Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-18

scape could be seen. and the forest
bending under the roaring storm that
came rushing up the river
With bow pointing to the island,
We passed the lowest point of land with
out being observed. it appears. by the
enemy. All speed was given to the YES
sci to drive her through the tempest The
flashes of lightning continued with fright
full brilliancy, and almost every second.
wrote a correspondent, every brace.
post and outline could be seen with start
ling distinctness. enshrouded by a blush
white glare Of light. and then her form
for the next minute would become merged
in the intense darkness.
When opposite battery No. ., on the
mainland, the smokestacks blaZed up,
but the fire was soon subdued. 1t was
caused by the SCOT becoming dry, as the
escape steam, which usually kept the
stacks wet, had been sent into the
wheelhouse, as already mentioned, to
prevent noise. With such vivid light
ming prevailed during the whole pas
sage there was no prospect of escaping
the vigilance of the enemy, but there
was good reason to hope that he would
be unable to point his guns accurately.
Again the smokestacks took fire, and
were soon put out; and then the roar of
the enemys guns began, and from bat
terieS Nos. >, 3 and 4 on the mainland
came the continued crack and scream of
their rifle shells, which seemed to unite
with the electric batteries of the clouds
to annihilate us.
While nearing the island of some shoal
point. during few minutes of total
darkness. we We're startled by the order,
Hard a-port!' from our brave and
skillful pilot. First Master William r.
Hoel. We almost graZed the island, and
nJ,c
the storm until we were close in, and
the enemy, having no time to point his
guns. fired at random. In fact, we ran
so near that the enemy did not, proba
bly, could not. depress his guns sufti-
GENTLY. While close under. the lee of
the island and during a lull in the
storm and in the firing. one of our
pilots heard a Confederate officer shout,
Elevate your guns" 1t is proba bic
that the muZzles of those guns had
been depressed to keep the rain out,
and that the officers ordered the guns
elevated just in time to save us from
the direct fire of the enemy's heaviest
fort. and this. no doubt, was the cause
of our remarkable escape.
Having passed the principal batteries,
we were greatly relieved from sus-
pense. But there was another formid
able obstacle in the way-a floating
battery, built to blockade the Missis-
sippi permanently. AS we passed her
she fired six or eight shots at us, but
without effect. We arrived at New Ma
drid about midnight with no one hurt,
and were most joyfully received by our
army.
On Sunday, the 9th, after prayers and
thanksgiving, the Carondelet made
reconnaissance twenty miles down. nearly
to Tiptonvilie, Tenn, the enemy's forts
firing on her all the way down. We re-
turned their fire, and dropped few
shells into their camps beyond On the
way back we captured and spiked the
guns of a battery of one 32-pounder and
one 24-pounder, in about twenty-five min
utes, opposite Point Pleasant
Before we landed to spike the guns, a
tall Confederate soldier, with cool and
deliberate courage, posted himself behind
large cottonwood tree. and repeatedly
fired upon us, until our Illinois sharp
shooters got to work on him from behind
the hammock nettings. He had two rifles.
which he soon dropped fleeing into the
woods with his head down. The next day
he was captured and brought into camp
at Tiptonville. with the tip Of his nose
shot off.
After the capture of this battery the
enemy prepared toevacuate his positions
on Island Number Ten and the adjacent
shores, ana thus, as one or the historians
of the civil war says. the Carondelet
struck the blow that secured that victory.
Returning to New Madrid. we were In
structed by Gen. Pope to attack the
enemy's batteries of six 64-pounders
which protected his rear. The Pitts
burgh Uieut. Commander Thompson) ran
the gantlet without injury, during a thun-
derstorm. at > in the morning of April Z.
and arrived at ) o'clock: but she was not
ready for service, and the CarOndelet at
tackled the principal batteries at Watson's
Landing alone and had nearly silenced
them when the Pittsburgh came up astern
and fired nearly over the Carondeiets up
per deck. after she and the Confederates
had ceased firing.
I reported to Gen. Pope that we had