Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-12-15

bow strengthened by wood for ram
ming and with cotton bales arrang-
ed around her machinery for pro-
| lection.
These boats were so weak that it
seemed absurd to dispatch them
against an ironclad mounting four
guns as heavy and as formidable as
any in the world; bat the necessity
of the situation admitted of no 9TH
er remedy, and General Taylor or
dered these two frail boats to des-
cend Red river to the Mississippi,
and then attack the ironclad.
He selected to command this haz-
ardous expedition Major Brent, his
chief Of artillery, an officer entirely
without experience in the handling
of ships or boats, or any naval SER
vice whatsoever. The officers and
men were rapidly gathered together
from various army commands, and
the two vessels steamed down the
Red river toward the enemy with
mechanics on board making hur-
ried repairs, and manned by officers
and men unacquainted with each
other and with their surroundings.
There were other Marylanders in
the expedition besides its comman-
der. Lieut. Thomas III. Handy, of
good Maryland stock, commanded
the troops on board the Webb, and
a detachment of the Third Mary
land Brtillery of "a men, command
ed by Sergt. Z. III. Langley, was
divided between the two boats.
This Third Maryland Artillery be-
longed, as is we'll known, to the
Western Army; and these men were
SO hurriedly embarked from Vicks-
burg that the commissioned officers
were left behind. Thus the expe-
dition was composed of troops in
nearly equal proportion from Mary
land, Louisiana, Tennessee and
Texas, probably not exceeding 130
men in all.
Steaming up the Mississippi, the
expedition, warned at every point
against an attack upon the ironclad
as an act of folly, overlook the
Indianola about 9 o'clock and i'm
mediately engaged her.
The Indianola was armed with
two 11-inch guns and two 9-inch
guns mounted in two iron case
mates, utterly impervious to the
artillery of the Confederates. The
badly secured bales of cotton on the
Queen and the Webb we're utterly
unable to resist the impact of a
projectile from any gun, and single
shot fairly striking either of the at
tacking boats would have destroyed
it. Notwithstanding this, these
frail river boats steamed up to the
Indianola and rammed her five
separate and distinct times. At
each attack they were subjected to
the fire of the Indianola's huge
guns, which were fired at such close
quarters that the flames of their ex-
plosion enveloped the attacking
boats.
Though the Indianola fired re-
peatedly, only three of her shots
can be accounted for. One grazed
and broke hand-railing; one just
touched the bow of the Webb about
foot above the water line and burst
it open; one struck and disabled
two guns on the Queen of the West;
killed two and wounded four men,
bespattering the whole decks with
blood and carrying away Is or &c
bales of cotton. III the aim of a single
shot had been accurate it would
have been absolutely fatal. But
the five blows or rammings given
the Indianola disabled her machin.
cry and caused her rapidly to make
water, and she was forced to sur.
render in q sinking condition.
The behavior of all the Confed.
crates must have been courageous
even to rashness, but the gallantry
of Sergeant Langley of the Third
Maryland Artillery and his men il
specially noticeable. They manned
a small gun on the bow of the Queer
of the West, outside of the cottor
rampant, with absolutely no protec
ton or cover at all. As the Queer
rushed in on the Indianola in hel
repeated attacks, Langley and hi
men stood to their gun, even firing
| it into the muzzle almost in contac
with the ironclad. They were no
only exposed to the heavy artillery