Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1903-03-20
rlontpelier, Idaho, March 76,too3.

HAS pE1uG4Nu4S t&aTSSl1lsNVVEuSu UOHUs1F4- |
ed 1t fercelyr with his eleven inch and
fifteen inch guns, the armament OF tile
Montauk being one of each. The first j
gun Of the monitor was fred at 7:45
o'clock I'm the morning. AT $50 o'clock
a shell aimed at the columhiad, struck
a thirty-two FOUNDER gun near the CO.
lumbiad, killing the gun chief, Major
Gallie, who stood by encouraging his
men, Worden's heavy shells RACED the
parapet in front OF the guns OF the
fort. leaving the men In the batteries
very much exposed, but they kept up
q hot fire on the Montauk, moving
their pieces from point to point to baf-
fie the Federal marksmen.
Although the MOntauk stood farther
off in this attack than during the pre-
vious one, she was struck oftener, re-
ceiving forty-one shots in all Many
Of the missiles were ten inch, but they
rolled off from the iron plates, leaving
scarcely dent.
When Worden steamed the Montauk
up in front of Fort McAllister early on
the morning of Feb. %, a fog still hung
over the scene. and. the tide being IA
vorable, he anchored within 300 yards
of the enemy's guns. At the same
time three wooden gunboats and
mortar boat sent by Dupont to sup
port the attack took station near the
monitor and opened upon the fort.
/ The Confederate cruiser Nashville lay
stranded 1900 yards from the Mon
| tauk beyond a marsh of tall canes
The upper decks of the. cruiser were
visible from the turret Of the monitor.
The moment his wooden. consorts
opened upon the fort Worden trained
his guns upon the Nashville. The
cruiser had often been sighted before
by Federal ships accommodating around
the fort and had always eluded cap
ture and battle by fleeing up the river.
Worden determined to finish her now
that she lay at his, mercy before she
could float and get back up the river.
All the guns OF the fort poured their
eight inch and ten inch shots upon the
Montauk, but Worden ignored them
entirely. and In turn the Confederate
gunners ignored the wooden ships.
Only one shot from the fort struck the
gunboats. and that was from thirty
two FOUNDER and did but little damage.
r The fire OF the fort upon the monitor
was fast and furious. but the gunners
were evidently excited and desperate.
, for out Of the hundreds aimed at the
Montauk only five found the little tar
get. Worden got accurate range on
the Nashville In spite of the fog. He
was as close to the Instructions In the
channel as II was safe to go. The first
few shells Of the Montauk set the
cruiser on fire In the wooden upper
works, and about that time the fog
grew denser. completely shutting of
the view from the Federal gunners
Still they continued firing according to
the direction and elevation already OBJ
tanned.
It was just twenty minutes after
Worden fred his first shot when thu
flames burst out on the Nashville
Then thirty minutes of dense fog In
tervened, and at the end OF fifty min
utes. the fog clearing, 1t was seen tina
the fire had increased. A pivot gun
mounted abaft the mainmast of III,
burning cruiser exploded from the In
tense heat, and few minutes late
her smokestack disappeared under
| good shot from the turret OF the Mon
tauk. The flames soon reached tn
magazine of the ship, which explode.
with tremendous force, leaving th,
cruiser smoking ruin. When til
Naahvfl1nsa mA0axino aYnIodad fh