The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1891-12-24
HOW THE pATAPSCO WAS SUNK.
The Story as Told by Capt. T. A. Huguenin
an Eye Witness.

The Story rs Told by Capt T. A. Huguenin
an Eyewitness.
A reporter for the Neavs and Courier
called Oh Gen. T. e.. Huguenin last
night anu obtained from him an account of
the sinking of the United States monitor
Patapsco during the late war, of which
awful tragedy he was an eyewitness.
Gen. Huguenin, as will be seen, has a
very vivid recollection of the occurrence !:
"On the evening of the 18th of Janu-
ary, 1865, as usual the garrison of Fort
Sumter was placed in it's wa,chful posi-
tion," said Gen. Huguenin, "the guns
and heavy artillery manned, and light
batteries run up on the parapet, and the
infantry supports placed in position,
guards were mouated, and the usua! rou.
tine observed in every respect In other
words, the fort on this night was put in
the same position as was nightly the Gus
tom; that is to say, to be on guard for
an attack by small boats at any time dur
ing the coming night. The garrison, as
we say, was on the qui vive, one-thirL of
whom were on the parapet as sentries,
one.third under arms in their quarters,
and the other third allowed to sleep with
their arms and accoutrements at hand.
Under this condition of affairs the sentry
on the wharf notified the guard of the
approach of a boat, which, upon being
hailed and reported, turned out to be a
torpedo EXP edition boat, charged with
the duty of laying torpedoes in the chan
mel between Sumter and Moultrie. This
special class of torpedo happened to be
what was known as the floating torpedo,
that is TO say, two torpedos suspended
from the end of liue with a whip
attached in the middle of the line so thas,
while floating, as soop as it struck All OBJ
ject the tide would make it close in,
in against the object and by the concus-
sion strike and burst.
"This boat was required to report at
Fort Sumter, and having done so and
explained the object of its mission, Civ
ing the necessary passwords, etc, it was
allowed to proceed in the discharge of its
duty. It proceeded out towards the Bar,
and nothing more was heard of it for
time. The night was very dark, star
light night, the moon having not yet
risen. Shortly after the departure of this
boat the sentinel on the east face of Sum-
ter gave tho alarm of tine approach of
three monitors steaming into Sumter.
The alarm was at once sounded through.
out the entire garrison and everything
was placed 10 readiness for an imme diate
attack. Signals we're at once made by
rocket and flag to Forts Moultrie, Beau
regard, Bee, Johnson and around the
harbor of the expected attack. Iu the
meantime the only heavy artillery bat
terry of the fort, which occupied the
northeastern casemate, which command.
ed the channel between Sumter and
Moultrie, was placed in action. The
commanding officer, Capt. T. A. Hu-
guenin, ordered Capt. Lesesne to train
all of his guns upon the leading vessel,
which at that time was plainly disceroa.
BILE about one thousand yards northeast
Of Sumter, the idea being to concentrate
the whole fire on the leading vessel, and
sink ber with one discharge if possible.
The commanding officer was on the par
apet Immediately above the battery, and
in direct communication with it through
a speaking tube. As the monitor neared
the fort he anxiously repeated the order
to fire; not being obeyed be went down
into the battery and found upon exumi-
nation that the leading monitor upon
which the guns we're aimed could not be
seen, and upon his return to the parapet
he found but two vessels which had been
supposed to be monitors, but which
proved to be tugboats in quick retreat.
The first and leading boar was at that
time not accounted for, and the sentinel
was charged with having made mistake
in the number of boats approaching.
Just at this moment, however, the tor
pedo boat above mentioned, hurriedly
rowed into the fort and reported the fact
that while they we're engaged in laying
their torpedoes they were interrupted by
the approach of the monitor and her
consorts, and, fearing capture, they had
hurriedly dropped their torpedoes few
hundred yards ahead of the Monitnr, and