The New York Herald Newspaper, April 14, 1863, Page 3

aw oe Hal! ei fi i HW Beep her clear. She was pierced by steel rifle bolte be- Dow the water line, and no means could be found for fg the holes. All her officers and crew were taken from ‘Ber before abe wont down, They have gone to Port Roya: to-day. The Patapeco sailed for Port Royal this forenco?, ‘te took out for rebel iron-clads from Savannah. REVIEW OF THE FIGHT. (Ore Casnizsron Hanson, Wednesday, April 8, 1863. ‘The great straggie is over. Tne enterprise on which s0 Huron, Lieutenant Commander G. A. Stevens. ‘And will be in readiness to support the tron clads when they attack the batteries on Morris Intand. 8. DUPONT, ¥. Rear A‘imiral Commanding South Atlantic MONDAYS INACTION. By adron. Ay nino o'clock im the moraing the tronclads had crossed the bar, and hat taken up theif position i the muin ship channet, lying within « inile of the shore of ‘Morris Isiand and extending in 4 live parallel with it. ‘The carly morning was bazy, and later on (he fog became 0 thick an to obecure the ranges by which the fleet was to steer, This rendered it impossible to move, and again the ats ack had to be deferred. He ComrLict. ‘The sun rose bright and clear on Tuesday morning. The oa wag smooth as & mirror, and the atmosphere so trapalocent that we could sos right up to the city. All hearts were throvbing with anxiety as to the results of ‘the conflict in which these little tron-clada were about to engage. And here T may as well remark that the same confidence Of suceass which seemed to have taken pos- session of the people, aad even of the goverument, did not find iteeli fully reflected in the minds of the Admiral end of his officers. They knew the difficulties they had to encounter, the odds they had to contend with, ‘They knew the powerful batteries which lined the shores ‘on either side (or four miles, and forbade all hostile en. france to the harbor, They were pware that, in addition - to those destructive engines of war, the various channels ‘were so obstructed that even if the iron-clads should Drove altogether invulnerable they would still flod their passage blocked up by obstructions, which it might be impossible, and would certainly be difficult, to removo; and they knew, moreover, that, however well adapted for defensive purposes the iron clads might prove to be, the diMculty of manceuvering them, and the fowness of their guns—heavy though they might be—did not commend them for offensive parposes against such fortifications as those which they should bave to encounter. And, therefore, with no trepidation, no shrinking, no calculation of defeat, out at the same time without the confidence which unprofessional persons seemed to por. seas, the gallant Dupont and hin officers prepared to move forward and test the great question of whether the Monitors were or were not a metch for the forts and datleries. The attack would have commenced an hour or two ‘earlier than it did had it not been that the Admiral was advised to wait for the ebb tide rather than sail up with the flood tide, as the former would be more apt to dis cover the locality of the obstructions in the channel, and the tide turned at eleven o'clock. During these hours of the eye had an opportanity of taking the fea. tures of the scene on which the great act was to be played. The bine waters danced in the bright sunshine, and flocks of sea birds dip ped white wings in the waves and uttered their shrill cries as they swooped dowaward after their prey. Over the parapets of Forts Sumter and Moultrie the rebel defenders were watching our movements and signalizing them; and even on the roofs and steeples of the distant city we could see hundreds of spectators. Distinctly in view were the numerous batteries, extending from the ‘Wappoo creek, on the Ashiey river, following the contour of James Island, down to the Lighthouse battery, on the south point of Morris Island. On the other side they were more numerous still—Breach Inlet battery, on the Jower end of Sullivan's Island, Fort Beauregard, and on up to Fort Moultrie; whjle in the centre of the picture, rising as it were from the water, stood Fort Sumter, dis playing the rebel flag on one angle and the Palmetto flag ‘om the opposite angle; and beyond, Fort Ripley and Custie Pinckney, the city filling up the background. Meanwhile the attacking vessels Iay at anchor in the main ship channel, within a mile of the batteries on Mor. ris Island, without provoking @ hostile shot. The Weo- bawken was in the van and the other vessels in the order in which they are named in the plan Precisely at half-past twelve o'clock the fleet commenced to mve ‘The distance to the positions at which they were directed to attack was nearly four miles, aod for almost ail that distance they were within range of the enemy's batteries, But again there is a delay. Grappling {rons attached to the Weehawken have got foul of her anchor cable, and it tukes pearly an bour to set matters right. At last the difeulty is got over, and once more the Higa g under weigh. Slowly they move up the ship ol L ‘Tocy pare within any range of Fort Wagner, on Morris Island; but not a shot disputes their progress; they pass the battery at Cammings’ Moint— named, I believe, Battery Boo—but still nota discharye from a rebel gum. And it is not till the vessels have got fairly between the two uppgt points of Morris Isiand and Sattivan’s Ieland—which are about a mile apart—and are rounding to make the entrance of the harbor, that the ominous stiliness is broken. Fort Sumter opens the bail with her barbetio guns, Fort Moultrie taxes up the loud refrein, The various batteries join im the deafening chorus, and the iron clads find themselves witnin a circle of fire, concentrated from all the reve! guns that can be vi cught to bear upon the voios NEW YORK HERALD, 10 ESDAY, APRIL 14, 4 Fire of the Rebel Batteries. ISSAHICKON e Nor that ai) that these have contend with. have held on their way gauntlet of all the batteries that stood und Charleston. Tbe weak side of Fort Sumter is known to be its northwest front. determined that we should not get at. From the orth- east angle of the fort, across the channel to Fort Moultrie, ‘were suspended, floating from barrels and kept taut by weights, heavy nets and contrivances of roping, so fixed as to be sure to get entangled in the propelling apparatus of vessels, and also connected with torpedoes. Into this net the Weehawken, which led the van, fell; ond fora Jong time her machinery was useless and she drifted with the eurrent. At last, after great exertions, she extricated herself, The other vessels sheered off and avoided the same peril. There was m0 getting into the required position in this way. Any attempt to per- severe in that course would have rendered the fleet un- manageable and exposed it to destruction. Haffled in the attempt to get round or past Fort Sumter in that way, the bulidog Monitors sought another opening; but even the eboal ground between the fort and Cammings’ Point was barred up with piles. Infact, Fort Sumter was found to be the apex of a triangle, the two aides of which were im- penetrable to our vessels, and at the base line of which they were exposed to a concentric fire from Forts Sumter ‘and Moultrie, the Redan, Battery Bee and Fort Beaure- gard. Thus brought to a stand, and nothing being left but either to batter down Fort Sumter or retire, the iron. ciada went resolutely to their work. Stretching them- selves in & line between Sumter and Moultrie, and only giving an occasional shot to the latter work, they plied their gune upon the walls of Sumter. The Keokuk steamed ap to within some three hundred yards of the fortress, while the other .vessels lay at in- termediate distances between that and six bundred yards ‘The Ironsides—the Admiral’s Sagship—bad become en tirely unmanageable, refusing to answer her beim; so that, with the exception of one broadside which she poured into Fort Moultrie, she took no part im the attack, although she was berself the target for many of the ene my's largest guns, and was hit some sixty or seventy times, sustaining, however, ne material damage. For half an hour, while oor vessels were in the position I have described, the cannonading wae of the most awfully grand and terrible character. No words of mine, no words of any man, cam convey ® faint idea of it. it was sublimely terrific. No lees than threes hondred gune or the largest calibre concentrated their fire upon the eight assailants, who had but sixteen guns with which to respond. The contest was too unequal to be persevered in, The Keokuk was soon badly damaged. The turret of the Passaic was #0 indented as to prevent | ite revolving. The Patapeco had her two hundred pound Parrott gun disabled; and, bewifes, night was coming on ‘Tho Admiral therefore sianalized the fleet to retire, and sullenty they fell back from a contest in which they 90 tremendously overmatched, not, however, withouw leaving their mark bebind, The northeast fromt of Fort | Samter, which was the only one expooed to our fire, wae | Daily damaged. No less than eleven Boles, sor of them three foot wide, aod two embrasures knocked |..10 one, showed the effect of the Monitors’ gon. Wot thet war al! | we effocied—that and the diseipation of « popular orror that Charleston could be captured by pine oF ten !ron clas ‘The signal to Conse Bring was gives about fre o'clock. ft | was obe: od, and the vensels fell back to the fags: parting shot being Gred by the Nartocket as she passe. Fort Wagner ‘Abd thus ended the must remashalve Copies Wat has | j i ‘ever taken place Detween war vessels and land fortifica- tions—remarkable im this, that the guns of the forts out. pumbered by ten to one those of the vensels. And yet, after all, to what is our failure to be attributed? To the tmprognability of the land batteries or the weight and number of their guns? Only to a slight dogree. The real instruments of our defeat were the apparently insig- nificant amd contemptible barricades of ropework and netting suspended across the channel, and which kept our vessels at # point on which the rebel guns bad previously been concentrated. Forts might have been parsed ard batteries silenced, but th se twining enemies, which, like the serpents of Tao coon, coiled themselves around the motive machinery of our vearels and prevented the play of their iron arms, were net to be got ridof by force, Im their grasp our vessels were innocuous. And therefore the unfavorable result of the enterprise is not to be accepted as any test of the relative powers of iron-clads and land batveries. Without those obstructions, all the forte that defended Charieston, from Lighthouse Point to Castle Pinckney, would hgve been insufficient to stop our Monitors from anchoring Off the Battery at Charleston. It bas been calculated that some 3,500 rounds were fired by te rebels. In one minute there were one hundred and sixty counted. On our side there were but one hundred and filty shots fired in all; #0 that the rebels fired over twenty shots to our one. The Ironsides fired but one broadside, and that was at Fort Moultrie, That was ber only offemsive operation throughout the day. ‘The Keokuk Only fired three shots before she received ber death wound, Tue ResoLt. ‘The resuit of the day's operations may be summed up thor —The injury to the rebel fortifications is not such as will work any great lors to them, as we cannot renew the attack immediately. On our side we lose the Keokuk, which sunk thif moraing, and which is to be blown up to day, 10 prevent her falling into the bands of the rebels. She was struck by sinety shots. Of these nineteen were on the water Hine, G’teen in the after turret, twelve in the forward tarret and twenty five on the sides, ‘The Passaic ia disabled by having ber turret ro injured that it cammot revolve, and she bas to be sent to Port Royal for repairs, She was struck fifty eight times The Patapaco waa injored by having ber two bundred pound Parrott gun disabled, She was struck from forty to arty tines, The Nahant was struck eighty times, and bad her | pilothouse completely shattered. The [ronsiler was hit from sixty 1 seventy timer, recety ing po material de mage beyond the Knocking off one of her port ehotrers thas exposing her gundeck. The Weehawken wer sti uck fifty nine times, amd had her funnel deeply indented, e that she worked with difcalty. The Moote.« i. twenty times. The Nantueket and Catekill were exch bit about fifty times, hav ing their decks considerably torn GoeION OF ReXEH ING THA Mont The captains Of the iron-clads met {a the evening on board the fagehip, and | understand that there was bet one opiniet Rmmone them as to the question of abandoning or rece’ °G Uke Confiiet, aot that was ngainat renewing Lat rerent, Bewider the impediments whieh bad to be couwended With yeoterday, sim lar obstructions could be seer | thet up Ue arbor, The epace between Fort Kip ley and “Ort Jo ceon was barred with & triple row of piles lik thése between Fort Sumter snd Comm ng Point, only im the centre there was observed an opening, at which It te onid there is @ torpedo set, loaded with the enor charge of five tmemed ade of gu owser 4 yet tive capture of Charlevton Is by no mess aban viv (h @ mnet he more power ul mesne omed oA otal Dewed the opieions of kis varivus officers, =< which bie own evidently coincided. He did net nit | 1863.—TRIPLE sHERT. THE GREAT IRON-CLAD FIGHT. ene of Operations Off Charleston—The Position of the Iron-Clads and the Ranse of the SCALE OF MILES L WATERE SON. SLNG however, announce any decision; but to-day be declared his intention of withdrawing from the attack for the present. The injured iron clada have been sent to Port Royal. The remainder will follow. as soon as may be. The Keokuk went down this morning about eight o clock, her crew baving been first taken off by the tug Mande lion and placed on board the Ironsides. The following are the casualties on board the Keokuk — xn, None. Captain Rbind. Alexander Mclatosh, Acting Ensign, dangeroumy. Chas, McLaughlin, seaman, davgeroualy. Janes Ryan, seaman, severely Wm. Mefonald, seaman, severely Richard Nicholson, Quartermaster, slightly. David Chaplin, seaman slightly. wounnen. C. B, Mott, landawan, slightly. J. W, Abbott, seaman, slightly, .0" landeman, slightly. ly. . seaman, slightly. ry heerte, Amad, fightly. ‘There were several wounded on board the Nahant by « heavy rified shot striking the pilothouse and scatter. ing some of the bolts, Among them were Captain Downs; the pilot, Isaac Beofield, and Edward Gobb, of Massachusetts, the Quartermaster. The latter died this morning. These were all bit while in the pilothouse. Joh@ McAlister, John Jackson and Rowland Martin, sea men, were also wounded in the sane manner while in the tarret. THE LAND ronce. Whether wisely or not, it seems to have been taken for gronted that sland force would not be of much service in co-operating with the naval attack. It was understood that the rebels had 65,000 soldiers tn Charleston, but all cur reliance appears to have been placed upon the tron clade. Nevertheless, © email force was landed on Folly Inland for the purpose of moving up on Morris Inland and cocupying the batteries there, if the iron-clads should captare them. Ther BO ooranion for their ser vices and they will be immediately re-embarked The following despatch was sent by signals by Admiral Dupoct to General Hantor — Fiscenr Naw Tnomewe, April 1~6 P.M To Grema, Horr — Delayed in getting under weigh by accident, Urders not reaching the leading abip, we attempted to pane into the inner channel, bat were obliged to anchor to prevent going esbore,' Engaged the forts, but found it to late to | contings. Casnaition few One ironclad dinabld, two partially #0. Iromeides ve. slightly, struck very often Please inform the senior os! PONT TE. Town, Lieutenant ond Signal o New lonaides Lhope I may have eucceetod in readering inteMigivio (distant readers the ing weenmn A which I bare been a witness, Ihave or red wo present tn ye plainest manner, employ ing bo UTnsEnente Of ton oe Weauty H style, which, incord, would be o in depleting such seonen. | have no time to review what L have writteo, and, although | am conscious of on imei in and apres to the parratioe, | treat let it ge ‘with ail ius imperfect ne on ius heed." THE ERICSSON BATTERY NAMANT. The Nahant wae beflt in Boeton by Mesers. Loring & On , 0d was one of the best of the yeassle of her class. he was somewhat injured at Fort Hamter on the Tu inat,, and is now 66 Port Royal for repairs. The dimensva® Of the Nahant are as follows —Langih over st, 20 fest, breadth of beam, 45 feet, deh « bod, 12 feet, draught of water when equipped armed a04 uadod , 05 (eet; draught of water when launched, 1 fort 0 inobew The form of the vessel is mubetantinily ihe same as the fret Mowitor, but there are several improvements intro jeer on board the | @eced, both im shape and internal arrangements, watelll mane her a better seaboat. ‘The bull, which ia of white ouk, @bailt on s dange wom Keel % inch thick, butted and strapped every vin feet, and hollowed out to a depth of 4 inches and a widin of 16 aches, 60 an to forin what the shipbuilders ter . ter timber.” The straps of the hall fore and aft are 4 inch thick by 8 inches wide, anv thoroughly riveted dowm with four rows of % inch rivets. ‘)ekelson fore and aff 1s @ serice of plates 82 inches wide, baifan ten thick, and 6 feet 11), inches jong. ‘The bulwarkg are a number of oak blocks 17 inches By 12 inches, inserted verticatly and fastened with trom, covered longitudinally with five timbers; the three ones are iron and the two upper ones oak. ‘Ihe plauksbear is of oak, e@igbteen inches wide by Seventeon incher thiok. All the deck beams sre of oak, twelve by twelve inches in the middle and ten by twelve inch*s towards boils ends, The deck is planked with pine seven juches thick by eight inches wide, Ihe deck, which i# flush, is tho- roughly cautked and piiched, +0 as to make It water- tight, On the upper deck the batches for entering the verreland for ob alnimy light and yenthation, the sides being without any apertere at all, These Ratchew are formed of wrought iron frames inserted in (he deck and provided with wrought iron covers two inches thick, ‘Thiv wordon hull is covered by five courses of wrought irom plates five inches in thickens and no less than Ove feet long ; the plates extend 8}, feet below the witer ling and pioleet beyond the bul. The irames and all the vertical cross floors are of angle tron 41 y 4 inches, spaced about 18 inghes from centre va centre ; the floor frames are 20 (eet long, and every alter- Bate frame (thoroughly stifiened with iron plate placed ver- Healy, und topped off with 3134 bara resting em, tho ‘ute tock framer, The pk-tes on the bull run fore and aft,and are pat on im ins) @ and outside streaun, the rtarbonid. streak over laying the kev) by four and.a half inchor, and.al! Wr 0) oF streaks by (wound a bat ineher, The seama im the pl ing are all water tight, ! The deck plating extends all over the deck, and. is two plates of one and a quarter inch th ckness. ‘The redder, which is pine, ia covered with one and @ quarter inch iron plate, ‘The turret m twenty-one feet wide and of eleven inch fron. It is provided with two portholes of two fcot ‘eleven inches long and seventeen inches wide, Tho tonnage of the vessel Bone thousand and eighty five tons, and her armament comsista of one fifteen iweb Dabigren gin and one two-hundred pounder. THE COMMANDER OF THE NAHANT. Commander Jonn Downes, of the Ericsson battery Na- ant, was slightly wounded in the engagement af Charleston on the 7th inst, Commander Downes entered the naval service on tho 4th of Beptember, 1837, an @ midsbi) man. He was born in Massachusetts, and was ‘Spr cinted from hia native State, Hie Grat cruise was made in the slonp-of.war Cyane, In 1842 wo Gnd him a passed midshipman on board of thé Cumberland frigate in the Mediterranean. He made th@ cruise in ber, and in 1646 was on a leave of abeonce. Hig next orders were to the sioop-of-war Dale, in the Vaciia squadron, Im 1649 he was attached to the sloop Portsmouth, om the African jon. Im 1661 he wae attached to ‘the receiving ship at the Boston Navy Yard. Om the S0th of August of that year he wae commissioned « lieutenant, and shortly afterwards ‘wag ordered to the brig Perry. In 1856 he made a cruise on the Cyane, the first vessel he ever went to een in. Ha made full (erm in her, and io 1860 he was ordered wo (he steamer Atlanta, In 1860 he was attached to the stores #hip Supply, and in the following year he was ordered to the naval rendesvous at Boston. At the commencement of the war be commanded the steam gunboat Huron, doing mech valuable service, When the Nahant was c mpieted he Jomed her, and fought Bobly with his vessel at Charleston, where Re seceived a slight wound. THE NAVAL MACHINE 6HOP. ‘The foresight of Admiral Dupeat in establishing a saved repalr and machine shop as Port Royal ia new sven, and amply repays the trifling outlay secensary for ite main- tamance, ‘The Nebant, which was disabled at the o.\ects em Fort Bumter on the 7th inet., with the other won- lade, will be put in order at this shop. : i ‘The importance of the machine shop te the syuadrom leads us to give a detailed description of 1 already saved the government hundreds ef thonmads o dollars. | Afar the captere of this Important point oa the enaatS ober acter was Bis syentren was liable to be laid op id io the Northern navy yards for slight repairs, when they shia be at ing even trif_ing repairs frequently vexatious aod inter minabie, With « squadron act Wo large for the serve it wan called upon to perform—ombracing & vieerous blockade of «long and dangerous ovat, full of inlet, sounds aod importact harbors, ino whic) vemsals of on. siderable dranght of water coull enter with contraband cargoes, an well an the captare of forte aod tho re extam linbmest of the flag over every stronghold of the evemy — it was extremely painful to the Adiniral to be oompelied to weaken bin ‘orce and uncover important avenues of ingrean Lo the illicit trade because De wan obived bo send verse afer veasel North for repaira, where they lingered an lingered until hope of their return almort feded wut, when th #0 repairs could be ax well made in thie harbor, Arepal shop would remedy afl thie, and Admiral Dayomt aban early day mate requisitions for the machinery and tools, and men to apply them, with whieh ordimary re- pairs might be easily aod expeditiowly seommpl ened. The Navy Department very speedily and wisely responied to hin requests, and the machinery waa sent dows with sa @Micient and wkiiful force of mechanics, under the charge of William B. Coggnwell aa manter mechanic, during the winter of 1861. Twomembers @f the faneus while or stone fleet, which had escaped the sad end that befell the others off Oharieston, Geated lazily, and w all intents and purposes, worthlemty, into our barber, There were immediately taken, their ballast thrown out, and thea chained securely tagether and anchored in a comparative. Jy quiet and well protected place and Wane™rmet late o floating machine shop. Carpenters were soon work , and in a few days after the shine hat been dieman tied 8 curiously shaped house rose from the @eck of the ship Edward, projecting far “om either tide, re sembiing an old fashioned Dutch maavte, with ite sharppeaked row, queer angie and gables and the wp of the lower mast, with ite crownet high above the middle peat of the rool, Im this ark the ingenious machinery wae quickly placed 1) position , shafting, wheels and gearing were aMnet,and then the path of white steam and columon of black bitemin oe emote thet eoed from the ianamerabie chim «ys ord pipes inAteated that (he steam engine—ihe motive power thet tarned the lathes and planing mrchines—wan in operation, and that the farnace and forge gleaned # th the webding heat, Io shart, the shop soon began to ¢e velop ite capabilities and aid immeasurably t the ney of the -qaatron by keeping the blocksters on | doty, The meccene of the new enablishment was» doot and ite valoe #0 Apparent that it was determined to enlarge te seope, and new machinery was bron! down And put in the shop from time to time, until har grown | tp te pre-ent eoedithve The tre The buliding a divited ints five apartments beginuing at the bow, is use! a0 6 patiorn shop, where the patterns ab’ moulds for cxstings are mate Here ko 8 portion of the wOrkinen elenp @ bntnmecke The sijacent room comtaine the bras foontry and irom fornscee, sod the copper emithe’ room. The | third room i occupied by (he bisckemihe and botter | mnateors, ant alee the large forg * Cor forging heery arti cen, och as satis aod crane, weighing & thowmnd castings are mate ap to Ove hundred pounte nthe fourth rowm are the machine chop aad (he pica ongine, Among the machinery here are five tore ing iatbaen, the lergent of which will farm © casting thirty six inchen (0 diameter, a4 then there are the planing coachings, bolt cutters, panchers for buller iroe, ke., ke The inet room We oreuplel a 6m Offies and Peeping apart mand ‘he betwen decks te cooupied by the meseroome and sieopum aperitamnts of the meckanier, and etorercomne The bold ie used Wy plore com! asi won in The Indie—the | ' CONTINUED On SIXTH PAGE, a Se a TE en ee