Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-15
than that of two fifteen-lnch guns fired to-

precious time and n great deal of money, 1t
CONSERVATION; but SO little was the explosion
supposed to be an act of war that the Whining
currence stated ted that Federal cruiser had
chased blockade runner in under Fort Fisher,
and In doing so had herself got on shore, and
into Confederate hands.
1t is a curious fact that bloc kade-runner did,
that very night, thread her way through all our
numerous vessels,-perhaps for the reason that
there were so many, all intent upon the eXplO-
sion,-and went in just ahead of the powder
| boat. The latter awaited herself OF the range
| lights set for the blOckade-runner to go in.
| AT WORK IN EARNEST.
Early morning on the oath of December saw a
| busy time in the fleet the crews having had
breakfast before daylight. The wind was light
and off shore, and there was = smooth sea, and
| the vessels all stood close to the fort assumed
| their assigned positions, the Ironsides lead
ing, and then anchored. The silence and wait
| ing while this was being done led people 10
think of torpedoes and other develtries which
might be awaiting us in the shoai water; but
none were there. When all got to work the
bonn bardment was tremendous. Probably so
severe fire was never concentrated upon q
| fort before, and the return was not very brisk,
| for 1T was simply impossible to serve barDetted
guns rapidly under such q fire OF shot and she'll
The fort was huge eartil-work, ex-
tending about four hundred yards across
the space from sea to river, and three
| or four times that length along the sea-issce,
with powerful batteries mt intervals. Most of
their fire was bestowed upon the wooden YES
sides, indcnting the armOr, cutting away the
rail and lower rigging, and tossing about the
| sand-bags on the spar-decS. One ten-inch shot
came into the unarInOred end, forward, driving
before it an airport, with its heavy iron stem
and lead casing, entered the sick-bay, and
smashed up everything in the dispenSary, and
then was detected from the berth-deck and the
pOwder-passers by a heavy barricade OF ham,
Knocks, placed for just that purpose. Then the
huge shot hoped over q swinging-cOt in which
was lying the body of a marine who had died
just is We were going into action, and finally
made an identatiOn like q saucer in the heavy
oak waterway, not injuring even the dead
man.
All day long We pounded away at the heavy
earth-works, the hardest things in the world to
1njnre, and at night drew OIL, just out of range,
and anchored.
The weary. smoke-begrimed men had been
asleep about an hour when the drum beat TO
quarters, and every one reused out to hear that
a torpedo-boat was supposed to be cruising
no excitement. The people at their quarters
could hear. "Do you make her Out:'' mo, sir;
did see her, but don't now" ~ hear her. /
hear the water strike her sider' "Fire here,
marines! Then there came il scattering of
musketry, and then a d-n or two, and a sort of
chuekie as we heard some one call out, Its
only y ships boat, sir, capsiZed and adrift."
And SO it was,-but her round bottom. Tapped
by the ripple; Looked In the darkness very much
IKE the David torpedo-boats which the
enemy were then using.
Beat the retreaty' And in IA few moments
all but the watch were asleep again. The next
day was Christmas, and fine the day be-
fore, and ut the fort we all went again, ding
dong-a wonderful sight indeed. The garrison
answered us from their heavy columbiads
BrOOkes, Bakeys and Armstrong;, much more
frequently than on the preceding day. and then,
during the forenoon the transports began to
Iand troops upon the beach, about two miles to
the northward of the fort. In the afternoon a
considerable force was on shore, and they began
TO move down towards the fort with skrmsll-
line out; but nothing more was done by them
that day. AT sunset all the wooden vessels
drew off again, but the IrOnsideS and monitors
Kept fast although their crews were really more
Jagged and pOwder-Sich than the Others for the
reason that they began first and ended last, all
IN very close place. the conclusion from the
he;aSy guns being very troublesome. The eleven
and titeen-inch guns have q mellow pealing
sound as compared with the shap reports OF
sound is much greater. Our men, especially
the sponsers. were in some cases quite blind at
the end OF the day from the blast OF hot sulphur
Gus smoke, which was driven inbOaru ac-
count OF our firing to winGward.
On the Goth OF December neither army nor
navy did much. The weather had changed and
| there was "a southeast SWELL The troops skir-
Inlshed in the woods above with some battal-
ions from Wilmington, ana the gunboats
paratlvely quiet, gray day was great contrast
| 10 the roaring times on tine two days before.
pn Itseryenins seemed uncertain, ana General
but at last that military Chief decided that an
assault Of the tort was not feasible, and the OPP
Grafton was abandoned, although competent
judges aver that Fisher would have yielded to
assault on that day much more readily than
she did three weeks afterwards.
HAULING OFF.
The night passed quietly, and on the 9th the
weather was fine, the troops re-embarked and
the transports moved Off for Hampton Roads
again as fast AS they were loaded, while the
naval vessels replenished their coal and stores
from their transports and Wdited OF course the
garrison OF Fort Fisher were much interes ted III
THESE operations and at last, after hardly daring
to credit the evidence OF their own ewes that
they We're being left alone, did about saucy
and aggravating thing as they could dO,-viZ,
they fired q salute. 1t was no fault of the navy
or oi the troops that they had been brought so
far to do nothing, but there was no getting over
the fact that the expedition so long in prepara-
ton and setting out with such a flourish OF
trumpets, had failed.
same ship, and the same troops, with a
different commanding officer, took the place q
little later, and when 1t was much stronger.
The naval vessels now went up to Beaufort
where We had first made rendezvous, and re-
! :nained there until the 18th of January during
which we had a succession OF heavy gates froIi
southeast. The irgates and other large vessels
put TO sea on one occasion, aud the iIght-,iraft
craft went in over the bar, but the old lronsides
could not cross the bar, and could not steam to
sea III face of such gale, and had To clay 1t
out. One night We lost an anchor and CHAIN
and an spite OF our engiue, were almost in the
breakers, that all hands were called to give
them u chance. But the good ship was re-
served for better things, and, alter an anxious
time, the gale aDated, the went down, and
we got out to our original anchorage. In the
intervals between gales OF wind We all man
aged 10 ill. up with coal and powder from the
transports, and il was with JOY and exuitation
that We heard that We were To "try again. the
same troops 10 accompany us, but to be under
| the command OF General ferry.
THE SECOND EFFORT-Hor WORK.
On the date above mentioned we sailed again
! for New Inlet, with the troop-shps in close
company, and having light northwest wind
! and smooth sea.
There was no shilly-shally, or "backing and
filling, as Jack calls it, this time but early on
tAe morning of January l3 we went ut the fort
again, the lronsidcs leading i'll as usual. As
soon AS we began TO pound the huge earti,-,yor,z
the soldiers began To land sbrne distance above
IL evident that the garrison had been rein
| guns, for our ire was returned very briskIy
aud we were struck more frequently, while the
naval battery TO the south, the guns of which
were nearer he water surface, WAS particularly
/ active and spitcia!-
| On this day we had an exhibition of the ey-
! cit;,ciiity and lighting qualities Of a game cock
which had been ON board Il long time and WAS
great pet with the crew. On previous days of
/ fighting he had been put away below LuL ON
| this occasion lie escaped from hi, coop and
reached Tie spar decH, where lie strutted about
/ upon the sand bags, Hr:terin., his wings and
cro~!l.S lUCdiy, aud evidently ENJOYING the
roar oil the battle, ard by nigntfali was as
hOirsc AZ any gun captain. Ec had some mar
row escapes from sno; and SpiinterS, and WAS
/ once nearly swept overheard by "a shower of
sand from one OF the bags which was torn with
shot, but lac ever le.: the deck or dodycd q b;t
At dark ceased firing, the ironclads re-
| tanning their position. But about ten o'clock
The enemy began nrinS siX.y-eIght- pound shot
1 At the lronsides, and, as We could not return
] IL To advantage, We hove Up our anchor and
| dropped out OF range. SOME oil the double