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nearest of our gunboats were sent out to help save the drowning crew of their gunboat General Lovell.
He told him that being a prisoner was now his protection, but if justice were done him, he would be hanging to the nearest tree before night.
Fry at first denied that he had given the order, but on being confronted with some of his men, who persisted in saying that he had given the order, he became silent.
I am indebted for many particulars of the battle to Simmes E. Browne, Master's Mate of the Mound City, who came up on the Conestoga with the body of his brother.
Mr. Browne was one of the few who were not too badly scalded to launch one of the Mound City's boats, to save those who were drowning.
He soon had the boat full of disabled men, who paddled and drifted her as well as they could towards the Conestoga, the balls pattering in the water all about them as they went, and occasionally striking some poor fellow, who would instantly sink to rise no more.
A large shell burst within twenty feet of them, but fortunately did not hurt the boat nor any one in it. One of the sailors of the Mound City, whose name is Jones, is mentioned as having shown extraordinary endurance.
He was partially scalded by the steam on the Mound City, and leaped out of one of the ports into the river.
While he was swimming around, endeavoring to get to some one of the boats, he received three gunshot wounds--one in the leg, one in the shoulder, and one in the back; but he still kept afloat, and being unable to get near any of the small boats, and having drifted below the gunboats St. Louis and Conestoga, he swam to the Lexington, nearly half a mile, was taken on board, and is getting well.
Almost all who were badly scalded have since died.
Thirty-five of them died on the way up on the Conestoga and the Musselman, and were buried near Island Sixty-seven. Eight men were dead when the boats arrived at Memphis, and the entire number of the Mound City's dead is not far from one hundred and twenty-five.
I give you below a list of the officers of the Mound City, and note against each name whether unhurt, wounded, or dead.
I was unable to get a list of the crew:
Capt. A. H. Kilty, badly scalded, but will recover.
First Master, Cyrus Dominy, unhurt.
Second Master, William Hart, drowned.
Third Master, John Kinsey, scalded to death.
Fourth Master, James Scoville, scalded to death.
Master's Mate, Henry R. Browne, scalded to death.
Master's Mate, Simmes E. Browne, slightly scalded.
Paymaster, John M. Gunn, scalded to death.
Surgeon, George Jones, badly scalded, but will recover.
Chief Engineer, John Cox, scalded to death.
Second Engineer, (was not on board.)
Third Engineer,----McAffee, scalded to death.
Fourth Engineer, Geo. Hollingsworth, scalded to death.
Pilot, Charles Young, scalded to death.
Pilot, Joseph Nixon, of Memphis, scalded to death.
Carpenter,----Manning, slightly scalded.
Gunner, Thomas McElroy, slightly hurt.
Armorer, Lewis Stevenson, unhurt.
James Kennedy, one of the regular pilots of the Mound City, was not on board, having left to bring the captured steamer Clara Dolsen up to Memphis.
The damage to the Mound City is but slight, and can be repaired in half a day. A new crew will be sent down immediately to man her, and she will continue with the expedition, which will proceed further up White River.
It was thought that the sunken boats could soon be sufficiently removed to admit the passage of the fleet, and it is not probable that they will meet with any further opposition, as it was conceded that there were no other works further up the stream, and that the river was virtually in our possession.
But before many days I hope to send you even more important news; rumors portentous of disaster to the rebels reach us from Vicksburgh; and perhaps even in my next letter I may be able to say that the flag hallowed by the blood of those who first raised it in the Revolution of ‘76, and of those who sustained it in ‘61-2, floats over the last rebel battery that frowned over the Mississippi yellow flood.
W. L. F.
