The Brunswick times. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 188?-1900, 1896-05-02

years ago. The first formidable attempt
to raise the blockade was made at the
very close of the second year of the war.
The attempt originated with General
Beauregard, the commander of the de-
partment, who arrived at about that
time from the seat Of war in the val
l ley of the Mississippi. 1t was in the ma
ture of raid by ironclad rams, some
thing like that made by the famous
Merrimac in Hampton Roads in March
the previous year. The raiding vessels
at Charleston were the Palmetto State
and Chicora, which crossed the bar be-
fore daylight and steamed silently down
toward the enemies The United States
steamship Mercedita lay directly in the
path of the Palmetto State, which stood
for her, intending to strike with her
PROV. The Mercedita was taken by sur
prise. Her outlook hailed the stranger
with: "What steamer is that? Drop
your anchorl You will be into usl''
The saucy answer came back, "This
is the Palmetto steamer of the Confed-
crate States" Commander Stillwagon
of the Mercedita quickly ordered the
guns to be opened. At the same instant
the ram crashed into his vessel, and one
of her guns put a seven inch shell
through the Merceditas condenser and
steam drum, tearing hole in her port
side five feet square. She instantly filed
with steam, and voices called out from
below: "Shot through the boilersI Fire
put out! Water over freroom foorl Yes
sci sinking fast!''
Surrender or I sink you" shouted
the commander of the Palmetto State.
Stillwagon responded: 81 can make no
resistance. surrender"
All this happened before the rest of
the vessels of the Federal feet were
aware Of the attack. Meanwhile the
ChicOra had passed on to sea, moving
in circle in the midst of the fleet and
firing at everything in sight. The Unit
ed States steamer Keystone Stfte, Com
mander Leroy, stood off her a Eurse, and
having taken the alarm fro1 the firing
of the Mercedita and PalERtto State
peppered the ram with sRoiils, which
rolled idly down her iron sides. Leroy
then drove his vessel hard at the Chi
cora, aiming to strike her stern. But
the latter turned, and with her forward
pivot gun sent an incendiary she'll into
the Keystone, disabling her port wheel
and setting her on fire fore and aft. Lee
Roy ordered on steam, and took his ves-
sci out of the fight just long enough to
extinguish the flames, then again steered
for the ram. Before he could strike,
however, the guns of the Chicora
pierced his hull several times with
shells, and finally sent one through
both her steam drums. The other Fed
eral vessels within reach gave the rams
plenty of sea room until the latter re-
turned leisurely to their moorings in
the harbor.
General Beauregard was beside him
self with exultation over this fight of
the ironclads. He published to the
world that the blockade, or the boast
ed blockade, of Charleston harbor
was raised. However, the incident
only Lad the effect of setting up the
Federal authorities to strengthen the
blockading fleet. A number of the
new irOnclad monitors were Immediate
ly sent to Charleston harbor. The orig
inal Monitor, victor over the Merrimac,
sank on tSs3 way down from Fortress
Monroe. Her old commander, Captain
Worden, had been transferred to the
deck Of the Montauk, one of the vessels
Of the new blockading feet Another of
the newcomers was the Passaic, COM
111a 1,xr Oq