THE NA’/Y IN THE PENINSULAR. CAMPAIGN.

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SUNKEN STEAMBOATS AND OTHER OBSTRUCTIONS IN THEJAMES RIVER, NEAR FORT DARLING, ON DREWRY’SBLUFF. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

FORT DARLING, LOOKING DOWN THEJAMES. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.

the Monitor and the Nauga-tuck. Fort Darling (Com-mander E. Farrand, C. S.

N.), at Drewry’s Bluff, wasa strong position, two hun-dred feet above the river, andmounting a number of heavy guns. At the foot of the bluff an obstruction hadbeen placed in the river formed of sunken vessels secured by chains. The lightarmor of the Galena had not as yet been seriously tested, and Rodgers had nogreat confidence in her ability to stand a severe fire; nevertheless, he decidedto make the test. In a private letter written shortly after, he said: “ I wasconvinced as soon as I came on board that she would be riddled under fire,but the public thought differently, and I resolved to give the matter a fairtrial.” Accordingly, he ran the Galena up to a point opposite the battery,where the width of the stream was not more than double the ship’s length.According to an officer in the fort, the Galena “ steamed up to within sevenor eight hundred yards of the bluff, let go her starboard anchor, ran out thechains, put her head inshore, backed astern, let go her stream-anchor fromthe starboard quarter, hove ahead, and made ready for action before firing agun.” Nothing could have been more beautiful than the neatness and preci-