The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-02-24
THE SIEGE AT CHARLESTON.
Thrilling Story by Rear Admiral Erben.
Ne7U York Herald.


Neao York Herald.
Rear Admiral Bunce, it is reported,
is under orders to take his whole fleet
South early next month and to sgo
through the motions of blockadlng
the harbor of C Charleston, S. G. What.
ever may be the purpose and result OF
the evolutions now undertaken IN
those waters, the choice of the chief
port Of the Palmetto State as the
scene of the mimic blockade naturally
recalls the time when the guns of
Sumter and Moultrie were turned upon
feet of real blockaders and armored
ships hostile to the garrisons Of those
forts. Below Rear Admiral Henry
Erben, U. S. N, tells the story of the
first attack upon the Confederate
stronghold, showing the methods of
attack and defence of the day, in
striking contrast with those of the
present time. AS one of the active
participants in the operations of 1862
63 off Charleston, Admiral Erben
speaks with the accuracy and elo-
quence of an old sailor reeling a yarn
off the logline at the rate of thirty
knots an hour.
To the Editor of the Hera1d:: The
announcement that the North Allan
tic feet will 60 very soon to Charles
ton, S. c., for practical operations in
attacking and defending that city
brings to mind the stirring times and
anxious days and nights from 1863 to
1865, the time of the siege Of that
port. Surely no better object lesson
could be given the fleet than at Char
lesion. Rear Admiral Bunce, the
commander in chief, was, during the
siege, most active and energetic
officer, being then a lieutenant, and
no one knows better than he the diff
ferent plans Of attack adopted, and of
the defense as well.
It is fortunate that an active par
ticipant should be in command of this
feet of instruction.
All through 1861 and 1862 Charles
ton had been the favorite port for
blockade running, being only $50
miles from Nassau, about 300 from
Bermuda, and but little more from the
coast of Cuba, the points of departure
of blockade runners. The harbor,
being wide at it's mouth, with several
channels leading to the city, gave
these daring navigators, with their
hit or miss course, a better chance
than at any other port.
In spite Of the very vigilant block
aiding feet great numbers of vessels
ran in and out. The only way to
break this up was to capture the place
itself. To this end the Government
had constructed number of ironclad
monitors Of sufficiently light draught
to cross the Bar. During the winter
of 1e62-63 these vessels were COM
pleted and rendezvoused at Port
Royal, S. c., where the expedition
against Charleston was made ready.
The monitor fleet consisted of the
Weehawken, Capt. John Rodgers the
Passaic, Capt. Percival Drayton the
Montauk, Capt. John L. Worden; the
Nahant, Commander John Downes !;
the Nantucket, Commander D. NJ.
Fairfax; the Catskill, Commander
George W. Rodgers, and the Patapsco,
Commander Daniel Ammen, Of which
I was lieutenant commander and exec
utivc officer. There was also the
Keokuk, a nondescrip, two-turreted
ironclad, Commander A. G. Rhine.
These vessels carried mostly two
15-inch guns each, with complement
of 100 souls. Some weeks were spent
drilling the men at the guns, handling
the heavy ammunition and handling
the vessels themselves, as they were
most difficult to the inexperienced
seaman to steer. Extra plates were
bolted on over the shell rooms and
magazines, spars made ready to be
rugged and with hook ropes to catch
torpedoes-in fact, everything was
done that ingenuity could suggest to
make these vessels as invulnerable as
possible.
The fleet left Port Royal for Char
lesion, S. G., crossing the Bar Oh
April 6, 1868. Off the Bar the fleet
was joined by the ironclad frigate New
Ironsides, Capt. Thomas Turner. She
was most formidable vessel, carrying
heavy battery of fourteen 11-inch
guns and two heavy rifles, drawing
about sixteen feet at the time. She
became the flag ship Of Rear Admiral
Samuel T. Dupont, commanding the
forces. Capt. c. R. P. Rodgers was
his fleet captain.
The final making ready for battle
| occupied the rest of the day. The
vessels were stripped of all about
decks, boat davits included, only one
small boat being retained by each
vessel. The finishing touch, and the
last thing done, was to cover the
| decks, turrets and pilot houses with q
thick coating Of tallow for the pur.
pose of glancing the shot, barrels Of
this having been furnished each YES
sci. Such a nasty mess was never
seen before on man-of-war, and it is
question if it was of any use.
There were sent down from the
North number of heavy RATS, built
of oak timbers, heavily bolted togeth,
er, about fifty feet long by twenty
feet wide, and two feet thick, fitted SC
as to take the bows of the monitors
(the men called them the bootpacks,
having number of hook ropes under.
meath, to catch any torpedoes coming
in the way. These were to be lashed
to the bows by chains. Only one yes
sel--the Weehawken-took one into
action, as they caused bad or worse
steering. The order of battle was line
ahead, the Weehawken leading, the
flag ship New Ironsidcs being in the
middle and the Kcokuk in the rear
At half-past II the signal was made
to get under way, to pass up the Malr
Ship Channel and open fire whel
within easy range. it was soon founc
that the raft impeded the speed of tho
Weehawken to such a degree thai
Capt. Rodgers cut it adrift, and il
Aoated toward the shore Of Morris
Island. 1t did some little service
however, as the Confederates, taking
it for some Yankee internal machine
opened fire upon it for time, thu!