CHAPTER XXII.

CAPTURE OF FORTS PILLOW AND RANDOLPH, AND OF MEMPHIS.

(May and June, 1862.)

THE GUNBOAT FLEET.-BATTLE ON THE RIVER.-INCIDENTS.—EVACUATION OF THE FORTS.DESCENT TO MEMPHIS.-Battle of the GUNBOATS AND THE RAMS.-SCENES OF HEROISM AND DEATH.-DESTRUCTION OF THE REBEL FLEET.-CAPTURE OF MEMPHIS.

THOUGH the conquest of Island Number, Ten was an achievement of momentous importance, it was still but one of a series of herculean struggles which were necessary, before the majestic Mississippi should be opened in its sweep of more than a thousand miles from Cairo to the Gulf. Between Island Number Ten and the city of Memphis there were two formidable rebel fortifications, known respectively as Fort Pillow and Fort Randolph. They were twelve miles apart, on high bluffs, called the First and Second Chickasaw Bluffs. The upper of these forts was seventy miles north of Memphis.

With the energy which characterized all the movements in this depart ment, not an hour was lost in pressing forward in the great enterprise of sweeping all traces of the rebellion from the Mississippi, and in thus opening again the great national river to the commerce of the United States. On the 12th of April, only four days after the surrender of Island Number Ten, the fleet of gunboats, accompanied by transports and mortarboats, left New Madrid, and steamed down the river to attack Forts Pillow and Randolph. About this time Admiral Foote obtained leave of absence. He had been severely wounded at Donelson, so that for several months he was entirely dependent upon crutches. His health was so seriously impaired that many of his friends despaired of his life, and he was compelled to heed the injunctions of his physicians and seek repose. Captain C. II. Davis took his place as commander of the squadron.

At Plum Point the Mississippi turns sharply from its southern course, and flows almost directly east. After running several miles in this direction, it strikes the First Chickasaw Bluffs, and is thrown abruptly back again in a southwest direction, which course it continues below Island No. Thirty-four, where it again bends in a majestic curve towards the south. Here the Tennessee shore bulges out to fill the convex side of the curve. At this point are found the Second Chickasaw Bluffs, surmounted by Fort Randolph, twelve miles, as we have stated, below Fort Pillow, on the First Chickasaw Bluffs. Opposite Plum Point is the village of Osceola, in Arkansas. The fortifications on these two bluffs were as admirably located as any engineer could desire, for both offensive and defensive operations.

The heavy

The little squadron steamed rapidly down the river, aided by the swift current, and on the evening of Sunday, the 13th of April, reached Plum Point. Here they anchored out of range of the heavy guns of Fort Pillow, which fort was all in view at a distance of three and a half miles. Three rebel gunboats were huddled under the guns of this fort. mortars were moved from the Union boats to Craighead Point, on the Arkansas shore, where, on the afternoon of Thursday, the 17th, they opened a vigorous fire of shells upon the rebel gunboats and batteries. To this fire the rebel batteries energetically responded. For several days this bombardment continued, the thunder of the explosions reverberating for a great distance up and down the river, though but very little damage was inflicted on either side. The water of the river was so high, flooding vast regions around, that the land force could not coöperate in this attack.

Meanwhile, the battle of Shiloh, which we have already described, had been fought on the 7th of April, and events indicated another impending conflict at Corinth. General Pope was accordingly directed to repair immediately with the forces under his command to Pittsburg Landing, leaving two regiments only, with the fleet, under the command of Colonel G. N. Fitch. This withdrawal of the land force left Captain Davis, with the gunboats and the mortar-boats, almost unaided, to attempt the reduction of these formidable fortresses. With twenty-five thousand men in thirty transports, General Pope arrived, on the 21st of April, at Pittsburg Landing, on the Tennessee River.

On the morning of the 10th of May, the rebels made a desperate attempt to destroy the National fleet. Behind a projecting point of the shore they had prepared a squadron of eight iron-clads, three or four of them fitted as rams. The Union mortar-boats had, as usual, been towed down and anchored in a position somewhat in advance of the gunboats. Suddenly, from around the point which had concealed them from sight, the rebel squadron, under full head of steam, made its appearance. The leading vessel was a ram of immense weight and strength, coated with railroad iron, and furnished with engines constructed to drive her with great velocity. The ram, with energy which impressed every beholder with a sense of the sublime, sought out the Cincinnati, the most formidable of the Union fleet, thinking that after her destruction the remainder could be easily disposed of.

The Cincinnati was anchored near the shore, and a large mass of driftwood had accumulated about her bows. Thus entangled, she became partially unmanageable, and the iron ram was rushing fiercely upon her. The Cincinnati could not turn her bows to escape; and to back out would be only to run with her stern against the steel-clad prow of her antagonist, thus adding to the force of the crushing blow. The gunners sprang to their pieces, and from their stern guns let fly a volley, at but a few yards distance, into the face of the plunging ram. The balls glanced from the thick-ribbed armor like hail-stones from an iceberg. Another volley was discharged with the same effect. In another moment the ram, with all her tremendous weight and velocity, struck the steamer on the starboard stern, and fortunately, without inflicting any serious damage, threw violently the

stern around, so that the Cincinnati could get headway to escape from the shore, and at the same time could pour a whole broadside directly into the rebel craft. Greek now met Greek-broadside followed broadside. A series of rapid evolutions at the same time ensued, in which the ram strove to crush the gunboat, and the boat strove to elude the blows.

And now the ram, both boats being still in rapid motion, was alongside of the Cincinnati, and a dense mass of men, armed to the teeth, were prepared to spring on board the National ship, and seize it by utterly overpowering the crew. Timbers were crushing as the boats ground against each other. The shout rang through the sulphurous hold of the Cincinnati, penetrating the thunders of the incessant cannonade, "All hands prepare to repel boarders !" The men seized carbines, boarding-pikes, cutlasses, and rushed to their appointed stations, while the steam battery was made ready to throw floods of hot water upon the assailing rebels.

In the midst of this awful yet inspiring scene, Commander Stembel sprang upon deck, and with accurate aim discharged a revolver directly into the head of the pilot of the ram, killing him instantly. The pilot's mate seized a gun, and as the gallant commander turned to attend to some other duty, discharged a bullet, which entered his shoulder behind, and passed out through his neck. He fell, and was carried below. As the wheel of the rebel ram was loosened from the grasp of the pilot, the boat swung off and drifted down the stream. By this time the whole squadron on both sides was engaged in the fight, each boat striking wherever it could put in a blow.

The Cincinnati, disabled by the butting she had received, was soon found to be in a sinking condition, and was run ashore. A fortunate shot from one of the National gunboats, passing through the boiler of one of the rebel boats, the Mexico, destroyed the boat with a terrible explosion. The same shot, continuing its course, entered another rebel boat, set it on fire, and it was burned to the water's edge. The National boat St. Louis came crashing down upon the rebel ram Mallory, and, nearly cutting her in two, sank her immediately. Most of the crew went under the wave in their ship. Half a dozen only were saved by clinging to the sides of the St. Louis.

The action, conducted with the utmost possible fury, lasted for nearly an hour. One of the National gunboats, in a sinking condition, had been run ashore. Another, the Mound City, was seriously injured on the starboard bow. No other Union boat was injured. But four men in the Union fleet were wounded. The rebels were no longer in a condition to prolong the battle, and under cover of the smoke, which, in the calm of a cloudless May morning, hung in a dense canopy over the river, they retreated rapidly down the stream, behind the protection of their land batteries. The rebel accounts of this, as of all their battles, are so contradictory, that it is difficult to estimate, with accuracy, the amount of their loss. Rebel deserters subsequently reported that, in addition to those who sank to a watery grave in the Mallory, one hundred and eighty dead bodies were taken from the fleet on its return from the engagement.

Another month passed away of languid, monotonous, ineffective bom

bardment on both sides. The fleet kept its position, occasionally throwing a shell, by way of reminder, into the enemy's works, awaiting quietly other operations which it was believed would compel the rebels to evacuate both of the forts. The main object of the squadron, after the withdrawal of General Pope's force, was to keep up the show of an attack upon Fort Pillow, and to prevent the passage of the rebel fleet up the river.

On the 29th of May the rebels under General Beauregard fled from Corinth, and the place was occupied by the National troops under General Halleck. This withdrawal of a large part of the rebel army from Tennessee rendered Forts Pillow and Randolph no longer tenable, since they were flanked and nearly surrounded by the National troops. On the night of the 4th of June both forts were evacuated, every thing of value having been previously destroyed or removed. It had already been found necessary to withdraw most of the garrison from both of the forts, to strengthen General Beauregard at Corinth. These obstructions to the navigation of the river being thus removed, the morning after the Union troops had taken possession of the heights, the National fleet, consisting of the five gunboats, Benton, Cairo, Carondelet, Louisville, and St. Louis, and the four rams, Monarch, Lancaster, No. 3, and Queen of the West, descended the river to Memphis, and anchored for the night about two miles above the city.

Here the rebel gunboats, from above and below, had rendezvoused, to dispute the further passage of the stream. They consisted of formidable iron-clads, the Beauregard, Little Rebel, Price, Bragg, Lovell, Van Dorn, Jeff. Thompson, and Sumter. This fleet was under the command of Commodore Edward Montgomery; the iron-clad rams of the National fleet under Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr. Colonel Ellet was an engineer of some note previous to the commencement of the war. He built the wire suspension bridge across the Schuylkill at Fairmount, and also that over the Niagara River below the falls. He took a prominent part in the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio, and other Western railroads. At the breaking out of hostilities he urged upon the Navy Department the importance of constructing rams, especially for use on the Mississippi River. His suggestions were, however, rejected. Undiscouraged by this repulse, he submitted his plans to the Secretary of War, where he met with better success. Receiving the commission of colonel of engineers, he repaired to the Mississippi, where he converted four steamers into ironclad rams, with which he had now joined Captain Davis's fleet. The most powerful of these rams were the Monarch and the Queen of the West, the latter being his flag-ship. He was placed in independent command by the War Department, not being subject to orders from Captain Davis, but reported directly to the Navy Department.

It was late in the evening when the National squadron arrived within sight of the lights of the city. As there were no batteries to pass, some of the more ardent ones inquired why they were to remain there all night, within sight of their long-desired haven. The morning satisfactorily answered this question, and justified the prudence of Captain Davis. With the earliest light two of the Union gunboats steamed cautiously down the river on a reconnoissance. As they passed around a bend in the

VOL IL-18

river, and came in full sight of Memphis, they discovered, lying close to the shore, the rebel fleet, under full head of steam, eight vessels, all ironclads, and all rams. Having thus accomplished the object of their reconnoissance, they returned rapidly to the fleet.

The rebels, supposing that they were fleeing affrighted, immediately set out in pursuit, and sent a few shot after them, which passed over the gunboats, and fell harmlessly into the water beyond. Captain Davis immediately signalled all his gunboats, five in number, to advance and meet the foe. The transports and mortar-boats were, of course, of no avail in such a conflict as this. The rams were an independent fleet, which would indeed render all possible assistance, but which were subject only to the orders of Colonel Ellet.

The two fleets approached each other in line of battle, five National gunboats on the one side, eight rebel gunboats, which were also rams, on the other. When within a mile of each other they both opened fire. Soon they were within a few hundred yards, and volley succeeded volley in the most rapid succession. It was at the early hour of half-past four in the morning. The guns had awakened the citizens of Memphis, and by thousands they rushed to the edge of the bluffs upon which the city is built. Directly before them, down upon the water, so near that individuals could be discerned in the boats, the naval battle was raging. Probably in the whole history of this world such a scene was never witnessed before.

For some time the battle stormed sublimely with flash and smoke, and incessant peals of cannon, and shot and shell crashing against the armed sides of the ships, and ricochetting over the placid waters of the river. Suddenly there steamed from around a bend in the river a singular-looking craft, rushing forward at almost fabulous speed. Every eye upon the shore was turned to this strange object, pressing down into the battle like a living, enraged, devouring monster. It was Colonel Ellet's ram, the Queen of the West. Soon another similar craft was seen emerging from behind the bend. It was the Monarch. The booming of the cannon had announced to Colonel Ellet the opening of the engagement, and the gallant patriot needed no other summons to lead him into the fray. The rebels caught sight of these new-comers with surprise and alarm, and hesitated, halted, and slowly began to fall back with the current.

his

The Queen of the West, with marvellous speed, rushed through the National gunboats, single-handed, ran into the group of rebel rams, and selecting the Beauregard, plunged at her victim. Shot and shell glanced harmless from the armed prow and sides of this strange assailant. When within ten feet of the rebel Beauregard, the pilot of that vessel adroitly swung boat around so as to avoid the blow. The Queen shot swiftly by, and, without losing her momentum, made a plunge at the rebel steamer Price, which chanced to be near and in an available line of movement. The Price was on the alert, and opened a well-directed fire upon the Queen; but the indignant Queen contemptuously shook the balls from her impene trable mail, and striking her antagonist amidships with one fearful, fatal blow, crushed in the wheel-house, and splintering like pipe-stems her ribs of oak and iron, crushed in one side of the ship. No second blow was