Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-06-25
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
Whistling BniIets, Bcight BayOnets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bnss, ETC., Etc.

Il was much Interested" said W. l..
Rappley, formerly boatswain's mate OF
the I, $. s. Pinola. In the story of
ths man who saved sferman's am
muniuon at Resaca. have another
Instance Of self-sacrlhcing bravery
which has received no mention IN Off
ciai reports or in print My part in
The story Is that of an eyewitness 10
daring deed. l will say briefly that |
served four years In the navy and that
y April, 1862. was boatswain's mate
on the gunboat Pinola, on the lower
| Mississippi, under Farragut
At that time Farrsgut's fleet and
the mortar boats were bombarding
Forts Jackson and St Philip The gun
boats we're engaged daily, and would
run up close to the chain stretched
| across the river just below the forts.
This obstructed the channel at point
where vessels stopped by the sunken
chain would be under fire of the forts
and Farragut decided TO remove the
obstruction before making an attack in
force, The gunboats Pinola and Itasca
were chosen for the work. aud the at.
tempt was made on the very dark
night of April 20.
sour boat was In charge OF Com
mander Pierce Crosby, one OF the old
est naval officers In the feet, and ev-
cry man on the boat was instructed as
70 what he was to do under given cir.
cumstances, We carried on the Plnola
Nh Internal machine or torpedo the
Invention OF a Trenchman on board.
| With which we hoped to denol!sh one
Ut the hulks supporting the chain This
chain, by the way. was one OF the
largest ship cable kind. 1t was Sc
cured on the south side of the river In
the woods below Fort jackson and car
ried across the river TO the north side.
near Fort st. Philip, where II was
hove taut by crab winch II was
supported by four hulks SO as to sus-
tain the chain at the required depth
below the water surface
TT was dark as dark could he. and
we OF the Plnola ran alongside the mid
die hulk. and. there being no guards
on board. we made our internal ma
chine secure under the chain and at
tached the electric wire. Two men
carried the wire to the station near the
battery on the gunboat. 80 as to be
ready as soon as we were far enough
away to make connection with the bat
terry aud blow up the hulk However
The water was unusually high the eur.
rent was very strong, and our boat
was swept astern so fast that before
we could regain Roadway the wire
snapped Off short near the reel.
This caused excitement and confu.
sion on board the Plnola. the noise was
heard at the fort, and the guns opened
on us In way to send us off In bur
ry. Meantime the ltasca had been Ia
the north OF us examining the channel
and after slipping the chain from one
OF the hunks had run aground under
the guns OF Fort ST Philip. lust ms
we were turning down stream the on
Ger commanding the ltasca came along
side In a small boat, reported ihat his
ship was aground close In shore under
abandon the vessel and blow her up.
as the rebels as soon rs IL became light
enough to see would destroy her. Cros-
by replied, No and directed the officer
to go back to his ship, saying that the
Pinola would take the Itasca's hawser
and try to pull her off
'Thereupon the Pinoa ran over In
the darkness To the ltasca, whore there
was a great confusion. We got our
hawser out conveyed il to the Itasca
secured 1t. and all being ready steamed
ahead with a swing TO port for the
center OF the river to get more power.
But the hawser parted, and before we
"ould haul In the piece OF our side II
sunk under the propeller well and was
caught up and wound around the shaft
20 tightly that II stopped tile engines
Hare was q crisis which. like that at
Resaca had to he met AT once or both
boats would be lost The forts were
ilready firing al us. and the moon was
coming up.
Crosby md the other officers and
was bent TO the kedge anchor aud let
20 to hold the Pinola'S head NJ stream,
and Lieutenant Cook asked for vol
unteer to 70 down the propeller well
with an ak aud cut the hawser from
the shaft. The carpenters mate. Ed
ward Spencer, Of Baltimore. said he
would try It. a rope was fastened
:. ind his body and life line to his
N arm, and down he went into the
we'll looking after the life line.
Spencer dived through six feet Of wa
ter. and standing on the propeller shaft
tried to cut the hawser which, OF
course. he could not see. lie came up
twice TO blow, but succeeded the third
tl.ae III cutting the hawser and lucky
for him and ali Of us that lac did cut IT,
lust as he struck the last lick and
came MP the eddy current struck the
.unboat on the starboard bow. causing
her 10 sheer to port and the full strain
.fvs.v he ~ 4..H a