Our navy in time of war (1861-1898) . selected for the task. The plan wasto tow the Louisiana to within three hundred or fourhundred yards of the fort, which lay close to theocean, and near which there was deep water. So surewas General Butler that the blowing up of this vesselwould have a terrible and dangerous result, that hesent some of his transports fifty miles away. Portersships were ordered to lie twenty miles out to sea. TheLouisiana was to be blown up about midnight. But-ler expected that the gases from the explosion wouldroll in over the fort and kill the men who were leftafter the f
Our navy in time of war (1861-1898) . selected for the task. The plan wasto tow the Louisiana to within three hundred or fourhundred yards of the fort, which lay close to theocean, and near which there was deep water. So surewas General Butler that the blowing up of this vesselwould have a terrible and dangerous result, that hesent some of his transports fifty miles away. Portersships were ordered to lie twenty miles out to sea. TheLouisiana was to be blown up about midnight. But-ler expected that the gases from the explosion wouldroll in over the fort and kill the men who were leftafter the fort itself had been blown to pieces. As soon CAPTURE OF FORT FISHER. 141 as the explosion occurred, tlie war ships were to hurryto the fort, and if by that time anybody was alive,they were to bombard the place until Butlers trans-ports would arrive two or three hours later, when thefort was to be stormed by the troops which were tobe landed. It was on the night of December 23, 186-1, thatCommander A. C. Rhind and ten men set out with. Interior of Fort Fisher. the Louisiana to anchor her and blow her up. It waslooked upon as one of the most dangerous feats thathad been tried in the war, and on this account themen who took charge of the work were as brave as ifthe plan had been worth trying. All the lights onthe tug and on the Louisiana were put out, and at 142 OUR NAVY IN TIME OF WAR. r. M. the two vessels slowly approaclied tliefort. JN^ot a Northern vessel was in sight anywhere,and the men in the fort thought the Louisiana was ablockade runner. The men on the Louisiana lit thefuses and started some clockwork machinery, which,after about an hour, was to let some weights fall andexplode the powder in the various parts of the shipall at once. Everything worked w^ell, and all the men got of!the Louisiana safely by midnight and steamed awayon the tug as fast as they could go, so as to get outof reach of the damage that would be done. The menon the fleet twenty miles out to se
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectunitedstatesnavy
