The National tribune., 1902-07-17

federate lronclad steamer -AIhslLsan
through our fleet at NickSburg. to safe
anchorage under the heavy guns of that
Gibraltar of the Mississippi. The second
was the hasty departure of Farrasut Tor
the Gulf of Mexico, in obedience TO an
order received from the Secretary of the
Navy to no longer expose his wooden shlps
TO the danger of destruction by torpedoes
and batteries. This order was the result
of a fear that England would intervene,
and that we would soon become engaged
in maritime war with that strong power
We were certainly not in condition, at
that time, TO cope with foreign power
and the war cloud of intervention SO ire
uuently seen in the Eastern horizon Kept
our Government in constant apprehension.
This fear of intervention was the result
of the feeling engendered by the capture
of Mason and SHdeu by Collilnouoie
Wilkes and this bold act was Il thorn III
the British side for long time. even
after diplomatic skill had averted trouble,
and the country has cause TO be sfatelui
to Mr. Lincoln for having honora6iy eA
tricated us by the exercise of dlplonac!
worthy CT a MetternIch from most serious
trouble ard at time when we had our
hands full at home The capture IN Itself
was certainly a violation of international
law. These Confederate commissioners
were simply passengers in private mef-
chant steamer. having embarked AT Il neu-
tral Port. and it is quite wonderful that
England with her bellicose tendency when
her flag is involved, should not have de
marded so abject an apology that either
our humiliation or war would nave re
suited. Commodore Wilkes possessed the
same bold spirit that actuated Paul Jones
and Ingram, and did not hesitate to throw
all fine questions of international law to
the winds when he saw in the persons of
these two passengers Confederate officers
of high standing, sailing safely under the
British flag bound for British port, who
upon landing would at once become agent
for the exchange of Confederate States
cotton for British arms. Our foreign rep
esentativeS were constantly reporting
that they feared British Intervention. and
it was the reception of one of these re-
ports in July, 1862, that caused the Secre-
tary Of the Navy to order Farragut out to
sea.
At this time. July %, 1862. the west
bank of the river opposite Nicksburg was
occupied by q small force-a brigade COM |
EaHded by Gen. Williams. With these
troops. fresh from the East, he was, at |
tempting to cut a small canal across the
point opposite Nicksburg, L. enable trans-
ports to pass through and thus render the
enemy's guns imperative. The plan mis-
carried, and the troops, exhausted by the
hard work of digging through swamps
under the burning July sun, succumbed to
the ravageS of swamp and malarial feyers,
until, as Gen. Williams reports, The well
were unable to take care of the sick. The
withdrawal of Farragut, of course, obliged
the withdrawal of this little army, and
when he went down stream he conveyed
them in their transports as far as Baton
Rouge, where they went into camp. Flag
Officer Davis, upon the evacuation of the
west bank by the troops and the with
drawal of Farragut, moved his fleet up
the river as far as Helena, Ark, and
thus the entire Mississippi River from
Helena down to Baton Rouge, La, was
evacuated, and the first attempt on Vieks
burg rendered failure. The Z. S. steam
ers Essex and Sumter. of the Mississippi
Squadron, had, with Farragut, passed the
batteries al Nicksburg, and We're now be-
low that stronghold and attached to the
West Gulf Squadron, under his command.
Farragut, upon arriving at Baton
Rouge, proceeded at once to the Gulf.
leaving Capt. W. ID. Porter as command
ing officer Of the small naval force left at
that point which consisted of the Essex,
Sumter, kineo, and kathadin. The Essex
was an ironclad steamer, eight guns: the
Sumter was ram, two guns, having been
captured from the enemy in the fight at
Memphis on June 8, 1862. The Kineo
and Kathadin were small wooden gun
boats, two guns each. After Gen. Viii
liams had gone into camp at Baton Rouge
he was on the morning of Aug. ,. 1862. at
tackled by a large force commanded by
Gen. Breckenridge, and bloody battle en-
sued, in which the navy, guided by sig
mails, was enabled to render most efficient
service, and to supply the want of artil-
lery that existed in the army.
The army Signal officer having arranged
with Capt. Ransom, of the Kineo, sta
TONED one Signal officer at the 'front.' .
naval officer on the high tower of the
State House, point which commanded a
view of the entire surrounding country,
and another on the deck of the kineO. We
were thus enabled to get both direction
and distance, and to deliver a destructive
fire of nine-inch shells into the enemy as
they approached Gen. Williams This
shelling occurred late in the afternoon
During the morning the lines of Gen. vii
Iiams were so eXtended-covering as they
did with a thin line the whole front of
the enemy-that we could render little
assistance; but in the afternoon, the enc
my having carried some portion of our
line Of battle, caused change in the for
nation, which was now more concen-
trated, and we were thus enabled to open
on them, which we did with the Essex
and Sumner on their right flank, and the
Kineo and kathadin on the left.
At this time Gen. Williams was killed
while gallantly leading bis men, and a
feature of this battle was that the heayi-
est fighting took place III a cemetery that
was situated in the rear of the town. II
was a hard-fought battle, and our troops,
wasted and worn by sickness and disease
stood up all day before superior force
and when night came on had regained the
original line of battle that they had Cscu-
i / i'll the morning. During the night
Breckenridge fell back in full retreat, and
thus emfed the last army fight on the
Lower Mississippi of that year. When
Breckenridge commenced the fight on the
morning of the 9th, smoke was seen up
the river, and we soon learned from Con
federate officers that we captured that it
was our old friend the Arkansas, with the
gunboats Webb and Music, which vessels
had been ordered down from Vicksburg
to destroy us while Breckinridge was de-
stroying the army. They lay in sight all
day, but for some cause failed TO attack
us. We kept our weather eye open all
through the night, expecting, OF course, to
be attacked by them. When morning
came, Capt. Porter hove up his anchor
and started up stream to force fight He
opened On the Arkansas as soon as the
Essex got within range, and in few mo-
ments the destruction of that vessel be.
came a matter of history. The following
laconic report explains itself:
Gunboat Essex,
OFF Batc1 Rouge, Aug. q, 1862
Sir: This morning at s o'clock
steamed up the river, and at 10 o'clock at
tackled the rebel ram Arkansas and blew
her up. There is not now 4 fragment 0.
her left. e