FARRAGUT ASSAILS FORTS MORGAN AND GAINES. 651 Hartford (flag-ship), Capt. P. Drayton; * Iron-clads. Gen. Canby had sent from New Orleans Gen. Gordon Granger, with a cooperating land force, perhaps 5,000 strong, which had debarked on Dauphine island, but which could be of no service for the present; and did not attempt to be. Pollard says that our fleet carried 200 guns with 2,800 men. der the guns of the fort-which, disregarding the iron-clads, were trained especially on the Hartford and her, while their progress was retarded by the slowness of the monitors-had just opened on the fort with grape, driving its gunners from its more exposed batteries, when the Tecumseh, then 300 yards ahead of her, struck a torpedo which, exploding directly under her turret, tore a chasm in her bottom, through which the water poured in a flood, sinking her almost instantly, and carrying down Com'r Craven and nearly all his officers and crew. Out of 130, but 17 were saved; part in one of her own boats and part by a boat sent, by Farragut's order, from the Metacomet, under a terrible fire. Farragut had reluctantly consented to let the Brooklyn lead the wooden fleet, because of her four chaseguns specially adapted to the work in hand, and because she had a peculiarly ingenious contrivance for picking up torpedoes. "Exposure is one of the penalties of rank in the navy," is his characteristic observation; in accordance with which, he had stationed himself in the Hartford's main-top, as the point whence every thing that transpired could best be observed; and the strong presumption that the Rebel fire would be concentrated on the flag-ship rendered him specially anxious that she should be accorded the post of preeminent peril and honor. Overruled at the outset, Farragut, when the Brooklyn very naturally recoiled at the spectacle of the Tecumseh's destruction, directed Drayton to go ahead, followed by the rest, in the full belief that several must pay the Thursday, August 4, had been fixed on for the perilous undertaking; but, though the troops were on hand, the Tecumseh had not arrived; and-in contempt for the nautical superstition touching Friday-the attack was postponed to next morning; when, at 5 o'clock, the wooden ships steamed up, lashed together in couples; the Brooklyn and Octorara leading, followed by the Hartford and Metacomet; the iron-clads having already passed the bar, and now advancing in line on the right, or between the fleet and Fort Morgan. The Tecumseh, leading, at 6:47, opened fire on Fort Morgan, still a mile distant, which responded at 7:06; and forthwith, every gun that could be brought to bear on either side awoke the echoes of the startled bay. The Brooklyn, when directly un- penalty of heroism just exacted of the Tecumseh. But no more torpedoes were encountered; while the fire of the fort, now checked by the grape of our ships, became comparatively harmless, from the moment that he had fairly passed its front. broadside of solid 11-inch shot, which seemed to have much the same effect on her that a musket-wad or pop-gun pellet might be expected to produce on a buffalo's skull. Not satisfied with this, Capt. Jenkins drew off and came at her again, with the net result of losing his own beak and cut-water. The Lackawanna next struck the Rebel monster at full speed; crushing in her own stem to the plank-ends, but only giving the ram a heavy list, without doing her any perceptible harm. The Hartford came on next; but her blow was evaded by an adroit motion of the Tennessee's helm, so that the Hartford merely hit her on the quarter and rasped along her side: pouring in a broadside of 10-inch shot, at a distance of ten feet. The Rebel fleet had opened fire directly after the fort; and the Tennessee, at 7:50, rushed at the Hartford, which simply returned her fire and kept on. The three Rebel gunboats, still ahead, poured their shots into the Hartford; the Selma getting a raking fire on her, which she could not return. Farragut, therefore, at 8:02, ordered the Metacomet to cast off and close with the Selma; which she captured, after an hour's fight: the Selma's captain, P. N. Murphy, with 9 others, being wounded; her Lieut. Comstock, with 5 more, being killed. She had 4 great pivot guns and 94 men. The Morgan and Gaines now took refuge under the guns of the fort; where the Gaines, badly crippled, was run ashore and burned. The Morgan escaped, and ran up to Mobile under cover of the ensuing night. Farragut now supposed the fighting-gear, and breaking square through over, and had ordered most of his vessels to anchor; but he was undeceived when the Tennessee, at 8:45, stood bravely down the bay, and, trusting to her invulnerability to shot, made for our flag-ship, resolved to run her down. At once, our ironclads and stronger wooden ships were signaled to close in upon and destroy her; our fire, save of the very largest guns, seeming scarcely to annoy her. The Monongahela gave her the first blow; rushing at her at full speed, striking her square in the side, and, swinging around, pouring into her, when but a few feet distant, a Our monitors had now crawled up, firing when they could do so; and the Chickasaw ran under her stern; while the Manhattan, also coming up behind her, gave her a solid 15-inch bolt, which struck her on her port quarter, carrying away her steer her iron plates and their wooden backing, but doing no harm inside. Farragut had ordered Drayton to strike her a second blow; and he was proceeding to do so, when the Lackawanna, already badly crippled, in attempting to ram the enemy a second time, came in collision with the flag-ship, doing her considerable injury. Both drew off, took distance for another pass at her, and were coming on at full speed, when the Rebel alligator, sore beset from every side-her smoke-stack shot away, her steering-chains gone, several of her port-shutters so jammed by our shot GRANGER CAPTURES FORT MORGAN. 653 that they could not be opened, and one | the Rebel forts were intact. Farraof them battered to fragments, with the gut sent the wounded of both fleets Chickasaw boring away at her stern, to Pensacola in the Metacomet, and and four other great vessels coming prepared to resume operations. Durat her full speed-saw that the fight ing the ensuing night, Fort Powell was fairly out of her, with no chance was evacuated and blown up, so far of escape, and, hauling down her as it could be; but the guns were flag, ran up a white one, just in time left to fall into our hands. Fort to have the Ossipee back its engine Gaines was next day shelled by the ere it struck her; changing its heavy iron-clad Chickasaw, with such effect crash into a harmless glancing blow. that Col. Anderson, commanding On her surrender, Admiral Buchanan there, next morning sued for condiwas found severely wounded, with 6 tions. He might probably have held of his crew; 3 being killed. Of pri- out a little longer; but, being on an soners, we took 190 with the Ten- island, with the fleet on one side and nessee, and 90 with the Selma. Granger's army on the other, there was not a possibility of relief or protracted resistance. At 9 A. M., the Stars and Stripes were raised over the fort, and Anderson and his 600 men were prisoners of war. Our total loss in this desperate struggle was 165 killed (including the 113 who went down in the Tecumseh) and 170 wounded: the Hartford having 25 killed, 28 wounded, and the Brooklyn 11 killed and 43 wounded. The Oneida had 8 killed and 30 wounded, including her commander, Mullany, who lost an arm: most of them being scalded by the explosion, at 7:50, of her starboard boiler by a 7-inch shell, while directly under the fire of Fort Morgan. Nearly all her firemen and coalheavers on duty were killed or disabled in a moment; but, though another shell at that instant exploded in her cabin, cutting her wheel-ropes, her guns were loaded and fired, even while the steam was escaping, as if they had been practicing at a target. The Tennessee passed and raked her directly afterward, disabling two of her guns. A shell, in exploding, having started a fire on the top of her magazine, it was quietly extinguished; the serving out of powder going on as before. Gen. Page, commanding in Fort Morgan, had much stronger defenses, and was on the main land, where he had a chance of relief; at the worst, he might get away, while Anderson could not. He telegraphed the latter peremptorily, "Hold on to your fort!" and his representations doubtless did much to excite the clamor raised against that officer throughout Dixie as a coward or a traitor. But when his turn came-Granger's troops having been promptly transferred to the rear of Morgan, invested" it, and, after due preparation, opened fire" in conjunction with the fleet-Page held out one day, and then surrendered at discretion. He doubtless was right in so doing; since-unless relieved by an adequate land forcehis fall was but a question of time. Yet his prompt submission tallied badly with his censure of Anderson. The Rebel fleet was no more; but Before surrendering, he had damaged his guns and other material to the | taken 104 guns and 1,464 men-not extent of his power. Thus fell the last of the defenses of Mobile bay; sealing that port against blockade-runners thenceforth, and endangering the Rebel hold on the city. With those defenses, we had without cost certainly; but there were few minor successes of the year which were won more cheaply, or which contributed more directly and palpably to the downfall of the Rebellion. XXX. POLITICAL MUTATIONS AND RESULTS. THE PRESIDENTIAL CANVASS OF 1864. As, since McClellan's recoil from the defenses of Richmond, the judgment of the loyal States was divided concerning the probabilities of National success or defeat, so the fortunes of the contending parties reflected closely the changing aspects of the military situation. The Fall elections of 1862 had resulted in a general Opposition triumph; because the reflecting and unimpassioned had been led, by our recent reverses and our general disappointment, to doubt the ability of the Government to put down the Rebellion. Those of 1863, on the other hand, had strongly favored the Administration; because the National successes at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, Port Hudson, Helena, &c., the reopening of the Mississippi, and the recovery of East Tennessee, with a good part of Arkansas, had induced a very general belief, which our reverse at the Chickamauga did not shake, that the Union would surely triumph, and at no distant 1 Total vote: Republican Governor...Gilmore, 37,006 Democratic. Harrington, 31,340 day. The victory of Mission ridge, followed by the appointment of Gen. Grant to the chief command of all the National forces, strengthened this belief into conviction; so that, though there were still those who did not desire the overthrow of the Rebellion, as there had been, even in the darkest hours, many whose faith in the National cause never faltered nor was shaded by a doubt-the strongly prevalent opinion of the loyal States, throughout the Spring of 1864, imported that Gen. Grant would make short work of what was left of the Confederacy. Hence, the Spring Elections were scarcely contested by the Opposition: New Hampshire opening them with an overwhelming Republican triumph;' Connecticut following with one equally decided,' though her Democratic candidate for Governor was far less obnoxious to War Democrats than his predecessor had been; and, though Rhode Island showed a falling off in the Republi Total vote: Republican. Democratic. Governor.. Buckingham, 39,820 O. S. Seymour, 34,102 |