. Young folk's history of the war for the union . only eleven months after she was launched. The 388 TEE MONITOBS. [1863. Passaic was nearly lost in the same storm, but by hard work themen succeeded in keeping her afloat, and she and the Montaukarrived safe at their destination. In the following February (1863), the Montauk and severalother monitors were lying in the mouth of the Ogechee, a riverof Georgia, which flows into the Atlantic a little south of theSavannah River. A few miles up the river the Confederateshad built an earthwork called Fort McAllister, to guard thebridge over which pass
. Young folk's history of the war for the union . only eleven months after she was launched. The 388 TEE MONITOBS. [1863. Passaic was nearly lost in the same storm, but by hard work themen succeeded in keeping her afloat, and she and the Montaukarrived safe at their destination. In the following February (1863), the Montauk and severalother monitors were lying in the mouth of the Ogechee, a riverof Georgia, which flows into the Atlantic a little south of theSavannah River. A few miles up the river the Confederateshad built an earthwork called Fort McAllister, to guard thebridge over which passes the railway running southward fromSavannali, and to protect blockade-runners which might go inthere. Near the fort lay the war-steamer Nashville, one of theprivateers (page 140) fitted out by the Confederate governmentto prey on American commerce, waiting for a chance to runout. One day (Feb. 27) Commander Worden (the same whohad fought the Merrimack), who was then in command of theMontauk, discovered that the Nashville was aground just above. Wreck of the NashvilixE. the fort. The next morning Worden went up with his vesseland fired shells at her. The fort returned the fire, but, althoughthe Monitor was hit several times, no damage was done. In afew minutes one of the Montauks shells burst inside of theNashville, setting her on fire. Her guns Avent off one after an-other, and in a little while her magazine blew up, leaving noth-ing of the vessel but a few charred timbers and the iron skele-tons of her wheels. Admiral Dupont, seeing how well the Montauk had stoodthe heavy fire, then determined to make an attack on the fortitself. The monitors Passaic, Montauk, Ericsson, Patapsco,and Nahant, and some schooners with heavy mortars on board,steamed up the river (March 3) and opened fire on the fort;but, on account of piles and other obstructions in the river,they could not get near enough to do much harm. The great 1863.] NAVAL FIGHT. 389 shells tore up the sand around the fort
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, bookpublishernewyo, bookyear1881
