The National tribune., 1889-05-16
TIE FOREC4STLE,
What Our Naval Heroes Have to Say
About Their Cruises.
ADMIRAL PORTER.
Some OF tho Work Done by the mississippi squa'

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Better late
than never is an old adage, which at this late
day you have acted on by granting to the old
naval veterans aepace, even IT it is aft or fam
tail of your ship of National information, THE
NATIONAL TRIBUNE.
Many reasons might be given why the U. s.
naval service and honors have not been made
more generally known, but the one given by
Admiral David ID. Porter in his preface to his
Naval History of the Civil War" is as fol-
lows:
While our army has been written of by thou
sand ready pens, the navy has not. rule, been
a popular theme for the historian, and now and
then only do we meet with some well-drawn story
of the navy and the benefits it conferred upon the
country.
Our army was full of writers who could delineate
in the most happy manner all the events that were
TRANSPORTING around them; they also ready
with the pencil. The photographers, while he tray
eled with the army, wonld spend his days IN pho-
tographing every noted scene, reprints OF which
the movements of our armies clearly before the
millions of people in the North If the battles had
been reflected in a mirror.
The camp, the march. the biyouac the battle
field were almost as familiar to the friends and
relatives of those in the field if they had been
on the spot, but there such means of
bringing the navy before the public.
Naval ships did not travel with reporters, pho
tographers or sketchers; there was no room for
these on board ship, aud If perchance some stray
reporter should get on board the discomfort OF o
nan-ofwar the exactng discipline and the freer life
sent him back to shore most cases
lac only remembered his associations with the
navy trip without any satisfaction, and with
no desire to do Justice TO the naval service.
will now add that while quoting from the
above, my minds eye has reverted to times
past, about quarter Of a century ago, when l
was engaged in the carnage of war, with all its
terrible sacrifices. 1t was then / had more
than one opportunity of witnessing the courage
and GOODNESS of Admiral d. d. Porter. Ask the
crew of the little stern-wheel tinclad gunbOat
Cricket (No. 81 of Admiral Porters GOODNESS
and bravery at the time of the engagement
with the well-supported rebel battery on the
Red River, between Grand Ecore and Alexan-
dria, La, April 20 aud 81, 1864.
No vessels in Mobile Bay in the August pre-
vious were in more danger, or their crews in a
more perilous situation, than were the U. 5. s.
/ Fort Hindman Cricket and Juliet on April 90
| 90 and 81, 1864. l say all honor and hail to
] the chieftain of our navy while he is left with
US, and glory to his memory when Time in his
merciless flight shall watt him hence.
Now, Farragut dolizers, we do not wish to
! ask you to respect less your old champion, but
| will say this much: The press Of our country
has done him proud, and has neglected to do
| the proper honor and respect to Admiral d. d.
! Porter, the hero of the Mississippi River and
! its tributaries, and who broke in twain the
rebellion, which was the crushing of it, and
again the hero of Fort Fisher. Have you for
| gotten it, Salty?
] Now for the expedition up Black and Ouich
| ita Rivers. for which Shipmate schmelz asks:
Well. Shipmate Schmelz, l was also in that
expedition. Had orders from the Navy De-
| partment at Washington to accompany said eX
/ plot; was to act in consort with Lieutenant
Commander Frank NJ. Ramsey, very brave
and faithful officer of the navy. The order
was given through Admiral ID. ID. Porter to
| Commander Ramsey, who was to command the
| expedition, and on whom would, of course, rest
! the principal part of the responsibility. was
| to retain the same position | had held for near
year, which was First Sponger aud Second
! Boarder of No. 2 gun, bow battery; Also held
my old ships rating, that of ordinary seaman,
| Z. S. tinclad gunboat Fort Hindman. You will
remember her by the fact that she always
was just Immediately aft of the little single
| turreted monitor Osage whose turret didn't re-
yoive when it was most needed at least that
was the case on March 2, 1864, when we were
engaging the rebel battery, before reaching Fort
/ Harrsonburg, La. The Fort Hindman WIS a
tinelaG, one-fourth-inch iron plates riveted to
! two-inch wood backing, and had No. ID painted
| on her smokestacks.
l would here make this suggestion to our
worthy Naval Constructor, T. p. Wilson, for
whom / have an old-time and lasting respect,
| that in future wars and the hasty construction
of fresh water navy, just leave off the two
inch wood backing; for our boys feared the
| splinters from it more than they did the shot
and shell of the enemy.
Now l am coming on the enemy, and will
| give you official report of that expedition
Icopy from the Secretary of the Nays report,
| December, 1854
Report Of Lieutenant Commander F. A. Ramsey
U. S. STEAMSHIP CHocTAw, March 5. 1864
(9Iouth of Red River)
SIR: In obedience to your order, left here on
the Fort Hindman at l:30 p. The 18th ult.,
taking the Usage, Cricket, 0uichita Lexington and
Conestoga with me, and proceeded up Red River
anchored at dark about Is miles from the mouth OF
Black River At daylight on the LIST inst ,sot nm.
der way, and proceeded up Black River AT u. IN.
| when about ID miles below Trinity, we were fired
into by sharpshooters concealed behind the Ievee.
/ Ali the vessels Immediately opened fire on them
with shrapnel, grape and canister and drove them
! away. When we reached Trinity white flags were
shown on the lower side of the town. but as soon as
we rounded the point opened on by q bat
| terry OF two l2-poander rifle guns. We immedi-
ateiy opened fire, and in few moments drove the
rebels, vino were under the command OF Gen Po-
ilgnac, from the town. ] then proceeded two miles
above the town and anchored for the night.
Al daylight on the I'd got under way and pro-
eeeded up the Ouiehta, with the Usage leading
and the Hindman next. We had not proceeded
more than five miles when the Usage became
disabled by the main wheel of the turet break.
ing IN three pieces, which rendered it impossible
to revoye the turret. Fortunately the guns were
pointed directly ahead at the time of the acct
dent. When arrived within two miles of Har
risonburg We're attacked by "a brigade fCieu
Polignacs) OF sharpshooiers, lying behind the
levee, and battery of I2-pounder rifle guns.
the flag ship Fort Hindman She was struck 21
times by shot and shell, one shot disabling the
starboard engine. / Immediately dropped heI
down below the other vessels and then went or
board the 0uchita. The Ouichita WINS struck
three times, but no damage done. The firing of the
vessels was excellent, and drove the battery
away.
The banks were so high that it was impossible
for the vessels abreast of the sharpshcoters TO dc
them any damage; but the lower vessels eufadeC
the banks, and, afterwards learned, killed anC
wounded great many. A deserter reported that
the Colonel OF his regiment was killed Leaving
! the H1ndman IN a safe place, proceeded up the
| river with the other vessels to Bayou Louis Tb,
| could not enter. then proceeded to Catahouls
Shoals, where l found plenty of water TO enable
me to proceed to Monroe, but the water was fallinl
so fast deemed II best 10 return. On returning u
lfarrlsonburg, L landed with the Ouichita and Sc
fire to some of the largest houses in the town
, While the houses being fired n body of cav
airy and infantry observed coming down ,
ravine. called the men board and opened iir
from the vessels causing the troops TO scatter il
every direction
= The works at Fort Harrisonburg are very for
midable. There are four forts on high hills com
manding the river for two miles below the tow
and more than q mile above. Rifle-pts run al
around and connect the forts. AT dark anchored
D two miles above Trinity. At daylight of the Sd
got under way and proceeded To Trinity AT thi
place two excellent earthworks are thrown up
: one OF which commands the river for more thar
two miles. 1t my intention to burn the town
! spared il. We found there three 32-pounder fsun
and carriages. The guns brought away and burn
carriages and platforms Hearing that the rebel
J, had pontoon bridge a mile from the mouth q
1 Little River, sent the Cricket up and burnt it,
2 remained at Trinity until the morning of the 4th
/ when we proceeded down Black River, and pickinl
up all the cotton near the bank, anchored at dari
about II miles from its mouth AT daylight ON tn,
Il NNraflD and uRFa.a ~