April 25, 1863, The New York Herald
Our Milliken’s Bend Correspondence.
MILLIKEN’S BEND, La., April 17, 1863.
Last night the long anticipated attempt to force a passage of the batteries at Vicksburg was undertaken with eminent success. Several days since it was determined that, in one grand and combined movement, a sufficient number of transports and gunboats to give us control of the river below should be sent there, in order to co-operate with the land force already in a position to push the crisis of the campaign to an end. In view of this, the Benton, as flagboat, The Tuscumbia, Lafayette, Pittsburg, Louisville, Carondelet, the ram General Price and three transports – the Forest Queen, Silver Wave and Henry Clay – were put in readiness to execute their dangerous mission.
At half-past ten the boats left their moorings at the mouth of the Yazoo and steamed down the river, the Benton, bearing Admiral Porter, taking the lead. The order of succession was left as circumstances might require, the flagboat taking the advance and the Tuscumbia the rear; then followed the transports.
Upon rounding the point and appearing in good range, the batteries above the town immediately opened fire with more noise than effect. As the boats approached the point opposite the town, a terrible concentrated fire of the centre, upper and lower batteries, both water and bluff, was directed upon the channel, which here ran within one hundred yards of the shore. At the same moment innumerable floats of turpentine and other combustible materials were set ablaze, some merely to give light, others in hopes of setting fire to some of the boats of the fleet. These lights were all located or set adrift from the Louisiana side, on the point, which, it seems, in view of an attempt to run the blockade was occupied by a small party of the enemy, specially designed for the purpose. In the face of all this fire, all the boats save one made their way with but little loss of men or material.
Upon arriving opposite Warrenton, notwithstanding the fire of some light pieces, the Benton lay in the stream in a position to hail each boat as she passed, in order to discover the injuries sustained by them. As each one passed she was questioned, and invariably the reply was “All right,” except the Henry Clay, which did not get so low down before sinking. The entire fleet now moved to New Carthage, a small town on the Louisiana side, about twenty miles below Vicksburg. Here the boats are now anchored.
On each of the wooden boats a number of cotton bales were piled upon the sides to protect their boilers from the flying projectiles. It was the ignition of this cotton from sparks that occasioned the first fire discovered upon the Henry Clay; but later the explosion of a shell in a cotton bale completed the work, and almost instantly wrapped the whole boat in flames. This afforded an admirable aim, and for some time the fire of almost the entire artillery of the enemy was centered here.
It is probable the fate of this boat would not have been as it was had it not been for the indecision of the pilot of the Forest Queen, which boat was running about sixty yards ahead. At a most critical juncture, when immediately in front of the city, she turned around, evidently, in her movements, evincing a determination to return. By this action she put herself in the way of the Clay, which was making excellent time, under a full head of steam. It was now necessary for the latter to stop her engines and reverse, in order to avoid a collision. In doing so it was also necessary to throw her bow around, so as to give a less fatal blow, in case the impetus of her movement was too great to be arrested in time.
A few moments more, and the Forest Queen resumed her course down stream, stern forward. It was now that the Clay received the shot which set her on fire, for during the complications occasioned by the retrograde movement of the Forest Queen, the batteries devoted their attention to these boats alone. When the fire on the Clay was discovered the entire crew took to the flatboat fastened to her side in order to escape. The pilot, John T. Taylor, remained at his post up the last, and only deserted her when the bells directing the engineers were not answered. When this became evident nothing was left for him to do but to leave the boat and look after himself. He stepped out of the pilot house, and the captain – they being the only two aboard – told him the crew had deserted, and they must look after themselves. This was the last seen of the captain. Taylor now made an effort to make his way down stairs, but the whistling of shot was so plain and near by, that he was obliged to lie flat on his face on the hurricane deck for some time. Upon the first cessation of the storm he went below. Here a controversy arose in his mind whether to take his chances on a cotton bale, or whether that would be too conspicuous and something smaller more advisable. He determined upon trusting to a plank, which he threw overboard and soon followed himself. His first movement was to push close to the shore, under cover of the bluffs. He got within forty yards of the bank and was there assailed by a shower of musket balls. However, with all their proximity, none of them hit him, and he made good his escape. After a swim of ten miles Mr. Taylor landed upon the Louisiana side, opposite Warrenton.
The Henry Clay sunk before the city, having floated but a short distance. Of the crew nothing has yet been heard. They are known to have embarked in the flatboat, but whether that was hit and destroyed and its inmates drowned is not known. The enemy’s guns were worked with wonderful rapidity, in all there being about five-hundred shots fired. As to the precision of the fire nothing is yet learned. The Benton, however, was struck several times, as well as the Clay. The Forest Queen was struck in the drum head. This will require but a few hours to repair. The other boats seem to have been more fortunate.
The casualties were alone, as far as positively reported, sustained by the Benton, she having lost one man killed and three wounded. Each transport had in tow a flatboat, laden with quartermaster, commissary and other stores, together with a large quantity of coal. The principal damage done was by the water batteries lining the shore. When once before the city the channel runs so close that no sufficient depression of the guns can be made to subject boats in the channel to a plunging fire.
During the passage the gunboats kept up a lively fire, whether with as much effect upon the enemy as upon the ears is not ascertained. Amidst so much firing there certainly must have been some casualties on the part of the enemy.
With the exception of the crew of the Henry Clay, both officers and men behaved with consummate coolness, and proved their adaption to the trying times about to burst forth in the neighborhood of Vicksburg. John T. Taylor, pilot of the Clay, is especially conspicuous on account of merit and astonishing bravery.
If the same deliberation and determination pervades the land force which on this occasion shone forth in the naval, we may fix the capture of this important position as an irrevocable certainty.