670 



NAVY, U. S., OPERATIONS OF. 



prised the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia 

 and the northeast coast of Florida, and at the 

 commencement of the year the greater part of 

 the squadron was engaged in the blockade of 

 Charleston, or stationed at Port Royal. Early 

 in January the first instalment of ironclads des- 

 tined to operate against Charleston arrived, and 

 with a view of testing the efficiency of this 

 class of vessels, Admiral Dupont ordered Com- 

 mander Worden, with the Montauk, to enter 

 Ossabaw Sound and attempt the capture of 

 Fort McAllister, at Genesis Point, on the Great 

 Ogeechee river, under cover of which was 

 lying the steamer Nashville, recently fitted by 

 the enemy for a privateer, and which was wait- 

 ing to run the blockade. On the morning of 

 January 27th, the Montauk, supported by sev- 

 eral small gunboats, opened fire upon the fort, 

 which proved to be a formidable casemated 

 earthwork with bomb proofs, and mounting 

 nine guns. The enemy's practice was excel- 

 lent, but under the fire of the Montauk's 15 

 and 11-inch guns their fire slackened. Owing 

 to obstructions in the river, the Montauk was 

 unable to advance within effective range, and 

 having expended her shells she retired. She 

 was struck thirteen times but received no in- 

 jury. 



Early on the morning of January 29th the 

 iron propeller Princess Royal, four days out 

 from Bermuda, attempted to run past the block- 

 ading fleet into Charleston. The U. S. gunboat 

 Unadilla, Lieut. Quackenbush, apprised of her 

 approach by a blue light from the schooner 

 Blunt, slipped her cable and stood in shore, 

 firing a couple of shots at the Princess Royal. 

 The latter was then run ashore and abandoned 

 by her captain, supercargo, pilot, and some of 

 the petty officers. A boat's crew from the 

 Unadilla at once took possession of the prize, 

 which several hours later, with assistance from 

 other vessels of the blockading fleet, was got 

 off without sustaining any injury. Her cargo 

 proved to be one of the iriost valuable taken in 

 the course of the war, consisting of two com- 

 plete engines of great power, intended for iron- 

 clads, beside rifled guns, arms, ammunition, 

 medicines, and a variety of miscellaneous arti- 

 cles. The Princess Royal was two days later 

 taken to Port Royal and subsequently sent to 

 Philadelphia for adjudication. 



The loss of the Princess Royal was a severe 

 blow to the enemy, who, ascertaining on the 

 next day that she was still lying at artchor off 

 Charleston harbor, organized a daring scheme 

 to recover possession of her, and at the same 

 time to inflict as much damage as possible upon 

 the blockading squadron. Accordingly at 4 

 A. M. of the 81st the iron-clad steam rams 

 Palmetto State, Lieut. Rutledge, and Chicora, 

 Commander Tucker, in the former of which 

 was Flag officer I). N. Ingrahara, commanding 

 the station, ran out from Charleston by the 

 main ship channel, and aided by a thick haze 

 commenced an onslaught on the blockjuk-rs. 

 The latter at that time consisted of the steam- 



ers Housatonic, Mercedita, Ottawa, Unadilla, 

 Keystone State, Quaker City, Memphis, Au- 

 gusta, Stettin, and Flag, beside the pilot boat 

 Blunt, and some smaller vessels. Most of these 

 were of the light class of purchased vessels, 

 the ironclads and two of the heaviest men-of- 

 war, the Powhatan and Cannndaigua, being at 

 Port Royal coaling or repairing. The Merce- 

 dita, Captain Stellwagen, was the first vessel 

 attacked, and was almost immediately rendered 

 helpless by a 7-inch shell from the Palmetto 

 State, which, entering her starboard side, ex- 

 ploded in the port boiler, blowing a hole in its 

 exit from four to five feet square, and killing 

 and wounding several men. So suddenly had 

 the ram come upon her in the haze, that it was 

 impossible to bring any of her guns to bear, 

 and further resistance being useless, Captain 

 Stellwagen, in reply to a demand for surrender, 

 announced that he was in a sinking state. An 

 officer from the Mercedita was immediately 

 sent on board the ram and tendered the sur- 

 render of the officers and crew, who were 

 paroled. 



The Palmetto State, leaving the Mercedita to 

 her fate, then made for the Keystone State, 

 Commander Le Roy, which was also at the 

 same time assailed by the Chicora. The Key- 

 stone State returned their fire vigorously, but 

 having been set on fire in her forehold by the 

 explosion of a shell, was obliged to keep off* 

 for a few minutes until the flames could be got 

 under. Commander Le Roy then turned his 

 ship and with a full head of steam bore down 

 upon the nearest ram at a speed of twelve 

 knots, intending to sink her. He also trained 

 his guns for a plunging fire at the moment of 

 collision; but before this could occur a shot 

 passed through both steam chests of the Key- 

 stone State, rendering her powerless. Ten 

 rifle shells also struck her, mostly in the hull, 

 near or below the water line, and about the 

 same time the fire in her forehold burst out 

 again, and the engineers reported the ship tak- 

 ing in water rapidly. Commander Le Roy 

 accordingly hauled down his flag, but finding 

 that the enemy were still firing upon him, he 

 directed the colors to be rehoisted and the fire 

 to be resumed from the after battery. At this 

 moment the Augusta, Memphis, and Quaker City 

 came up, and by diverting the attention of the 

 rams, enabled the Keystone State to get out of 

 the range of the fire. Subsequently she was 

 taken in tow by the Memphis and reached Port 

 Royal in a very crippled state, about one fourth 

 of her crew being killed and wounded. The 

 Mercedita also arrived there on the same even- 

 ing without assistance, having succeeded in 

 temporarily stopping the bole in her side and 

 in getting up steam in her uninjured boiler. 



Meanwhile the rams carried on a sort of 

 running combat with several of the blockading 

 fleet, which, having no guns capable of making 

 an impression on ironclads, kept prudently 

 aloof. Upon the approach of the Housatonic, 

 the only heavy man-of-war then on the station, 



