn xvn4 - The MTnw,anpar enf1 :. ~