File:The naval history of the United States (1896) (14804325993).jpg

Identifier: navalhistoryofun02abbo (find matches)
Title: The naval history of the United States
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Abbot, Willis J. (Willis John), 1863-1934
Subjects: United States -- History, Naval To 1900
Publisher: New York, Dodd, Mead and company
Contributing Library: University of Massachusetts, Boston
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Boston

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Farrago was getting ready to take his ships past the forts. Unionscouts and spies had travelled over every foot of land and water about theforts ; and the exact strength of the Confederates, and the difficulties to beovercome, were clearly known to the Federal admiral. One of the chiefobstructions was a chain of-rafts and old hulks that stretched across thechannel by which the fleet would be obliged to ascend the river. Undercover of a tremendous fire from all the mortars, two gunboats were sent upto remove this obstruction. The night was dark and favorable to theenterprise, and the vessels reached the chain before they were discovered.Then, under a fierce cannouade from the forts, Lieut. Caldwell put off in arow-boat from his vessel, boarded one of the hulks, and managed to breakthe chain. The string of hulks was quickly swept ashore by the swiftcurrent, and the channel was open for the ascent of the Union fleet. On the 23d of April, Farragut determined that his fleet should make the
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BREAKING THE CHAIN. 740 BLUE-JACKETS OF 6i. 74 * attempt to get past the forts the following day. He knew that the enemymust be exhausted with the terrible strain of Porters-; bombardment, andhe felt that the opportunity had arrived for him to make a successful dashfor the upper river. The fleet was all prepared for a desperate struggle.Many of the captains had daubed the sides of their vessels with the rivermud, that they might be less»,.prominent marks for the Confederate gunners.The chain cables of all the vessels were coiled about vulnerable parts, ordraped over the* sides amidships to protect the boilers? ^Knowing that itwas to be a night action, the gun-decks had been whitewashed; so that evenby the dim, uncertain light of the battle lanterns, the gunners could seeplainly all objects about them. Hammocks and nettings were stretchedabove the decks to catch flying splinters from the spars overhead. Lateat night the admiral in his longboat was pulled from ship to ship to viewthe p

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