The Syracuse Journal, Volume 6, Number 43, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 19 February 1914 — Page 6

The War Fifty Years Ago !_- ■ U First Torpedo Boat Known to History Sinks a Federal Warship In Charleston Harbor—Tragic Career of the • David—Battle of Olustee, Fla.—Defeat of Federal Expedition Led by General Truman Seymour-—Fierce Artillery Duel—Cavalry Campaign In Mississippi Wilds—Confederates Under General N. B. Forrest Defeat a Federal Mounted Expedition—Re-enforce-ments For Sherman Turned Back Home.

Br Capt. GEOR.GE L. KILMER. Late U. 5, V ON Feb. 17, ISG-t, the I'niteJ States sloop of war Hmisatonb’ was sunk in Charleston harbor ‘by a sptu* torpedo thrtisr.. against her side tit the water line. This *ras the first use of the torpedo known to history. The deed was performed by Lieutenant George E. Dixon of the Twenty-first Alabama regiment. It proved that the* dreams of inventors from Fulton's time to that time were not wholly wild and 'that torpedo bojats could play a part in warfare. Dixon’s craft was built of boiler iron in the chape of a cigar. Her length was thirty feet, breadth four feet and depth six feet. Originally designed for submarine use, some thirty-five lives had been sacrificed in experiments. Dixon rigged the boat to skim the top of the water and strike with a percussion torpedo. The Housatonic was one of the finest of the Federal wooden fleet and lay iu file north channel completely blocking

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TORPEDO BOAT WHICH SANK THE HOUSATONIC. IFrom a photograph taken while the boat was undergoing repairs.]

that entrance to Charleston harbor.' Dixon ajid Captain J. F. Carlsen of the ■ artillery and Seamen Becker. Wicks, j Collins, Ridgeway 'and Simpkins of the navy volunteered to destroy her. Their little boat sneaked along the beach at night and lay hidden all day near their victim. At 9 o’clock in the evening the lookout on the Housatonic saw a speck on the water moving toward the ship. On approaching nearer the speck looked like a plank moving swiftly over the water. He sounded the cry. and all hands pushed on deck. The ship sank instantly up to her tops. Five men went below in her. The plank disappeared, and the mystery was not solved until after the war, when divers cleared the channel of wrecks. They found the Housatonic with a. hole at the water line and 100 feet away the David, which had destroyed her. The daring crew lay securely coffined In the iron machine they had so skillfully guided to strike the blow. The David’s Tragic Career. The new David was originally intended to dive in the water like a fish, but had no provision for stoning air, and on an experimental trip suffocated a crew of eight men. Lieutenant Payne of the navy found a crew of eight men .willing to risk their lives in a second trial. One night while preparing for a dive the wave of a passing ship washed over the little boat, and she carried to the bottom the whole crew, Payne alone escaping. Payne raised the boat, cleared her of the victims and promptly secured another crew of eight for a third trial. She again went to the bottom in the name manner as before, Payne and two men escaping. The craft had earned a fatal reputation in Charleston harbor and was taken into Stono river, where she made several dives and came up all right. Finally, however, she stuck In the mud at the bottom' of the river, and all on board perished. Once more she was raised, the dead removed —the fourth ghastly cargo from her iron bound hull—and brought back to Charleston harbor. A fifth crew volunteered for further experiments. While rehearsing for the attempt on the Housatonic the boat, dived under the Confederate receiving ship Indian in Charleston harbor, fouled a cable, and all on board perished. The craft was recovered, and General P. T. G. Beauregard, commander at Charleston, stipulated that in future She should operate on the surface as a torpedo boat. A torpedo which would explode by concussion was fixed on a spar at the bow. Battle of Olustee, Fla. Feb. 20 is the anniversary of the battle of Olustee (1864), the severest engagement of the war on the soil of Florida. General Truman Seymour landed about 7,000 Federals at Jacksonville to bolster up a political uprising with bayonets. General Joseph Finegan, the Confederate commander of .the district endangered, gathered forces to the number of 5,500 near Lake City to oppose Seymour’s march Inland. The Federal plan was to get a force well into the interior of the state. Marching eastward from Lake City, Finegan arrived at Ocean pond, on the Olusteerriud began to intrench for baftle. He chose for his position a

Notice of Adm.nistration Notice is hereby given that the undersigned has been appointed by the Clerk of the Kosciusko Circuit Court, in the State of Indiana, administrator of the estate of Alfred M. Rogers, late of Kosciusko County, deceased. Said estate is supposed to be solvent. A. A. RASOR, Administrator. Jan. 22, 1914. Bfeatf The Journal ads. tWay. ■-< V■■ S’ l s'. ■ X-';■ ' * -I

stretch of land between two ponds, with another pond and a bay or jungle in front of either flank. The combatants met about midday in a thin woodland two miles east of Ocean pond. One of the Confederate regiments was new to battle and immediately formed a square, according to the manual, on sighting the Federal troops. One of Seymour’s batteries instantly began to play upon the square with shells. Seeing with a soldier’s trained eye that the square would be demolished, the Confederate brigadier. General A. H. Colquitt, quickly rushed two regiments to the front on both sides of the square, with two cannon i in the center, and advanced boldly on the Federals. Seymour’s line yielded stubbornly, and Golqnitt. supposing that he had to contend with the main body of Fcderals. prepared to fight and sent back to Finegan asking for re-enforce-ments. In short order a second Confederate brigade lined up on the left

of Colquitt’s, and in this accidental way the battlefield was fixed on the level ground of an open forest, offering equal advantages to both sides. Fierce Artillery Duel. At 3 o’clock in the afternoon the battle broke out fiercely with an artillery duel. Seymour massed his guns in the center, with a demi-brigade of infantry on either flank, and held two full brigades ready for a grand charge the moment the enemy’s line was shaken. A section of Gamble’s Confederate battery was speedily knocked out and replaced by the Chatham artillery of Sar vannah. However, the Confederates didn't wait to be smashed according to Seymour’s program, but rushed forward in steady column, routing the Seventh New Hampshire on one side of the Federal guns and the Eighth United States (colored) on the other flank. These two regiments had been pushed to the front by order of Seymour, who supposed that the enemy had only a section of artillery at hand and it could easily be captured. Seeing his center in peril, Seymour jut in the New York brigade, led by Colonel W. B. Barton, to steady the

Copyright by Patriot Publishing company. GENERAL A. H. COLQUITT, C. S. A., AND GENERAL JOSEPH FINEGAN, C. B. A., LEADERS AT OLUSTEE.

line. For more than two hours this brigade faced the cross and direct fire of the enemy’s cannon and rifles. In this terrible struggle the Confederates exhausted their ammunition and, unable to longer return the galling fire of the New Yorkers, began to steal away to search for cartridges. Barton’s men also emptied their boxes, but retired to refill them and went in again. The battle was finally given to Finegan by the skillful maneuver of Colquitt, who threw two fresh Georgia regiments against Seymour’s right, with a cross fire on the Federal guns. This blow, which was followed up by

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Finegan's whole line, would have been disastrous to Seymour but for the heroism of Barton’s men. The New Yorkers stood fast and gave their comrades time to withdraw from the bullet swept front. The colonels of the three regiments in the brigade fell, and over 800 of the rank and file were killed and wounded. The fight was a plucky one on both sides and the bloodiest for the Federals. who lost one-third of the men . actually engaged, while their foe lost one-sixth. The battle lasted three hours, and nearly 3,000 men fell. Darkness came on soon after the final Confederate advance. General Finegan sent forward a body of GOO cavalry to make a vigorous pursuit of the retreating enemy. Cavalry Combats In the Woods. On Feb. 21 and 22, 1804, General N. B. Forrest’s Confederate cavalry effectually defeated the march of an opposing column of mounted Federals in east central Mississippi. With a force of 7,000 troopers General W. Sooy Smith was riding across country from Memphis to unite his command with that of General W. T. Sherman at Meridian. Miss. Incidentally Smith was to disperse and drive from the region Forrest's command as he marched toward the goal. Forrest in i>erson led the right wing of his corps and General W. R. Chalmers the left wing. A wide interval between the wings was covered by the brigade c>f Colonel Jeffrey Forrest, brother of the general. Smith entered Mississippi Feb. 11 and at the end of a week was drawing near West Point, in the angle lying between the Tombigbee on the east of the route and the Oka-tibby-ha, which flows southeast into the Torn bigbee below West Point. This angle grew narrower each hour of the southward march and the streams on each side grew deeper, swollen as they were with recent rains. As<he column drew near West Point Colonel Jeffrey Forrest played along the front, receding slowly and refusing pitched battles. The Federals were massed in a force too strong for Forrest had he chosen to fight without re-enforcements. Reluctantly he massed his own corps behind a creek four miles back of West Point and allowed his brother's brigade to be driven from the town with a flourish of trumpets by the Federals. General Smith looked the ground over where Forrest was in position and decided to make a feint along the front, then take the back track for Memphis. One bridge was standing on the Oka-tibby-ha south of the town, and this Forrest guarded against persistent attacks. After a desperate spurt at the bridge about noon the 21st of February, the Federals hurried away northward. Forrest pushed his w’hole force after them on the road to Okolona. Forrest Avoids Battle. Again Forrest avoided battle, but sent his brigadiers around the flanks of of the pursuing column to harass the Federal inarch and if possible cut off their retreat. At Okolona battle seemed imminent for a time, for General C. R. Barteau’s brigade had landed squarely in the new Federal front, and Forrest, with two brigades, came thundering on in the rear. There were two roads northward from Okolona, one of them held by Barteau, and Colonel Forrest attempted to reach the other, leading to Pototoc. Colonel Forrest failed to get the Pototoc road. Nettle! by this failure, he deployed his men and led them in a terrific onset, which carried the first Federal line of cover in the face of a withering fire. The Federal brigade of Colonel George E. Waring received the attack of Colonel Forrest. The troopers carried breechloaders, and Colonel Forrest’s dash for the second line was

met with a withering fire concentrated upon a narrow front. Forrest was killed. General Forrest then led his brother’s brigade in a mad rush over the breastworks of logs and rails, where Smith's rear guard battled with fierceness equaling that of the assailants. Two Confederate colonels fell and Forrest was soon left with only 300 men, fighting with pistols, hand to hand. His horse fell under him. pierced with fire bullets. Mounting another, this was killed before the impetuous fighter had ridden thirty rods. Meanwhile Smith ordered a retreat

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Oliver Sloane Dies Oliver Sloane, a well known farmer of Kosciusko county died at a Warsaw hospital, Monday morning. He was 75 years of age, Scarlet Fever At Leesburg The public schools at Leesburg have been closed and all public meetings have been canceled in the hopes of arresting the epidemic of scarlet fever at Leesburg Four cases were reported on Monday morning. They are from country homes but are attending school in Leesburg. Look at the Label We receive quite a few letters from subscribers who want to know when their subscription expires. The date when it expires is right after the name on every paper- As an example: If the label reads, “John Jones 5 12 3”, it means that John Jones’ subscription will expire May 12,1913. The first figure is the month, the second is the day of the month and the third is the year. If the last figure is 3, it means that the paper will expire in 1913. if 4, 1914, and so on.

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Anniversary Os The Maine Last Sunday night was the sixteenth anniversary of the blowing up of the battleship Maine in Havana Harbor when 250 Americans lost their lives, and which resulted in war being declared between the United States and Spain. In Civil Service List All fourth class postoffices in Indiana as well as in every other state in the union, will soon be under civil service. The department is authorized to appoint a postmaster from the three highest grades scored m the examination. An Astounding Offer To those whose subscrip ions are paid in advance and also to those who are not subscribers, we have a wonderful offer to make. We will print 50 note heads and 50 envelopes with vour name and address for the insigaifigant sum of 50 cents, you cannot afford to write on un printed stationary at the price we offer these to you. Come in and leave your order now.

NEWELL’S On The Square GOSHEN, INDIANA Winter Coats and Suits At Prices Extremely Tempting What remains of our stock of winter Coats and Suits, we are determined to move during the present cold spell. So down go the prices for the last time. If your’ size is here, you’ll look no farther for a winter coat or suit, for the prices now are most tempting; the garments are of the same high quality and measures up to this store's standard of wearing apparel. A Gossard Corset Now At Only $2 Responding to the popular demand for a moderately priced Gossard corset, that company has introduced a new model, No. 250, which sells at $2 (fitted). Gossard Corsets have set a high standard of value • in the corset business, and this announcement of a Gossard at a price extremely attractive, will prove a happy solution of the corset problem to many women, who have hitherto hesitated at paying more. Other models at $.50, $5.00, $6.50.