The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1898-06-10
NAVAL BATTLE ON MEXICAN
GULF.

W. 1Uiu iAdlI3 III VuC NUiIcucIdUe
Veteran. 1t will doubtless prove 10
.eresting to many of our readers.
Some OF the members of Col. j. b.
Deason's Mississippi Regiment are
still living on the Coast. |
Possibly one of the fiercest, yet SUBJ
timely beautiful, battles that was
fought during the Confederate War
was naval engagement between four
small crafts on the side OF the Confed-
eracy, and three large frigates Of war
on the Northern side, which occurred
on the morning Of April 4th, 1852, In
the Mississippi Sound, full abreast OF
Biloxi.
The morning was very dark but clear
and the waters Of the Gulf Of Mexico
we're as calm and quiet as they were
ever known 10 be; in fact, so pacific
that the flashes of the great guns
would glisten over their surface at "a
distance of eleven miles, like flashes
Of wicked, vivid lightning, while the
roaring of the guns and ricOcheting
whiz Of cannon balls awakened the in
babitants of the pretty towns OF Pas
cagoula, Biloxi, Mississippi City, Pass
Christian and Shieldsboro, or Bay
St. Louis, as it is familiarly called.
In all lists of engagements of the
war that the writer has yet seen, this
one is omitted, and it seems that his
torians have never been made aware
that such any one ever occurred. The
vessels OF the Confederacy that were
engaged were the Bienville, Carondo-
let, White Cloud and Arrow, all from
the Port OF New Orleans; and they
steamed out OF Lake POnchartrsin,
past Fort Pike, down the Rig0lets and
out into the Sound. This passage
was made April 2nd, and on the 3rd
the vessels were manned in the Bay
of St. Louis by volunteers from the
ranks of the Infantry that was scat
tered along the coast. These men re-
ceived only a few hours drilling in
heavy artillery, and only the naval Of
hcers aboard understood how to ma
nipulatc the big guns. The United
States had the Hartford, New Lon
don and the famous historical Kear-
sarge on du.y at Ship Island, which
was The Gulf Station of the United
States Navy. This island is the larg-
est of the group known as the Chan
deliur Islands, which lay about four
teen niles south OF the mainland OF
Mississippi.
Scattered along the coast, at the five
little towns named above, was Col.
John B. Deason's Third Regiment of
Mississippi Infantry, which was de-
ployed in two Companies at each point
for the purpose of guarding the coast.
All along near the Gulf shore and
through these towns runs the New
Orleans and Mobile Shell Road, and
at each village long benches line either
side of it, and these are shaded by
large, fine magnoliH trees. or course,
after the "Baby waker' sounded In
this naval battle. all the soldiers left
the camp and went close upon tho
sandy shores OF the Gulf where they
could see the fight and hear the roar OF
the cannon as they bclcled forth theil
fiery streaks in a sure enough combat
The long rows of benches were soon
occupied by both soldiers and civil
ians. About half past 3o'clock on this
beautiful morning, these vessels lined
up for battle began lettidg 90 the
heavy broadsides, and from foul
o'clock until daylight the fusilladt
kept up necessarily. Very frcquentl,
to those on shore it seemed as II al
seven vessels were punched inside o.
ten acres of water, and their evolu
tions as they progressed could be out
lined by the stream of blazcs from th'
big guns the sounds Of which wOult
seem to roll leisurcly cast and ives
clear along the coast.
When daylight came on, the fou
. Confederate vessels came into Pas
, Christian, where IT was asccrtaine'
, that all OF them had been severel
, pierced with cannon balls and heav!
| shells, but the White Cloud, bi
. side.wheeler that had formerly bee
) a passenger and freight steamer o
, the Mississippi River was worse splir
+. tered. The Bienville, Carond0let an
g Arrow were built with lower and uppt
/ works, and on the old walking beam
/ pattern. Six men were killed an
fourteen wounded on the Confedcrat
o aide. The less on the Federal sid
!. was greater, for the New London wa
II sunk in about 10 feet water ana wa
}. badly listed towards the course Q
efShip Island; and 1t reported by me-
!. on custer sloops that twelve men wer
a KILLED on the Federal feet while TWEEN
! ty.two were wounded. The Hartford
!. land Kearsage each received man
: wounds. but, 90 far us known, tn
4 Eonfederatc authorities never got a
\ authentic report Of the killed
= wounded on board Of either 1t
}. well remembered. that the Fedora
Q never tried that little "MosQui
fleet" again, even u 1t was mann'
by the Every rawest" kind Of mat
n rial from the Confederate ranks.
In point of beauty THE engagcme