The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-04-30

and Capt. Kitty signaled the st. Louis and
her consorts IN engage the lower battery
while he steamed up to engage the new an
tagonist. Huntington had placed his two
guns some distance apart on the river
bank, and Capt Kitty passed the first one
without, siIencine it, and his vessel soon
got between two fires and within point
blank range of both heavy guns. The en-
gagement had lasted an hour and half.
Fitch,s men were in contact with Frv,s
skirmishers at long range, and showed
themselves in full force. Capt. Fry, alarm
ed at this unexpected and formidable foe
on land, sent up the river to Huntington
asking that every spare man should be sent
him to hold the line. Things were gett;ne,
desperate, and Nelson's Texans were NOT
in sight. Lieut. Huntington was standing,
at the piece farthest up the river, and hay
ing an unobstructed range on the SLOWLY
moving ironclad, he sighted carefully and
planted a shot near her bow on the mort
side that was probably never equaled for
effectiveness in any combat. After passing
through the side of the Mound City the
missile killed men working the casemate
gun nearest it's path and then went through
the steam drum directly fore and aft. The
gun deck was Immediately filed with
scalding steam, and scene followed which
beggars description. The wheel was turn-
ing slowly at the time of the accident and
kept on revolving until the bow of the shin
was close in shore near the Confederate
guns. Huntington ceased firing.
From Fitch's position the accident was
not clearly understood, but when he saw
the vessel moving blindly ashore, her crew
jumping headlong through the ports and
from her decks into the water, and clouds
of steam issuing from her matches and her
ports, he concluded that Kitty and the
Mound City were out of the fight and he
could take up the contract so valorouslv
attempted by the unfortunate gunboat.
Signaling the St. Louis, Conestoga and
Tyler to cease firing, he quickly ordered
his soldiers to advance on all sides. While
doing so he observed that Capt Williams
sharpshooters along the bluffs were firing
upon the helpless seamen struggling. for
life in the river and also upon boats sent
out to their relief by the ST. Louis. Word
was passed along the Indianians ranks to
pay special attention to those sharpshoot-
ers and drive for the battery at double
quick. The regiment moved up on front
and flank and took the four gun battery
with a dash. Capt. Fry meanwhile had
left his post to consult Huntington and
Williams. Returning, he met the enemy
advancing, and rallied his handful for a
final stand at Dunnington's position. There
he soon fell, wounded and unconscious, and
was made prisoner.
The ST. Louis succeeded in hooking onto
the disabled Mound City and towing ller
ashore. She had been deserted by all her
ablebodied men. Out of 173 officers. men
and boys only 90 were fit for duty. In the
casemate where the missile struck 50 were
killed either by Confederate fire or the
scalding steam. OF those who jumped
from the vessel 70 were drowned, and Is
wounded were taken from the ship and
the water. 1t was an awful shot and
might have won the fight to the Confeder-
ates but for Col Fitch's ready good sense
and courage. Capt. Kilty's bold dash
upon the batteries with all his vessels had
dumfounded the enemy to such an extent
that they lost their heads at the very mo-
ment when Dunnington's craftsmanship
virtually put the gunboats out of the fight.
As it was, Fitch carried everything, and
the bluffs were passed as far as the town
within an hour. Nelson's Texans were at
hand, actually within sound of the firing.
and an hours delay on the part of Fitch
might have been disastrous.
Capt. Kitty was seriously scalded and
lost an arm. He afterward arose to the
rank of commodore. Col Fitch was a
volunteer officer, unframed to arms. He
left the service soon after on account of
disabilities.
Capt. F'ry's later career was an exciting
one. He drifted east after his exchange
and commanded the famous blockade run,
ner Eugene, which always sailed under
the Confederate flag. One day he attempt
ed to carry a cargo of powder to Fort
Fisher, North Carolina, while the Union
blockading feet was treating that work to
lively cannonading. Signals were sent
him from his superiors on shore to save his
crew and scuttle the ship; but he refused
to do so, lighted her and took her safely to
port. When the war closed Fry settled in
the north, and in 1873 became commander
of the i'll starred Virginius, of Cuban revo-
luton fame. He was taken by the Spanish
authorities and, with So of his crew, was
summarily put to death, although protest
ing his right to trial as a United States
citizen.
During the war and at the time of the
Virginius episode, it was asserted that
Fry personally ordered his men TO fire
upon Capt. Kilty's unfortunate sailors
who jumped from the Mound City to save
themselves by swimming ashore. On the
other hand. Capt. Williams. in an official
report made four days after the fight, de-
clared that he gave the order to his sharp
shooters to shoot the struggling victims
Lieut.. Huntington reported that when the
Mound City drifted to shore she was hailed
to lower her flag, and this failing to come
down, his men were directed to fire upon
those in the water. Apologists of Fry
state that he was not near the scene at the
moment the firing began and could not
have been responsible. In fact, such bar
barous impulses rarely throb under the
same jacket with the truly martial spirit
that Try on all occasions displayed.
GEORGE L. KILMER.