The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-24
WITH THE OLD KHNAWHH.
Lively Experiences In Mobile Bay Told by a
Blueiacket.

Editor National Tribune: 1t is quite a
treat for old navy vets to see an article in
your valuable paper on the Navy, so l
concluded to tell you about the u. 5. ).
kanawha, whichiIwaS connected with Ad-
miral ID. g Frraguts fleet during the
war.
The Kanawha was on the Mobile block
ade from about January, 1852, to February,
1864, and during that time captured two
steamers, 21 sehooners, one brig and one
SloOp, besides destroying Il heavy loaded
steamer, seven SchoonerS, brigantine
and Il SCOp. She took from under the
guns of Fort Morgan the iron steamer Ann,
heavily laden with all kinds OF war ma
terialS, including a handsome suit of mill
tary clothes and Il saddle and bride for
Gen Robt, T.. Lee, present from his
English friends.
| have often wondered what became of
that preSent-in fact, of the whole OF that
valuable prize, for | have never received
any benefit from 1t. II was a miracle that
we were not blown TO pieces under the
heavy fire we were subject 10 from Fort
Morgan, for the steamer had tons of pow
der on board.
At another time we were ordered to 90 in
under the guns of Fort Morgan and destroy
a steamer that had run aground the night
before in running in, and we succeeded in
destroying her, but our vessel was badly
damaged by the Forts guns We were for
one hour under the constant fire Of Fort
Morgan, and had it not been for the Slliiliui
handling OF our vessel by our Captain, VIM.
Is. Mayo, we would have been sunk.
After we became partially disabled our
Captain gave the Fort our condiments in
the shape Of five ll-inch shells, one of
which burst near the commander of the
Fort, Col. Powell and blew his head off
Another shell went in one of the portfolios
and killed five out of seven of a guns
crew.
When we returned TO report to COmmO-
dOre Goldsborough he said to our Captain:
Did you not see my signals TO retire?
Why sir, never expected to see you or the
vessel again under such a fire as you were
subjected to, and it is a miracle that you
escaped"
One day we saw an unusual activity
going on inside Of the Bay A large river
steamer came down from Mobile loaded
down with passengers and anchored near
Fort Morgan. Our Captain said
I'VE hal better clear the ship for action.
He believed the rebs intended TO attack us.
The only one on the blockade then TO
assist us was the old sailing sloop PEBBLE.
Soon three gunhOatS, the Morgan, the
Gaines and another, besides two schooners
in tow, all having good guns were on their
way out to sink us or drive us from the
blockade AS the first approached in line
oi-battIe we sent an 11-inch shell into her,
and instead of their dividing and sur
rounding us they turned back
Now" said our Captain, what mis-
Chief are they up to now" But to our
surprise they wect back into the bay. II
our Captain had Thought Of such action he
would at least have sunk the two
SchoonerS
We learned from refugees and Mobile
papers that the commander was immedi-
ately cashierec from the navy for coward
ice His excuse was that his fleet of five
was no match for the old Prebe and our
vessel. The officers on his vessel, il is
said, unsheathed their swords, and threw
them at his feet and told him they would
not serve under "a coward.
1t was Commodore Fanaguts plan to at
tack Mobile Immediately after taking New
Orleans, but he WIS not allowed to do so
We had been on the blockade so long that
we were familiar with all of the armament
and defenses If our fleet had then at
tackled the forts, in their demoralized con-
dition they would have surrendered at
once; but we gave them one years time
TO build earthworkS about the forts, plant
torpedoeS about the bay and build very
formidable iron-ciad ram. Besides block
ade vessels supplied the Southern army
with at least one half of their munitions of
war and supplies
just think OF the expense we were to in
keeping about 20 war vessels maintaining
"a blockade. Even with that number we
could not effectually blockade it. You
can form some idea Of the number that
ran the blockade from January 1851, to past
January, 1853, when there was but from two
to five on the blockade
agree with the statement of Mai. Kin
ney. of Hartford, Conn, who was Commo-
dore Farragut's sigma! officer, that it was
one OF the greatest mistakes of the war
that Farragut was not allowed to take
Mobile Bay Immediately after capturing
New Orleans. If he had done SO millions
OF dollars and many valuable lives would
have been saved, and supplies 70 the
Southern army cut off
Such supplies prolonged the war, and
were the means of thousands of our brave
boys being killed and wounded and such
incompetent acts as that necessitated
thousands of pensions being paid TO
widows and disabled ones
little more navy experiences in The
National Tribune would be very gra,ifyirg.
James L. Ferris, Chief Woman, U. S. >.
kanawha, West Cornwall. Conn
nHuNuTrOC nrrrNunC