The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-03-15
The vessels themselves were confined and

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but the fact that these two craft managed
to make the passage no more demon
streted them as fighting vessels in rough
weather than the ferry boats which we
managed to send safely down the coast.
What was patent to us all, who had ex-
perience with monitors, was the absolute
need of fsuficieut freeboard, and the New
Ironsides was the nearest approach we
had to anything that could be termed q
really efficient lighting ship before Char.
lesion.
"Why, the Confederates cared little or
nothing for the fire of the monitors, but
whenever the New Ironsides took up 8
position and commenced her terrific
broadside fire no living thing could with.
stand it even behind the magnificent bat.
teries which Sullivan's and Morris islands
possessed.
"It was grand sight to see Rowan
move forward into action with the New
Ironsides. The big ship would come
stately on, wholly oblivious to the hail of
shot rained upon her. Rowan would
run in shore as far as there was sufficient
anchorage, connect springs to her cables,
let 60 his anchor, and then, and not till
then, man the batteries. As soon as all
was in readiness, Belknap would take
charge on the gun deck and the ball
would open from our territory. have
seen the parapets on Morris and Sulli.
vans islands, lined with men in full
view. when they were engaging only
monitors, but when the New Ironsides
came up into position, it was only q
question of few minutes before she sue.
ceeded in driving the men of any battery
she concentrated her fire on into their
bombroofs.
"It was the practice before Charleston
to send monitor into the harbor every
night to lie about the channels and inter.
cept, if possible, blockade runners. CAL
houn had this duty to perform one night
with his monitor, and in the early MORN
ing, when about. to withdraw from his
position, ran his vessel aground. The
tide was falling at the time, and every
instant imperiled the more his ship.
The Confederates detected with the ap.
proach of dawn his predicament, and
opened a heavy fire on him. AS the
underwater hull became exposed they
aimed at that portion of the ship. CAL
houu responded as best he could, and in
the meantime strove hard to free his
ship.
.His condition was observed from the
Union fleet, aud the New Ironsides was
ordered to assist him. Rowan moved
forward and threw himself directly be-
tween Calhoun and the fire from Moul.
trie, and then, with roar which only
the New Ironsides could utter, began
belching forth broadside after broadside
on to Moultrie's parapets. Rowan quiet.
ed Moultrie for the time being aud saved
Calhoun. The latter managed with the
assistance of another ship to pull himself
free Of the shore.
throughout the whole of the opera
tions before Charleston the New Iron.
sides, ] think I am safe in saying, never
had man killed aboard her, and she
did the hardest fighting of any ship in
the feet She usually came in for the
heaviest fire from the enemy, and yet,
except for the tearing off of two port
shutters and the slight rupture of an
overheard oarline, I do not recall that
she ever suffered in the least. She car
ried four inch armor.
"Our signal system before Charleston
was crude. 1t was nothing more than
the simple wigwag and was early read by
the Confederates from Fort Sumter
Dahlgren was constantly talking with
Gilmore and subsequently events showed
that the majority of these signals were
read by the enemy"
It was inferential from Admiral
Rhind's remarks that there was not that
cordial support between the feeS and the
army at all times which we're 80 necessary
to success. The Admiral referred to
Gillmore's assault on Battery Wagner
and the bloody repulse that followed,
and declared that, in his opinion, the
assault would have been success had
the feet been directed to open on the
works prior to the charge.
"As it was," said the Admiral, 81 lay
off Battery Wagner with the Paul Jones
auxiously awaiting an order to open on
Wagner. I knew, and we all for that
matter, that there would be an assault
that night. Gilmore had been parading
his assau!ting column in full view on the
beach, and The fact that reinforcements
we're known to us to have been pushed
over to Morris Island made it pretty Ger.
tain that others besides ourselves knew
of something about to happen.
81 moved the Paul Jones in as close ss
possible, and up to the last moment wait.
ed with my battery manned for an order
to open on Wagner. No order came.
We heard the movement of the assault
ing column, and little later saw blind
Jog sheet of fame leap around the para.
pets of Wagner, which moved down over
1900 Union men. The awful glare of
that flash, the binding fury which it
seemed to impart, is something I shall
never forget. I was, for the moment,
completely staggered, but recovering
myself, 1 said to Forrest, who was beside
me:
"'It is too late for US to do anything.
That column is annihilated.'
"Had the New Ironsides and a mum.
Der of the wooden gunboats only been in
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