Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-05-26

Southfield and the dispersion Of her
consorts in Roanoke river. the Abe
marie lay off Plymouth. On the 9th Of
May she steamed down the river to its
mouth intending to enter Albemarle
sound and get through to Newborn.
Struck Amidships.
The coming of the Abemarle was
not unexpected by Captain Smith, who
had arranged plan of action suited.
AS he thought. to the occasion. The
contending ships met about sixteen
miles from the rivers mouth, where
the sound is four or five miles wide
The Mattabesett led the Federal fleet
and the ram opened with her forward
guns and sent two well aimed shells
crashing into the upper works Of her
foremost opponent The ram then
boldly dashed at her enemies to run
them down, but the Mattabesett veered
and escaped the blow. The Sassacus
followed the Mattabesett and was in
good position when the ram overran
the elusive mark to give her broad
side of solid shot. Although fired at
very close quarters the missiles were
harmless on the iron sides Of the RAM
The Albemarle kept up fire and made
havoc with the vulnerable wooden
| boats. The maneuvers of the Mattabe-
Bett and Sassacus soon brought the ram
between them. Commander +. A. Roe
Of the Sassacus ordered all steam on
and backed Off to secure Roadway.
Then the valves were opened wide. the
vessel fairly Ieaping under the impulse
Of the loosened engine wheels. The
ram was also coming on and the Sas-
sacus struck her amidships and sent
her stern deck several feet under
| water. The shock was SO severe that
the crew Of the ram believed their
vessel to be sinking and had to be
rallied by their commander, Captain ].
w. Cooke. On board the Sassacus the
damage and alarm We're greater than
on the ram. The moment the vessels
struck the ram sent a shot through the
Sassacus. piercing her boilers and fill
ing her with steam and boiling water.
Ram and Ship Entangled.
| The vessels were so entangled that
the forward movement Of the ram
wrenched the Sassacus loose and fair
| ly hurled her off into the water. The
COnfederates now attempted to board
the Sassacus, but the rifemen in the
rigging. who had not been disturbed
by the hull shots and the scalding
water below. opened brisk fire and
kept the boarders at bay during the
time the vessels were entangled.
The guns Of the Sassacus opened fire
on the ram the moment the smoke and
steam cleared up and for the first time
the shots took effect. The smokestack
Of the Albemarle was riddled and some
Of her armOr broken. The Roadway OF
both vessels was such that after the
collision they drifted alongside one an
other and this position gave the Fed
eral gunners their chance. One gun
of the ram was disabled and she fought
the rest of the battle with one only.
The ramming of an irOnclad by
wooden vessel was bold undertaking
and something unusual in naval war
fare. But the Sassacus was fast
steamer and she went at the ram under
| speed Of between ten and eleven
knots an hour. Her bow was armed
with a beak weighing several thousand
pounds and the result was such that had
she had the aid Of two or three more
vessels of the same class in the nick
Of time when she lay fairly aboard of
the ram the latter might have been
destroyed.
While the Sassacus was engaged
with the ram, the next in line, the MI.
ami. stood for the ram. but failed to
get within striking distance. This YES
sci was provided with a spar torpedo.
and as soon as the Sassacus backed
away from the ram, Captain Smith.
seeing that the latter was surrounded,
signaled the Miami to ''ge ahead and
try her torpedo" The steering ap-
paratus Of the Miami was defective.
and she could not move with the Abe
marie. Orders were now given to get
in line and cease firing. The Wyalu-
sing was ordered to attack the ram.
but the reply came that she was sink
ing, and she Immediately backed OF.
| The line was now broken as far as
the Mattabesett, the fourth and last of
the large vessels. She was moving in
q circle. and. coming up to the ram.
delivered a broadside. She then pass
ed In ahead of the ram and attempted
| to lay a seine and snare the propeller
of the ram. but it was torn and rem
dered useless. Then the Mattabesett
rounded to and delivered all her Hre
on the Confederate at close quarters.
receiving one damaging return shot.
The battle was principally an artil-
| lery duel between some fifty guns on
the Federal vessels and one on the
ram. The eject ON the latter (much
Of the fire being delivered at ships
lengthy soon disabled her smokestack
and destroyed her draft. Finally, by
burning large quantities Of bacon and
lard. her engines got power enough to
move her from the battle-ground. The
engagement lasted about three hours.
ending at dark. The ram had ia
holes in her stack, and there were
I fired at her between 400 and 500 shot
and shell. The loss on the feet was
, four killed and twenty-five wounded.
A Confederate eyewitness Of this
battle gives the following description
Of the scene at the close:
1.-The shore bears innumerable EVIL
dences Of the damage done to the enc
my-splinters and large fragments Of
| l. Chno OF