The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1898-05-05
LUCK OF MONITOR.
They Did Some Hearty Work Off
Charleston.

eral authority learned with
alarm that the Confederates
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 beginn-
ing of the war. Reports which
reached headquarters from
time to time as to the fitting
out of this new adversary told
how her sides were protected
with novel and invulnerable
armor, and of the extensive
precautions taken to make her
the most formidable and dan
gerous 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 trans
ferred at once to southern
waters. The confederates
made a 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
Confederates found it impossi-
BILE 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 bombproof, square and
fort-like casemate built upon
her, The pilot-house rose
three feet above this.
The Atlanta, as she was call.
ed after the transformation
was 2O4 feet long, drew fifteen
feet nine inches of water, and
although her original speed
was reduced to eight knots ar
hour by the weight of her ar
NOR and new superstructure
even with that speed she was
reckoned a dangerous antago
mist for the slow-going moni
tors then guarding Charleston
and other places. In addition
to her other features the Allan
ia had formidable ram, E
spar torpedo attachment, anc
her armament of the riflled
guns was so complete, accord.
ing to report, that it was mat.
ter of concern as to which shiI
of the blockade fleet could bes1
grapple with her when she once
came fairly out into open wat
ers. Her crew consisted of 121
men and Fl officers.
The siege of Charleston ur
to the spring of 1868 had proved
long and tedious. The Confed
crates made a good fight, anc
all efforts of the fleet to get
past fort Sumter and Moultrie
and Battery Wagner had beer
Intellectual. Fort McAllister
up one of the adjacent, had al
SO baffled it's assailants, and {
good-sized gunboat, the Isaac
Smith, accommodating up the
Stono river, had lately beer
captured, and was now serving
the enemy's purposes. Char
lesion harbor bristled with can
non, and the waters were fillec
with piles and rope instructions
and were planted with torpe
does. It became expedient
that more force should be
brought to bear on the rebe
defences at that point. So new
ironclad monitors were built
to aid the gunboats already in
service. In the spring of 1865
these new boats had just arriv.
ed on the scene, and Admiral
Dupont, in obedience to in
structions from Washington
made a direct charge on Charl
eston. The Admiral marshal
ed his forces with the Weehaw-
ken at the head of nine new
ironclads, and the new Ironsid
es was the flagship of the fleet
This attack on Fort Sumter
proved unsuccessful, and the
Keokuk. one of the new iron
clads, sank off Morris Island the
next morning, as a consequence
of the terrific fire to which she
had been subjected. The Wee
hawken and her gallant captain
Rogers, came out of this I'M
) available attack with flyins
colors. She ventured so close
to the distractions between
Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrit
that torpedo exploded unde,
J her bow. Although the expo
sion strained her little, she
proved herself a stanch ship