THE FIRST FIGHT OF I RON-CLADS.

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a court of inquiry, and, not satisfied with this, a court-martial, whose unani-mous finding, after considering the facts and circumstances, was: “ Beingthus situated, the only alternative, in the opinion of the court, was to aban-don and burn the ship then and there; which, in the judgment of thecourt, was deliberately and wisely done by order of the accused. Where-fore, the court do award the said Captain Josiah Tattnall an honorableacquittal.”

It only remains now to speak of our last meeting with the Monitor. Arriv-ing at Richmond , we heard that the enemy’s fleet was ascending JamesRiver, and the result was great alarm; for, relying upon the Virginia , not agun had been mounted to protect the city from a water attack. We werehurried to Drewry’s Bluff, the first high ground below the city, seven milesdistant. Here, for two days, exposed to constant rain, in bottomless mud andwithout shelter, on scant provisions, we worked unceasingly, mounting gunsand obstructing the river. In this we were aided by the crews of small vesselswhich had escaped up the river before Norfolk was abandoned. The Jamestown and some small sailing-vessels were sunk in the channel, but, owing to the highwater occasioned by a freshet, the obstructions were only partial. We hadonly succeeded in getting into position three thirty-twos and two sixty-fours(shell guns) and were without sufficient supply of ammunition, when on the15th of May the iron-clad Galena, Commander John Rodgers, followed bythe Monitor and three others, hove in sight. We opened fire as soon as theycame within range, directing most of it on the Galena. This vessel washandled very skillfully. Coming up within six hundred yards of the battery,she anchored, and, with a spring from her quarter, presented her broadside;this under a heavy fire, and in a narrow river with a strong current. TheMonitor , and others anchored just below, answered our fire deliberately; but,owing to the great elevation of the battery, their fire was in a great measureineffectual, though two guns were dismounted and several men were killedand wounded. While this was going on, our sharp-shooters were at work onboth banks. Lieutenant Catesby Jones, in his report, speaks of this service:“ Lieutenant Wood, with a portion of the men, did good service as sharp-shooters. The enemy were excessively annoyed by their fire. His positionwas well chosen and gallantly maintained in spite of the shell, shrapnel, grape,and canister fired at them.” Finding they could make no impression on ourworks, the Galena, after an action of four hours, returned down the river withher consorts. Her loss was about forty killed arid wounded. J

This was one of the boldest and best-conducted operations of the war, andone of which very little notice has been taken. Had Commander Rodgersbeen supported by a few brigades, landed at City Point or above on the southside, Richmond would have been evacuated. The Virginia 's crew alone barredhis way to Richmond ; otherwise the obstructions would not have preventedhis steaming up to the city, which would have been as much at his mercy aswas New Orleans before the fleet of Farragut.

^ According to the official report, the loss on the Galena was 13 killed and 11 wounded; on the PortRoyal, 1 wounded, and on the Naugatuck, 2 wounded. Total, 13 killed and 14 wounded.— Editors.