The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-09

not injure her enough to sink her, as
was intended. We backed out to pre-
pare again, but the Yankee fleet began
firing their guns and sending UP signal
rockets. They at once slipped their
anchor chains, leaving the anchors be-
hind, and made for the sea-
Our commander gave orders to go
ahead, full speed, and keeping the
helm a-port and steering by the COM
pass, l noticed that we were going at
right angles across the river. l saw
a ship on the starboard bow, the cap
tain being on the port side. l called
his attention to it. but we missed This
vessel eight or ten feet. We cruised
about the river all night, but met no
more ships. When daylight came we
saw the Yankee fleet getting out over
the bar into the Gulf. Looking up
stream above us we noticed that one
of their vessels had not succeeded in
getting out, and that we were between
her and safety. We captured her and
brought her up to the city and an
chored her opposite the third district
ferry landing on the Algiers side.
Il was not on the Manassas on her
succeeding trips, but would like to say
a word as to what became of her.
During the Spanish-American War a
Northern paper stated that Admiral
Dewey, then a captain, had sunk her
ouIllS Tie nSnl at TIE Dul THIS
was an error. 1 was in this fight,
stationed on board the flagship Louis
lana, Commodore Mitchell and Capt.
Mcintyre, commanding. This vessed
was manned by a company of the
Crescent Artillery, and a part of a
company of Grivot's Artillery, of which
1 was first lieutenant. The Louisi-
ana was anchored in the stream about
300 yards above Fort st. Philip, and
the Manassas was tied to the bank
abreast of us, on the Fort Jackson
side, and this was the position we &C
cupied the night of the battle. Two
days before the battle Lieut.. Johnson
came aboard in boat with dispatches
for Commodore Mitchell. Lieut.. John
son told us that from the information
he had gathered, the federals were
going to attack us within two days.
Capt. Mcintyre wanted to anticipate
them, and remarked to Commodore
Mitchell: Commodore, let us go down
and fight the Yankees The Commo-
dore answer was short No"
End of the Manassas.
Capt. Mcintyre had both arms shot
off and one leg broken in the fight, and
was taken off his ship into Fort St.
Philip the morning after the battle. The
engag Ament began at o'clock at night,
and lasted until daylight, but the enc
line. We had the two best ships left,
the Louisiana, sixteen guns, and the
McCray, ten guns, and l suggested to
Commodore Mitchell that we run them
to Mobile. 1 said that 1 would pilot
them. as 1 knew the route, either by
day or night, in case we had to run
through the blockading fleet. I got the
same answer that Capt. Mcintyre did
two days before, a short NO.
IF this brave captain had been in
charge of the fleet 1 think we would
have succeeded in preventing the Yam
kee fleet from getting through out lines.
"One federal ship, the Winona, COM
manded by Capt. .Schley, now admiral,
was sunk by the Confederate gunboat
Stonewal1 Jackson, but our ships were
but little damaged. They were all sunk
or set fire to by their own crews dur
ing and after the fight, some never hav-
ing left their moorings. This was the
case with the Manassas.
Orders were given to abandon and |
blow UP our vessel, the Louisiana,
which we did, and along with the off,
GERS and crews of the other vessels we |
started on long march of eighty-fve |
miles to the city. on the right bank of |
the river. 1 met Capt. Marley of the |
Manassas on the way and marching
together, l asked him what execution |
he had done during the fight. He re-
piled that he had done nothing, but
had the water supply pipe cut and let
her sink at her mooring. Thus in
gloriously ended the famous ram Ma
nasSaS."