The Siege of Charleston and the Operations on the South Atlantic Coast in the War Among the States

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1911 Excerpt: ... under full steam. They opened their batteries on the Chicora, which was some distance astern of the Palmetto State. The latter turned and stood to the southward to support the Chicora, if necessary, but the two steamers kept on their course to the southward. The superior speed of the blockading steamers made pursuit of them hopeless. Commodore Ingraham therefore signaled Captain Tucker to come to anchor and lead the way to the entrance to Beech Channel. Captain Tucker accordingly stood in shore, "leaving," he says, "the partially crippled and fleeing enemy about seven miles clear of the bar, standing to the southward and eastward." About half past eight o'clock the two Confederate steamers were at anchor off Beech Channel in four fathoms water, where they remained until after four o'clock in the evening. They were not injured, had not even been struck, and there were no casualties. The Federal loss in the engagement was four killed and three wounded on the Mercedita, and on the Keystone State twenty killed and twenty wounded; total, forty-seven. The Mercedita had surrendered and the Keystone State struck her colors to escape destruction, thus virtually surrendering; but both escaped to Port Royal. The raid was over and soon the nearest of the blockading steamers was hull down off to sea, the masts visible to those on the Confederate steamers only with the aid of powerful glasses. As soon as the result, or supposed result, of the raid on the blockading squadron was reported to General Beauregard, he telegraphed to the Adjutant General in Richmond that the Confederate States steam rams Palmetto State and Chicora had sunk the United States steamer Mercedita of the blockading squadron, that Captain Turner had set fire to one vessel, which s...