Showing posts with label USS Aroostook. Show all posts
Showing posts with label USS Aroostook. Show all posts

Saturday, January 25, 2014

A Federal Repulse On The James River

The Gunboats Beaten off at Fort Darling.

WASHINGTON, May 17.
The following has been received at the War Department:


WASHINGTON, May 17.

The gunboats Galena, Monitor, Arostook, Naugatuck and Port Royal were repulsed from Fort Darling 7 miles below Richmond, yesterday.

A Portion of them have returned to Jamestown Island, near this place in James River.

Seventeen of our dead have already been buried, and there are numbers wounded aboard the vessels, including Lieut. Morris.

The 100-pound gun on the Naugatuck exploded the first fire.

(Signed)
DAVID CAMPBELL,
By authority of
GEN. McCLELLAN.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Tuesday Morning, May 20, 1862, p. 2

Friday, August 30, 2013

From Fort Monroe

FORT MONROE, May 8, A. M.

The iron-clad ship-of-war Galena, and gunboats Arostook and Port Royal started up the James River this morning.  They have passed Dog’s Point battery, and heavy firing has been heard up the river since their departure.  They will cut off the river communication with the rebels south of the Chickamacomico.  Instantly after the gunboats started the rebel tug J. B. White came out in front of Newport News, having left Norfolk this morning with a crew and two citizens on board, on a mission to Tannery Point.  By previous consent, they ran over to Newport News and surrendered to Gen. Mansfield.

Sewall’s Point is being evacuated.  The Monitor, Naugatuck and several gunboats have just left for Sewall’s Point.

– Published in The Davenport Daily Gazette, Davenport, Iowa, Saturday Morning, May 10, 1862, p. 1

Monday, March 21, 2011

The Gunboat Galena on James River --- She Silences Two Forts

GUNBOAT GALENA, Sunday, May 11.

DEAR BROTHER – I suppose by this time you have heard of the Galena leaving Hampton Roads.  I was glad of it, for such a fine ship as this ought not to be kept idle in such times as these, and the boys were all anxious for a fight.  We got under way and left the Roads fifteen minutes past seven o’clock on the morning of the 8th, and it was not long till we passed Sewall’s Point, without one shot being fired at us.  As we passed Newport News we were hailed by loud and long cheers from the men of the fort, who were glad to see us make a move to help their brother soldiers.  But we had only passed them about twenty five minutes, when, to our great joy, a battery hove in sight.  It was first seen by the well experienced eye of our gallant Captain.  He gave orders to Lieutenant Newman to call all hands to quarters, which he did in his usual cool way, for he is always cool and brave.  This order was promptly obeyed by the crew, who thought every minute an hour to try their skill on the rebels.  They soon had a chance, for at fifteen minutes to ten o’clock the ball was opened by our pivot gun forward.  The shot fell short.  The second and third were fired, but there was no reply.  We ran in under their gun range, and then they opened on us from six or eight guns, but all of the shot fell harmless against our iron sides.  I hardly think they knew what was coming at them.  We let fly from our whole battery, and made it pretty warm for them.  We sailed back and forward by the fort three or four times, and soon leveled their flag and made it drag in the dust.  After an action of forty minutes they ran like “red sharks,” as they always do from the well directed fire of our brave sailors.  Not one shot struck us up to the end of the engagement.

Fort No. 2 – The action commenced about one o’clock, three quarters of an hour after we had silenced the first battery.  In this fort we found a more formidable opponent than the first.  It mounted twelve guns and after an hour and fifteen minutes’ bombardment, eleven of them were silenced.  The remaining one fought us for an hour afterward, making this bombardment of two hours and fifteen minutes duration.  The gunboats Aristook [sic] and Port Royal were with us, but did not take an active part in the engagement, though they did some execution with their long guns.

The rebel gunboats Jamestown and Patrick Henry were lying under the guns of the second fort, but instead of assisting its defence, they got up steam and ran away with all speed toward Richmond.  Our damage in the engagement was small.  One shot struck the Aristook and went through her bulwarks under the hammock nettings.  No one was injured.  One or two shots struck us, but they only left their mark on our iron mail and glided off.

After passing the second fort we started up the river, but the buoys have been removed and there we stuck hard and fast, waiting for high tide.  The batteries silenced were called the Upper and Lower Shoal batteries.  Great praise is given to Captain Rodgers, First Lieutenant Newman and Engineer in Chief Thompson.

LATER – We are just getting off shore, and a boat has come on board from Gen. McClellan, by which I send this.  We will be off for City Point in the morning. – {Cor. Baltimore American

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 24, 1862, p. 4

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

A Federal Repulse on the James River

The Gunboats Beaten off at Fort Darling – Seventeen killed on board the Flotilla – the Naugatuck’s 100 pounder Burst.

WASHINGTON, May 17.

The Gunboats, Galena, Monitor, Aroostook, Naugatuck and Port Royal were repulsed from Fort Darling seven miles below Richmond yesterday.

A portion of them have returned to Jamestown Island near this place, in James River.

Seventeen of our dead have already been buried and there are numbers of wounded aboard the vessels including Lieut. Morris.

The 100 pound gun on the Naugatuck exploded on the first fire.

(Signed.)

DAVID CAMPBELL,
By authority of GEN. McCLELLAN


Later.

WASHINGTON, May 18. – No official report of the gunboat affair on James River has been received.  Messages received indicate an opportunity to do better in future.  The river is now clear of obstructions to within eight miles of Richmond.  At that point there is a heavy battery on a high bluff.  The river is temporarily closed to navigation by sunken vessels among which are reported the Yorktown and Jamestown, piles chains &c.  The Monitor could not elevate her guns to reach the bluff, which rendered her useless.  The banks of the river are filled with rifle pits from which an incessant fire was poured on our fleet, a part of which were engaged within six hundred to a thousand yards of the main battery.  After an action of four hours the fleet finding it impracticable to silence the battery on the bluff withdrew.

Our loss is 13 killed and 11 wounded.  Full particulars expected to-morrow.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 24, 1862, p. 4

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Arrival of Federal Prisoners

Interesting Narrative – Meeting of the Citizens of Richmond – The City will be Surrendered – Rebel Deserters – Eighty-six Rebel Prisoners Refuse to Return – Jeff. Davis Gone to Alabama.

From the Washington Republican, May 15.

About dark last night our city was on the qui vue of interest at the arrival of the Federal prisoners, which left Richmond a few days since.

They were eight hundred strong, and as they passed from the river to the depot the people generally turned out to see them, and their hearty cheers at the sight of the stars and stripes along the route announced their joy at once more being free.

Their narrative of the incidents of their journey here is very interesting.  Last Sunday it was announced to them that they were to be released on parole.  At 10 o’clock at night they were taken out of their place of confinement, which was once the store and commission house of Luther Libby, on Cary street near Eighteenth, and marched down Carry and Main streets, to Rockett’s, where they embarked.  Many a handkerchief was quietly and stealthily waved at them by fair hands, which testified of Union hearts, as they passed along the streets to embark.  They were put on board of the two rebel steamers Curtis Peck and Northampton, and left the wharf at Rockett’s at about 12 o’clock, midnight, and proceeded down the river.

The next (Monday) morning, at about 10 o’clock, came in sight of the ancient town of Jamestown, and soon after their joyful eyes caught sight of the stars and stripes as they waved from the Union gunboats, the Galena and Arostook [sic].  How their hearts leaped with joy!  And over the waters of the James three times three cheers reverberated along the rebel shores, from nearly a thousand loyal hearts! – The rebel boats displayed the flag of truce.  They did not dare to have even a rebel flag on board.  Here they stopped for about one hour, and received directions from Captain Rodgers as to how the prisoners should be disposed of.  They then passed the three Union gunboats, and went down the river.  Met the Monitor at Harden’s Bluff, twenty or thirty miles from Newport News.  The Monitor was just passing the rebel batteries at Harden’s Bluff.  The rebels opened fire on the Monitor, pouring their shot right across the bows of the flag of truce vessels.

The Monitor passed on without noticing the batteries.  The Captain of the Monitor put his head up out of the turret or “cheese-box,” and shouted out to the Union prisoners, “Why don’t you give ‘em a pill over in those batteries?” shouted one of the prisoners.  “We don’t notice such small fry – got better fish up the river to take care of,” was the reply, and the “cheese box” steamed on up the river without noticing the batteries.  Arriving at Newport News, the prisoners were transferred to the Federal steamers Hero and Wm. Kent.  Here for the first time, they learned that Norfolk was taken, and heard the fate of the Merrimac.  And strange to say, the rebel guard which accompanied them down were equally ignorant of these facts.

This, or something else, had a strange effect on the 25 men, accompanying them, who were a portion of Jeff. Davis’ body guard, for only eight of the number returned in the rebel steamers.  The orderly sergeant set the example by throwing his gun overboard, and swearing he would fight no longer for the Confederacy.  A dozen more guns followed, and the men passed over into the Union boats, and promptly took the oath of allegiance to the Federal Government.

Eighty rebel prisoners, who were waiting to go on board the rebel steamers, refused to return to the service of the Confederacy, and asked to have the oath of allegiance administered to them also; and the proper officers from Newport News came on board and administered the oath, much to their satisfaction.

The Hero and William Kent brought the Richmond prisoners up to this city, and they arrived here last night, and are now quartered at the “Soldier’s Rest,” near the Baltimore depot.

Many interesting incidents are related by these prisoners.  We have time to relate only a few.

A meeting was held at Richmond, by the citizens, soon after the evacuation of Yorktown, which was a very exciting one, and prolonged for three days.  A tough fight was had over the question of “surrender or burn,” and it was at last decided in favor of surrendering the city, if they were forced to it, though the “roughs,” who own no property, tried hard to defeat the measure.

The rebels are to make a stand about a dozen miles out of the city, and say they will make a desperate fight before they will lose the city. – They say they have got McClellan in a trap, as they have erected their batteries in the face of a swamp, into which the Federal army will be entrapped.

Immediately after the evacuation of Yorktown the greatest panic prevailed in Richmond. – Wagons, ambulances, horses, wounded soldiers, stragglers, etc., were pouring into the city day and night for several days.  Large numbers of families began to back up and leave for the South.  It is said that Jeff. Davis has gone to Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

Provisions, etc., are very scarce and high. – Their food was scanty and of the meanest kind and the prison discipline very rigid.

John Minor Botts is released on parole, although he is virtually a prisoner in his own house.  He is not allowed to leave his country seat, near Richmond.

The Union Sentiment is strong, and its development on the increase.

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, May 24, 1862, p. 2