Benson J. Lossing, Pictorial Field Book of the Civil War. Volume 3.

[190] motion, killing the Confederate commander, Major Harrison. A greater portion of the Confederates escaped to the woods and joined a detachment stationed at the railroad bridge at Coosawhatchie, toward which Barton pushed. He found superior numbers strongly posted on his front, with three guns, when he, too, retreated to his boats, feebly pursued. The expedition returned to Hilton Head, with a loss of about three hundred men. The Confederate loss was about the same.

Very little was done in the Department of the South (over which Hunter resumed command after the death of Mitchel) during the succeeding winter,

1862-63.

toward attempting to capture Charleston, excepting preparations such, as it was believed, would surely lead to success. Other important movements were made in that Department, all tending to cripple the resisting power of the Confederates, who were now in a defensive attitude there. One of these occurred near Fort McAllister¹ a few miles up the Ogeechee River from Ossabaw Sound, where the Confederate warsteamer Nashville, a former blockade-runner,² was lying under the guns of the fort, watching an opportunity to slip out to sea. Late in February,

1863.

a squadron of “monitors” and mortar-vessels³ were at the mouth of the Ogeechee, where Commander J. L. Worden had been for some time, with the monitor Montauk, watching the Nashville. He finally discovered

Feb. 27.

that she was aground, just above the fort, and on the following morning he proceeded with the Montauk, followed by the Seneca, Wissahickon, and Dawn, to destroy her. Unmindful of torpedoes and the heavy guns of the fort, Worden pushed by the latter unharmed by either, and when within twelve hundred yards of the Nashville he opened upon her with twelve and fifteen-inch shells. The gun-boats could not pass the fort, but fired upon the doomed ship at long range. Not more than twenty minutes had elapsed, after Worden opened his guns, before she was in flames. One of his shells had exploded within her, setting her on fire. One after the other of her heavy guns were exploded by the heat, and then her magazine blew up, and she was reduced to the total wreck delineated on page 327 of volume II. Shells from the fort struck the Montauk five times, but did no damage; and when she dropped down the river a torpedo exploded under her, but injured her a very little. The destruction of the Nashville was effected without the loss of a man.⁴

Worden's success determined Dupont to try the metal of the monitors and mortar-boats upon Fort McAllister. They went up the Ogeechee on the 3d of March, the Passaic, Commander Drayton, leading. The obstructions in the river would not allow her to approach nearer the fort than twelve hundred yards. The others were still farther off, and the mortar-boats were the most remote. The Passaic, Patapsco, and Nahant opened lire at a little past eight o'clock in the morning, and kept it up until four in