A dead gunboat — the ram Lancaster.
The dead body of the Yankee iron-clad ram
Lancaster floated past
Natchez on the 1st inst. --The
Lancaster was sent to save the
Hartford and
Albatross, which have passed
Port Hudson, and can't either get back or go on. She had to pass the batteries at
Vicksburg on her errand of "mercy," and was literally torn to pieces and abandoned.
Just before she passed
Natchez two young men lashed their skiffs to her and tried to turned or towards shore, but she steadily kept her course with the rushing current of the water.
Previous to leaving her they explored such portions of the vessel as were not too deep in the water, the upper works of the vessel having been completely stove in by the galling fire of the
Vicksburg batteries.
The Natchez
Courier says:
‘
Among the papers found on her were testimonials of the excellent character of a brother of
Colonel Rilett, (the redoubtable
Colonel of the
Queen of the West,) plainly showing that one or both of the brothers had been on board of the
Lancaster.
The
Courier thinks this is the one to the whole affair of running the
Vicksburg batteries.
Commodore Farragut lay below
Warrenton, with the sloop.
Hartford and gunboat
Albatross, in distress.
He was between two batteries and it was necessary to send to
Commodore Porter, across the neck of land, for assistance.
This was undoubtedly done.
It is also well known that
Col. Ellett had previously petitioned
com. Porter for the control of two formidable gunboat, that he might "sweep the river from
Vicksburg to
Port Hudson, and retake his lost boat, the
Queen of the West." This request was refused him; and, doubtless, as soon as
Farragut's situation was made known, the matter of command was reconsidered and
Ellett's request granted — the wily
Porter feeling assured that he (
Ellett) was about the only simpleton that could be thrust into the vortex of almost certain death.
Accordingly, the
Lancaster, with the
Colonel and his brother aboard, in company with another of the ram species, tried a passage of the batteries.
The fate of both boats is known; but the miserable wretches who undertook the "job" are no doubt mostly numbered with the dead.
That
Col. Ellett's brother was on the
Lancaster there is scarcely a shade of doubt, for his private papers before us af ford no other conclusion.
They are documents that he would always carry near his person; or only part their company to have them in the safe keeping of a brother.
Our own private opinion is, that they were both on the
Lancaster, and the two brothers found a watery grave in front of the
Vicksburg batteries.
It is much to be regretted that the wreck of the
Lancaster could not have been brought to at
Natchez, but her immense weight of armament forbade it with the feeble resources than at command.
But if not caught up before she passes our Port Hudson batteries, the ram will prove a floating evidence to the enemy below that the
Confederates at
Vicksburg have been at work in earnest.
All of the upper works of the
Lancaster were crushed in or blown overboard by the storm of iron from our batteries, and nothing but the hult, the guns, and machinery left to mark the terrible conflict.
One of the letters at hand indicates that a man named
W. D. Dosnan was employed in some capacity on the
Lancaster.
He writes his dear friend, Jennie, that in a short time the rebellion will be quailed, and he will return to her. He will be some time in reaching home!
’
The following is the
Yankee account of the loss of the
Lancaster, taken from the Memphis
Bulletin:
‘
On Tuesday evening the
Lancaster and
Switzerland, of
Porter's fleet, got under headway and steamed down the
Mississippi as if they only intention was to run the blockade.
As they moved quietly down the river the
Confederates kept a sharp look out. From all points in the vicinity of
Vicksburg, at every place where an officer could stand, there one could be plainly seen by those on board of the
Federal gunboats.
The night was quite night, and the kept as much as possible in the shade.
When within easy range of the upper land batteries, the rebel guns lighted the entire heavens with fire, and, if the gunboats were bid before, brought them in full view.
Then commenced the most terrific cannonading.
The tow boats, under full head of steam, passed nearly by the last guns, when a shot struck the bow of the
Lancaster, which was broken off — This so disabled that boat that she could be handled only with extreme difficulty.
Two more shots strick her amid ships and went entirely through.--She was then in a sinking condition, and in about twenty minutes went down, and so far as is known, with all on board.
The
Switzerland received several shots, and would no doubt have fared the same fate as the
Lancaster, as she was almost unmanageable, had not the Albatros
Capt. Hart.
Lieutenant Commander of
Admiral Farragut's fleet, came up the river and took her in tow under heavy firing.
’
The Jackson
Mississippian, of the 1st, learns from
Vicksburg that the
Hartford and
Albatross, the two Federal steamers which got by Port Hudson' weighed anchor on the 28th, to try and get back to their friends again.
It adds:
‘
There being no hope of succor from
Porter's upper fleet, after the disastrous late of the two vessels sent down last Wednesday,
Farragut no doubt, determined to run the gauntlet of
Warrenton,
Grand Gulf, and
Port Hudson, rather than stay where he was, with the probability of being forced to destroy his own vessels or eventually surrender them.
As the two vessels turned out into the stream the crews of each displayed themselves on deck and on the barges attached, to take, probably, a farewell view of
Vicksburg, or, it may be, to show a specimen of Yankee bravado.
This occurred above
Warrenton.
It seems that a considerable body of our sharp shooters had been stationed and screened at a point on the bank of the river where the current swept close to shore.
When the two vessels reached this locality, such a fatal fire as was poured into the unprotected crews has not been probably delivered during this war. The masses of men on the docks and barges seemed literally to wilt down before the dreadful shower of leaden rain.
They must have suffered dreadfully.
We opine there will not be much left either of the vessels or their crews by the time they pass
Port Hudson.
As the
Hartford passed the
Warrenton batteries she was sixteen times penetrated by rifled cannon shot — a fair foretaste of what she will catch below.
’
