The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-07-11
UNIQUE FIGHT
CAPTURE or THE
! oUNBoAT ISAAC r. SMITH.
How southerners Fought . aunboat
from the Shore-o fiicers and Men
Compelled to Row Themselves
70 Land to Surrender.

ABOUT SOxsaekies AthSne, CatSkftl ana
sauserties In 1850, and who are living
yet, knew the propeller Isaac Smith,
the writer is not mistaken they knew
her as the Isaac r. Smith. As Hudson
River propellers 60. she was then new. .
bright young thing as compared with the
Erastus Coraing. the Homer Basdell. and
some others that have lived longer and
figured strenuousiy in history. At the
time Of the outbre2x OF the rebellion the
Smith was jogging up the river every
other night and 1ogging back on the al
ternate nights. with now and then rather
too many cattle On her lower dock for
the comfort Of would-be sleepers In the
staterooms overhead. Propellers were
not at that time at all Dragged about for
speed. but all the boys who knew the
Smith were aware that she could often
get up to Athens by 2 In the morning
with q favorinE tide and without fog, and
that her steward provided most tempt
ing and satisfactory supper for all who
had 30 cents to pay for 1t when the gong
was sounded for the assault TO begin.
The Smith disappeared from the river
net long after the war broke out, and
after some Of her boy admirers had
Joined the ranks of the defenders OF the
Union. When the boys returned the
smith was generally forgotten. occas-
ionai inquiries as to her existence brought
indefinite or mysterious answers. She
had gone South" and had not returned,
and to the general run Of wharf-end gos-
sips this was sufficient. The Government
had acquired almost everything that
could be moved by steam, had paid good
prices for the vessels. and was entitled
to keep them without being too closely
questioned. But some of the boys were
persistent, ana they found, by and by.
that something very remarkable had hap
pened to Isaac.
Soon after the Isaac r. Smith ceased to
80 humping from Coxsackie to New
York ana back, she was added to the
United States navy. The beautiful upper
deck, with It's double row OF state rooms
reaching from bow to stern, was partly
o. wholly swept away, and the main deck
was inclosed in substantial timber
structure, pierced for eight guns, four on
starboard and four on port side. These
guns were eight-inch Colurnbiads. pretty
good pieces in those days. and in the
bow she carried q thirty-two-poundef
PARROT, q gun capable OF doing great
damage when sIgillfully handled.
The anxiety Of Secretary Of the Navy
Welles to establish an effective blockade
Of all Southern ports led him TO trust the
Smith at sea long enough to reach Port
Royal, and afterward st. Johns River.
Florida. and when, In August, 1852, she
was sent back to New York for repairs
ana improvements by the bureau of
construction, Flag officer Du Pont in
command Of the South Atlantic blockad-
ing squadron, spoke highly Of the vessel.
Her light draught, good steaming quail
ties, and the success which had attended
her services on the st. Johns River had
won recognition. She was improved"
and back again at Port Royal In the fail.
and eventually was assigned, under COM
mand OF Acting Lieutenant F. 8. Como
yer. to station at Stone Inlet. This was
| then regarded as an important point to
cover. The inlet is the way to Stono
River, which winds through marsh and
plantation fifteen or twenty miles south
| Of Charleston harbor. The Wappoo Riv-
| err, a twisty little stream, connects Stoao
| River with Charleston harbor for vessels
| Of hight draught, and small blockade run
| ners that could escape the blockaders
could easily ship their cargoes into
Charleston by this convenient side door.
| The Smith, with the Commodore McDon-
oueh, which had formerly piled an
| ferry. was expected to prevent the use OF
stono Inlet, and to so patrol the river
as to prohibit If possible, the construe-
ton Of offensive works along its banks.
The Confederates. who had considerable
forces at Secessionville, on James Island,
and ranging bodies Of troops on Johns
Island, between wrich Stone River twists
to the sea, were annoyed by the patrol OF
the river by the Smith and the McDon-
ough One OF these vessels would steam
up the Stone nearly every day, coming
nearly within range Of the guns OF Fort
Pemberton. q work on James Island,
seven or eight miles above Stone Bar
The Confederate scouts could see the
patrols, and might have peppered them
at long range, but they did not know
that one night, late in January. an ensign
OF the United States navy had led
boat party up the river far beyond Fort
Pemberton, examined the shores Tor forti-
fication, and returned TO report that the
Wappoo River Bar had only three feet Of
water over it, and that there was no
danger to be feared from the bringing
out, by that route. of powerful war yes
sells supposed to have been constructed
at Charleston.
One Confederate officer. Lieutenant
Colonel Joseph A. Yates. South Caro-
linian, was greatly exasperated by the
audacity Of the Union gunboats and their
daily matinee performances, and the
regular humping OF the Smiths engines.
as she churned her way up Stono River,
paused at the turn and then churned
back, inspired in his soldier brain an
ingenious and unusual revenge. He com
municated 1t to his superior officer, and
1t got to General h. s. Ripley and event.
uaiiy to General Beauregard, chief In
command. Yates asked to be assigned
artillery forces SUFFICIENT to enable him to
make the Isaac Smith or the McDonough
come ashore" Ripley and Beauregard
both laughed at the young man II the
men Of the Smith could be enticed on
shore, by any pretext. It would be worth
while to try to capture them; but as long
as they were afloat and kept under way
neither Beauregard nor Ripley was DIS
posed to waste enterprise In wild
scheme Of capture. But Yates persisted,
overcame Ripley's opposition through
BeaureRard, who considered Yates a
young man entitled at least to be occu-
pied, and at last found himself intrusted
to the command OF force instructed to
obey his directions implicitly.
The shores of Stone River, which were
from a quarter to half mile apart pretty
we'll up to Fort Pemberton. were In
places wide reaches Of sand, dotted here
and there with abandoned negro huts
and clumps of trees and grass. Upon
these advanced sand splits the bendings OF
the river could be commanded for mile
each way, IL guns could be placed there,
and Yates was determined to place them.
He had seen the Smith sail by, with her
stars and stripes iuttering defantly.
and had been obliged to hide and do
nothing. Now he was about to protest.
On January 9th the forces detailed NOV
ed from Secessionville and other points.