The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-04-19

/ klON uI:IL DNcruaASIlS DanAe
with their trees ana vines. loom.
ed up fearfully close in front Of US. 1t
was Il critical moment. Then we had
reason 10 be thankful for the gunboat
AlbatroSS alongside us. Her engines
backed vigorously and finally succeed
ed in turning us around with our head
I'D the river again. This happened just
where the stream makes sharp bend
and the current is especially strong.
"A few minutes after we We're well
started again it was reported that
there ;:-aS Il ram on the port DOW.
This announcement. usually without
foundation. of rams bearing down up
on us. was Il continual bugbear While
the feet Was in the river. 1t used to
vcx th. admiral greatly, because it
tended to disturb the men unneces-
sarilv. Reports OF the rams. alleged
10 be OF terrible power. We're often
brought by the negroes who found
their way 10 rhe river banks. The ad-
miraI of'fcn said that every one seemed
to have. the ram fever and he wished
he could break it up. In this instance.
however. no chances could be taken.
and tie order was given to Call away
rhe boardcrs.' Ny father intended to
have a hand in this fight himself, If
there was to be any. and he seized his
own cutlass and started forward. he
was at that time nearly 81 years OLD,
bur wonderfully active and energetic.
This ram runor failed to materallze,
however. like most Of the others. and
we went ahead without hindrance.
We came to anchor above the bend
ir the river. out Of RI ace of the batteries.
It was remarkable. considering that we
had been under fire over an hour, per
hans nearly two hours. that we had
only one man killed and two wounded.
The spars ard parts OF the deck were
pretty well splintered up from the
Shell which had struck them.
.sAs we waited in our safer position.
in great anxiety for the other ships. OF
whose fate we knew nothing. we saw
= bright light in the sky. which we
could tell must come from ship burn
ing. We did not know then which one
it was. but we learned later from mem
bers of its crew. who made their way
TO land and Up TO our position, that it
was the Mississippi. 1t had run hard
aground on the shoal at the western
bank of the bend and it was found i'm
possible to get her off. BY that time
the confederates had got the range
much better and their we'll directed
shots cut it up badly. It's commander
ordered it to be set on fire and man
AGED to get most Of his MEN ashore in
boats. The other vessels had met with
various accidents to their machinery
or had run aground on the treacher-
Gus shoals. ard oIr two, the Hartford
and the Albatross. We're thus the only
ones to pass the batteries. OF course
two vessels could not do the same
work for which the admiral had des-
tined seven. but it is matter Of record
that by lowering around the Red river
district they kept the enemy pretty
short of supplies in that nelgnoorhood.
"As for me. I had to 90 home when
VIC got up to Vicksburs. My father
and some of the officers held sort OF
council of war over me and the de-
| cision was that had better go to some
safer place. SO that was my last naval
battle. went to West Point later and
became a member Of the other branch
| of the service"