Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-03-26
PoRTERs MORTAR BOATS.
He Refers to Confederate Testimony Il
Reply to Mr.. Meredith.

Reply to Mr.. Meredith.
WASHINGTON, March 16.-It would be
difficult to make most persons believe
that this short, thick-set, active man,
whose beard Of black and gray conceals
his wrinkles-if he has any-and whose
head is we'll covered with black hair
sparsely streaked with gray, who stands
beside portrait Of himself that is start
lingly true, is Admiral David d. Porter,
and that he has borne the Bullets OF time
for % years. He is as active in move
ment as a bov, talks with all the Vivacity
OF a man of 80, and seems to be quite ca
pable of doing good service If occasion
arose, even after So years Of his life have
been spent In the navy, His large, tine
house on II street, in one OF the best streets
and sections Of the town, is in the Italian
style OF architecture, and Its interior is
full OF mementOes of the AdmiraPs
cruises. He has become literary man
OF late, and devOtes a good many hours
each day to his writing. The work he has
undertaken is q NAVAL History OF toe
Civil War" which was begun with the
idea of preparing a small pamphlet; the
volume then extended to one OF 900 pages,
and it will probably be quite 900 pages
when finished. Admiral Porter's atten-
ton was directed a day or two ago TO an
account written by Mr.. William I. Mere
dith of the passing by the forces OF the
United States OF Forts jackson and St.
| Philip, tue defenses Of New Orleans. He
mad heard of it, and knew what it was,
but had not read it. 1t appeared to puz-
zle him exactly to remember who Nj.
Meredith was, or how he cameltO be inter-
ested in the story OF the passing OF the
forts. ~ quite understand" said the Adj
miral, "that it is not complimentary
story for me. Ii had time, however, l
| should be glad to read it. l will tell the
| story of that fight without reference TO
| controversies. Whether the lombard
ment of the forts assisted Farragut or not
perhaps it would be well to let the Con-
| federates say. Col. Edward Higgins, the
commander of Fort Jackson, wrote TO me
| on April 4, 1872, letter describing the eff
feet of the fire OF the m0rtars upon that
fort. AS he has been quoted against me,
| / Will give you his letter, and that is all
the reply'I have to make at this Lime to
Mr.. Meredth's statements" The letter
| is as follows:
"Your mortar boats were placed in p0-
sitiou on the afternoon of the 18th of April,
1852, and opened fire at once upon Fort
jackson, where my headquarters were
established. The practice was excellent
from the commencement of the fire to the
end, and continued without intermission,
until the morning of the Gath OF April
when the feet passed out at about 4
o'clock. Nearly every shell of the many
thousand fired at the fort lodged inside OF
the works. On the first night of the at
| tack the citadel and all buildings in rear
of the fort were fired by bursting shell, and
also the sand bag walls that had been
thrown around the magazine doors. The
fire, as you are aware, ragged with great
| fury, and no effort OF ours could subdue
it. At this time, and nearly all this night,
Fort jackson was helpless; its magazines
| we're inaccessible, aud we could have Of
fered no resistance TO a passing fleet. The
| next morning terrible scene OF destruc-
| ton presented itself. The woodwork OF
| the citadel being all destroyed, and the
| crum bling walls being knocked about the
fort by the bursting shells, made matter s
still worse for the garrison. The work
OF destruction from now until the morn.
ing of the oath, when the fleet passed, was
incessant. was obliged to contne the
men most rigidly to the classmates. or we
should have lost the best part Of the gar
risOn. A shell. striking the parapet over
one of the magazines, the wall of whict
was seven feet thick, penetrated five feel
and failed to burst. If that shell had ex.
plOded your work would have ended. An
Other burst near the magazine door, open
ing the earth and burying the sentinel
and another man five feet in the same
grave. The parapet and interior OF the
fort were completely hOneycombed, and
the large number of sand bags with which
we were supplied alone saved us from be-
ing blown to pieces a hundred tunes, our
magazine doors being much exposed. Or
the morning of the Gath, when the feet
passed, the terrible precision with whicl
| your formidable vessels hailed down theiI
tons of bursting shell upon the devoted
fort made il impossible for us to obtain
either rapidly or accuracy of fire, anC
thus rendered the passage comparatively
easy. There was not very considerable
damage done to our batteries, but few o
the guns being dismOunted by your fire
everything else in and around the for
was destroyed"