The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-27

NietOry-The Weehawken i'm the
Attacks on CharIcston-Her sink.
ing.
From the New York Evening Post.
In the spring of 1868 the Federal author
tiles learned with alarm that the Confad-
crates were completing an ironclad cruiser
of the Merrimac type at Savannah, with
which they expected to raise the blockade
that had kept the Southern ports closed
since the beginning of the war Reports
which reached headquarters from time TO
time as to the fitting out of this new ad-
versary told how her sides were protected
with novel and invulnerable armor and
of the extensive precautions taken to make
her the most formidable and dangerous
vessel which had yet been added to the
navy on either side.
This ironclad was originally the British
steamer Fingal, bought on the Clyde in
1861, when new and she was transferred
at once to Southern waters. The Confed-
crates made number of attempts to run
the blockade with her, as she was very
fast boat but the Federal cruisers guarded
| the coast so vigorously that the Confeder-
ates found it impossible to get her out to
sea. When the task was given up she was
cut down to the main deck overlaid with
wood and iron, and bomb-proof, square
and fortlike casemate built upon her. The
pilot-house rose three feet above this.
The Atlanta, as she was called after the
Transformation, was. 204 feet long, drew
Is feet 9 inches Of water, and, although her
| original speed was reduced to eight knots
an hour by the weight of her armor and
| new 'superstructure, even with that speed
she was reckoned a dangerous antagonist
for the slow-going monitors then guarding
| Charleston and other places. In addition
to her other features, the Atlanta had a
formidable ram, spar torpedo arrange
ment, and her armament of rifled guns
was so complete, according to report, that
it was a matter of concern as to which
ship of the blockade feet could best Crap
| pie with her when she once came fairly
| out into open waters Her crew consisted
| of 121 men and twenty-one officers.
The siege of Charleston up to the spring
! of 1868 had proved long and tedious The
| Confederates made a good fight, and all
| efforts Of the fleet to get past Forts sum
| ter and Moultre and Battery Wagner had
been Intellectual Fort MeAllister, up one
of the adjacent rivers, had also batIled its
assailants, and a good-sized gunboat, the
| Isaac Smith, accommodating up the SIono
| river, had lately been captured, and was
| now serving the enemy's purposes.
| Charleston harbor bristled with cannon,
| and the waters were filled with piles and
rope Instructions, and were planted with
torpedoes 1t became expedient that more
force should be brought to bear on the
| rebel defenses at that point. So new iron
clad monitors were built to aid the gun
boats already in service.
In the spring of SO these new boats had
lust arrived on the scene, and Admiral Du-
pont in obedience to instructions from
Washington, made a direct attack on
Charleston The admiral marshalled his
forces with the Weehawken at the head of
the nine new ronclads, and the new IRON
sides was the flagship of the fleet. This at
TACK ON Fort Sumter proved unsuccessful
and the Keokuk one of the new ironclads,
sank off Norris Island the next morning,
as a consequence of the terrific fire to
which she had been subjected. The Wee
hawken and her gallant captain, Rodgers,
came out Of this unavailing attack with
hying colors She ventured so close to the
distractions between Fort Sumter and
Fort Moultrie that a torpedo exploded I'M
der her bow Although the explosion strain
ed her little, she proved herself staunch
Ship turned her bow seaward, after the
explosion, and kept on firing.
After this disconcerting repulse TO the
Federal fleet, the admiral, under Lincolns
direction, kept up a formidable demonstra-
ton before Charleston, so as to divert the
enemy's attention from other points. When
some weeks later the word was received
that the rebel ironclad Atlanta, all iron
and oak, was fairly out of the dock, and
coming down the Wilmington river, ready
for fight, the Weehawken was detailed
10 head her off and engage her. The Wee
hawken's commander, Capt. John Rodgers,
had shown such courage, ability, and dog
ged resistance that he was peculiarly fitted
To undertake the mission So, with the Ma
hant as a consort, she was despatched TO
Warsaw sound to prevent the Atlanta $
attacking the blockaders, ever steaming to
and fro upon the Atlantic rollers and
watching eagerly for blockade-runners day
and night
1t was soon after daylight on June II
that the Atlanta way discovered by the
monitors coming down the Wilmington
river escorted by several steamers filled
with people eager to witness the expected
signal naval victory of the Confederates.
To the spectators, confident that they were
10 witness a naval picnic, the long and
noverful armorclad, with great length and
fair speed seemed only TO grow more for
midably by comparison with the two Yam
kee ''cheese-boxes" that confronted the
Confederate with so little showing above
water. ATvhey were soon bitterly unde-
ceived as the conflict turned our TO be al
most childs play for the monitors, and it
was to them that the, honors came. and
not to the much heralded Confederate.
on making out the ironclad, the Wee
hawken and the Nahant slipped their ca
HES and ran down to the east end of War
saw Island, where there was more room
for manoeuvering, and as soon as they had
led the Atlanta far enough out 10 suit their
nurpose the monitors turned and ad-
vanced on the enemy. While still mile
ana a half away the commander of the
Atlanta fired a shell, which struck the
water good distance beyond the Wee
bawken. being considerably in advance of
his eonsort, waited until he had got much
nearer. and then fired a shot at a distance
~ ao0 Yards The solid projectile Of the
ts-tncb gun in the Weehawken's turret
i,nocked a hole In the much-vaunted case
rnate Of the Atlanta, and scattered great
quantity OF wood and iron splinters over
ber eun deck This shot wounded six
feen men and knocked down and stunned
eorty. OF course the Weehawken's crew
...5ars of the full afFaaf ~ fkf-