St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-10
WAR STORIES
Prepared Exclusively for the st. Paul
Globe, From Entirely Original
Sources.
Rear Admiral Stevens Relates Reminis-
cences Of His Services Under
Dupont.
The Expedition Against Fort CIinch
and Difficulties Encountered
Its Capture.
A Trip Up the st. Johns River and
the Recovery Of the Yacht
America.
The Capftulation OF Jacksonville
and its Subsequent Evacuation
tho
The Capitulation Of JacksonVllIe
and its Subsequent Evacuation
by the Federals.

ROYAL by the naval forces under Dupont,
expeditions were sent to TecOnnOiter the
various inlets Of the coast north TO Bulls
bay and south to Ossabaw sound. The
stone fleet had been prepared to obstruct
the Charleston channels, and a weak at
tempt had been made TO turn Fort Pulaski
by running the light draft vessels through
Mud River. Another expedition made a
reconnaissance up the Wilmington and
actually turned the fort. 1 have always
thought that if this last opportunity had
been improved it would have resulted in
the capture of Savannah, as there was
nothing in the way but few rusty guns
and rotten piles. The commanding officer
of the expedition consisting Of some SIX
or eight gunbOats and a considerable army
force. when urged TO make the attempt re-
piled that his orders were simply TO make q
reconnaissance; that he had done this and
was not justified in doing more. | was
one Of many who felt that great opportu-
nifty had been wasted, and it was with great
regret thatwe returned to Port Royal under
cover Of the night. After this much
larger force, comprising a great part of Gen.
Il. W. Sheman's troops, most Of the heavy
ships and the light draft vessels was or
gained for an
ATTACK on FORT CLINCH.
The smaller ships were commanded by
Capt. Perceval Drayton, man high-bred,
brave. and second to none in professional
requirements. He was to enter st. An
dfew's sound and proceed by the inland
passage to the objective point, while the
heavy ships. under the immediate command
of Dupont, were to use the outside route
The shallownesS of the water and abrupt
turns of the channel made the inland nayi-
CATION most difficult ana notwithstanding
the vigilance of their commanders the YES
sells grounded one after the other. until at
O'Clock on the Sd OF March, 1862, my com
nand the Ottawa, was the only one which
had reached clear water Perceiving this,
] anchored about three miles from the fort
and a mile from the Pawnee, then aground.
as there were evident signs that the enemy
were about to evacuate their stronghold
With all haste l manned the gig and pro-
ceeded to the Pawnee, my object being to
ask permission to push on at once to the
fort If this could be done the destruction
of property would be prevented and the
Confederate retreat cut off. On reaching
the Pawnee ! was met by Capts. DraytOn
and G. r. p. Rodgers. Both of these gen
tlemen entered into my views. as soon as
the situation was explained, and accom-
panied me back to the Ottawa, first giving
orders for the armed launches of the Wa
bash to follow. AS soon as they came
alongside and were taken in tow, we
STEAMED FOR THE FORT.
Abreast of the entrance to the harbOr we
sighted the heavy ships at anchor and
showed our number. Shortly after, my
executive officer, George b. White, often
tried and never found wanting, was sent in
the gig to hoist the old flag over the now
abandoned FIT. Clinch, the first of the ma
tional forts 'retaken, reoccuped and re-
possessed" While this was done we
moved on past FeTnandina toward the rail
road bridge just beyond. On our way
thither we saw train of cars loaded with
troops rushing at full speed on a course
parallel to our own. We threw a few
shells over it; then, as it did not stop. cut
it in two by a well-diIected shot. when the
occupants ''stampeded" for the adjacent
woods About the same time we made out
n gOOd-sized river steamer endeaYOring to
escape through one of the inland passages.
A shell thrown over her from the Ottawa
brought her to, when Capt. Rodgers in the
launch took possession of her. She was
full of passengers, some of whom were of
the Confederate army. Learning that other
vessels had fled up the river we pursued at
once, Capt. Rodgers in one of the armed
launches remaining with me. About II
o'clock that night we arrived, without
warning at the town Of st. Mary's. Capt
Rodgers, with the crew of the launch and
some of the Ottawa's men, Immediately
landed and surprised some of the enemy's
cavalry. Our presence was so unexpected
that the enemy fed in CONSERVATION, Ieav-
ing their horses and camp equipments be-
hind. There was no time for
ROOTS AND SADDLES"
On the morning of March 4 the Isaac
Smith steamed into st. Mary's with in
,structions for the Ottawa to reconnoiter ST.
Mary's river In obedience to the order we
started up the river and reached without
difficulty Woodstock mills. u place about
fifty miles above, landing at many points
on the way to communicate with and reas-
sure the inhabitants. The river at this
point Woodstock millS) was so narrow as
TO make it necessary to anchor the Ottawa
by the stern, in order TO point her fair for
our return. About a mile and a half be-
low, our vessel grounded on hump in the
channel. At st. Mary's we had taken on
board river pilot, but at this crisis he was
nowhere to be found Mr.. Frederick Pear
son, the officer in command of the armed
launch, was sent back to the mills in search
iof the missing man, but was unsuccessful.
iOn his return to the Ottawa he reported
that a negro had signaled to communicate
with him and had told him that Albert (the
owner of the mild had dispatched meSsen-
gers in every direction to notify the Con-
federateS in the neighbOrhood of our where
abouts. This timely warning proved the
salvation of our party, as it enabled us to
make all necessary preparations for de-
Tense. The hammocks were secured up and
down the bulwarkS to protect the men from
the fire of the shaTp-shooterS, and the wheel
was effectually guarded in the same way
Our situation was the more trying. because
we learned that large camp of the enemy
was situated within ten miles of us. BY
diligent efforts we fioated our gunbOat
about daybreak and got under way again
with guns loaded, decks clear, and every
thing
READY FOR ACTION.
We pursued our course uninterruptedly
until near a place called the Brick Yard.
when the lookout at the masthead shouted:
Here the damned rascals comet" Imme-
diately followed the sharp, quick fire of the
Mississippi riflemen from both sides of the
river. simultaneously we opened destruc-
tive fire upon them with our battery, using
Crane and canister in addition to the small
arms. The enemy lined both sides of the
river for mile, and kept up so hot anC
effective fire from the cover of dense un.
dergroWth and forest trees that the crews
of the eleyen-inch and Parrot rifles, which
were without protection, were ordered tC
shelter themselves under the bulwarks anC
make use of the small arms. In the mean
while the howitzers in the waist were doing
good work. The river at this point was 81
narrow that the telling of forest tree
across it would have effectually barred GU