The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-04-23
OF ATLANTA

UDlAl OAtL Va
rh, Ssvni Duel In Warsaw Sounded Fif.
,.en.,iinuts Combat Retwssn a Monitor
aud All Ironciad In IN. civil tynr-Capt.
Rodgsr,'s Decisive yieioy-Ths Wee.
hswkenin tho Attacks ON Chnrlssion.
Her sinking.
New York Post. In the cpring OF 1868
tho Federal authorities learned with
alarm that tho confederates wers COM
plcuns an !ronclad cruiser OF the Mcrrl-
mac type AZ 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 10 the fitting out OF this new adver-
sary told how her sides were. protected
With novel and i%nvulncrablc armor, and
@! the extensive precautions taken to
make her the most formidable and dan
gtrous vessel which Ind yet been added
10 the navy On either side.
This tronclad was originally the Brit
.sh steamer Einsai, bought on The Clyde
in 1861. when new, and she vas trans
ttrred ut once to southern waters. The
Confederatcs made a number OF at
tenpts to run the blockade with her. as
she was n very fast boat, but the Fed
cral cruisers guarded the coast so rtgor-
ouely that the Confederates found 1t i'm
posIble to get her out 70 sea. When the
task was given up she vas cut down 10
the main deck, overlaid with wood and
,rn, and a bomb-proof, square and fort.
IKE casemate built upon her. The pilot
house rose three feet above this.
The Atlanta, al che was called after
The transformation, wac s04 feet long,
drew. Is feet Q inches Of water, and, al
though her original speed was reduced
10 eight knots an hour by the weight OF
her armur and new superstructute. ever
with that speed she was rerkoned u dam
cerouS antagonist for the elow-gotng
monitors then guarding Charleston and
other places. In addition to her other
features the Atlanta had a formidable
rain, a spar torpedo arrangement, and
her armament OF rned guns vas 80
complete. according to report, that It
was a matter Of concern as 10 which
ship OF the blockade feet could best
srapple with her when she once came
fairly out into open waters. Her crew
consisted OF 12l men and 81 officers.
The seiges Of Charleston up to the
spring OF 1868 had proved long and ted;-
Gus. The Confaderates made a good
fight, and all efforts Of the fleet to get
past Forts Sumter and sMoultrie and
c....... W. r,nr# rad 6,an.. IT, nfna,
Fort McAllistcr. up one of the adjacent
rivers. had also ba.iled its assailants.
end a good-sized gun-boat, the Isaac
Smith, accommodating up the Stone river.
had lately been captured, and was now
serving the enemy's purpose. Charles
ION harbor bristled with cannon, and the
waters were filed with piles and rope
distractions. and were planted with tor
pedoes. It became %expedient that more
force should be brought to bear on the
rebel defences at that point So new
.N7clad monitors were built TO aid the
gun-boats already IN service. In the
spring OF IS theSa new boats had just
arrived on the scene, and Adm!fnl Du-
poat, In obedience 20 Instruction. from
Washington. made 4 direct attacl: on
Charleston. The admiral marshalled his
forces with the Weehawken AT the head
o! nine new ironcladJ, and the new Iron
sides was the flag ship OF the flee. This
attack proved unsuccessful, and the
Keckui, 0ne OF the.Hew ironclads. sank
of Norris Island the next morning, as 4
consequences or the terrific fire to which
ffe mad been: subjected. The Weehaw-
ken and her gallant captain, Rodgers.
came ou: of this unavailing attack with
flying colors. She ventured SO close to
tis obstructilhS between Fort Sumter
and For1 Mouftrie that 4 torpedo *
plodad under her bow. Although the ex-
Fiosion strained her. . little, she proved
herself a staunch ship. turned her bow
seward. after the explosion, and kept
CT firing.
After this d~iscorce-tinE repulse to the
Federal feet, the admiral, under Lin
coins direction, kept up Il formidable
deno1stration before Charleston, so as
10 divert the enenyS. attention from
otaer points. When or weeks later
The word was received that the rebel
:runclad Atlanta, all iron and oak. was
fairly out Of the dock, and coming down
The Wilmington river, ready foc 4 fight,
The Weehawken's commander, Captain
John Rodgers. had shown such courage.
ability. and logged resistance that he
was peculiarly fir,ed TO undertake the
mission. SO. with the Nahsnt as d con-
tor1. she vas dispatched to Warsaw
Sound 10 prevent the Atlarta's attack
Ing the b~locl,aders, I'VE steaming to and
tro upon the Atlantic rollers, and watch
ics eagerly for blockade-runners day
and nigh
1t was soo.l after daylight on June II
That me Aua-Sta was discovered by the
monitors coming down the Wilmington
river. escorted by several steamers fill
ed with people ,eager.to witness the Y
nected signal naval victory OF the Con-
tederates. To the spectators. confident
that they were 10 witness q naval pic
alc. the long and powerful armor-ciad.
with Grsat length and fair speed, Seem
ed Only 10 grow more formidable by
Comparison with the TWO Yankee
"~eaese-6oxes" that confronted the Con-
tederate With SO little showing above
water. They were soon bitterly unde-
cgVed. as the conflict turned out to be
almost child's play for the monitors. and
II was 20 them that the houors came,
and not to the m~uch-heralded Confeder.
ale.
On making out the ironclad, the Wee
haTkea and the Nahant slipped their
cables and ran down to the east end OF
warsaw Island, where there was more
room LOT m~anoeverlng, and as $685. as
uey mad led the Atlanta far enough, out
20 sGt their purpose. the monitors
eosned and advanced on the enemy.
nix stu a mile and n half away the
commander OF the Atlanta fired a shell
which struck the water a good distance
Ssyond the Weehawken and near the
Sa.aHe Capt. Rodgers. OF the Wee
aSSken. being considerably in advance
u MS consort, waited until he mad got.
a'ucn nearer. and then fired shot at
distance OF $50 yards. The solid pro-
3.u!e OF the ~fifteen-Inch gun IN the