Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-09-12

by a floating torpedo fred from shore
by electricity. The fotilla started
down the river on the 9th. having learn
ed only that the Confederates were
alert to check any demonstrations
against the capital. Below Dutch Gap,
while the Sangamon, which was lead
ing. entered one of the long reaches
peculiar to the James. she was fired
upon by a masked shore battery. hid.
den by thickets and supported By In
fantry.
Both the monitor and the Barney re-
turned the FIRE. but the ferryboat was
quickly disabled by a shot through her
boiler. She drifted ashore and was
taken In tow by the Cohasset Soon
the 1otilla entered another reach and
was fred upon from a jutting point as
before. After feebly replying the 10
ttlla steamed downward again, the
Barney having been literally peppered
with musket balls and bearing more
than thirty wounds from round shot In
her hull and upper works.
With the channel planted with tor
pedoes and well protected heavy guns
on shore the C~onfederates could con,
troll the James against an ordinary
naval outfit. The torpedoes were han
died by an expert. Lieutenant Hunter
Davidson. Ills success In exploding
n under the Barney was not an iso
lated case He had done as well be
fore and repeated the feat many times
before the war closed.
F~arreaching Federal Plans.
The Federal plans under considera,
ton In August, 1863, were f~arreaching
Southern invasion of the north haC
been effectually checked In the sum
mer campaigns. The fall of Vicksbure
and Port Hudson had opened the Mis-
sissippi river to the sea. The northern
boundary of the Confederacy was the
Rappahannock line from the Blue
Ridge to the Chesapeake and the Ten
nessee line. stretching also from the
Blue Ridge westward to the Missis,
sippi.
Grant was at vicksburg with a
his force down the river by steamboat.
unite with the Army of the Gulf, COM
manded by General N. P. Banks, and
operate against Mobile. He thought the
operations against the city on the gulf
would weaken the Confederate defense
of the Tennessee river line. where
General Braxton Bragg had taken up
a strong position around Chattanooga.
Bragg depended upon the region be-
tween Chattanooga and Mobile for
army supplies. e
The Mobile plan was %overrt,led II
Washington. and Grant was called
upon within a few days to send three
corps from his army to other points.
About this time rumor stated that
Grant was to supersede General
George G. Meade at the head of the
Army of the Potomac Meade. on hib
part had fixed upon a plan to attack
Lees army In its positions along the
Rapidan and around Gordonsville.
This was a. revival of the movement
General Mcclellan had entered upon
when he was removed from command
In November, 1862.
After spanning the Rappahannock
above Fredericksburg with two pom
toon bridges and a railroad bridge
Meade pushed his advance to and be-
yond Rapidan. ven forcing the Con.
federates to give up Culpeper Court
House. a point of strategic value. His
plan had for It's ultimate object &
march to Richmond. 1t had the ap.
proval of military reviewers as being
better than again attacking Freder-
icksburg. which stood across his path
to Richmond, but had twice been the
scene of Federal disaster. Both Burn.
side and Hooker had failed there. tho
first in a direct attack. the latter In
a flank movement, ending at ChanceL
louisville.