Reminiscences of Two Years in the United States Navy

by John M. Batten

In the fall of 1864, when General U.S. Grant was shortening his lines around Petersburg, it was his policy to have every man, both in the army and navy, employed, in order to draw off as many as possible from General Lee's forces at Petersburg. Accordingly, for the purpose of capturing Rainbow Bluff, the fleet composed of the United States steamers Wyalusing, Otsego, General Berry, Bazeley, Valley City, Chicopee, tug Belle, and the picket launch No. 5, weighed anchor at 5 p.m., December 9, 1864, and proceeded up the Roanoke river, with Commander W. H. Macomb on board the Wyalusing leading, the Valley City second, and the Otsego third, followed by the Chicopee, Bazeley, General Berry, tug Belle, and the steam launch No. 5.

Commander Macomb was informed by what he supposed was reliable authority that there were no torpedoes in the river from Plymouth to above Jamesville, twelve miles up the river. A fortunate occurrence for the Valley City took place on our passage to Jamesville. The engine of the Valley City gave out, and the engineer slowed up and repaired the damage, the Otsego in the meantime passing on ahead. By this circumstance the Valley City became third, and the Otsego second. We arrived off Jamesville about 9 p.m. The Wyalusing signaled the fleet to come to anchor, and just as the fleet was slowing up previously to anchoring, we heard a loud report, the concussion of which shook the Valley City, which was a short distance off, as if there were an earthquake in the locality. Presently it was reported that the Otsego was lost, two torpedoes, one before and the other aft, striking her simultaneously, and sinking her to the bottom of the river. From some fortunate occurrence, the Wyalusing had passed safely over the place where the Otsego was blown up.

On the following day, December 10, there was found to be a perfect nest of torpedoes in the river off Jamesville, and while passing near by the wreck of the Otsego, the Bazeley was blown literally to pieces, Captain Aimes, in command of her, and the pilot and also paymaster, Louis Sands, of the Shamrock, were in the pilot-house at the time the explosion took place, and were blown with the pilot-house about thirty feet into the air, and alighted in the river unhurt. William C. Rossell, a lad, and John Gerrard, first-class boy, were killed. Captain Aimes then immediately reported to Commander Macomb that "the Bazeley is gone up," but by that time she had gone down.

The Roanoke river, from Jamesville to Poplar point, a distance of thirty miles, was dredged for torpedoes. In all, in the river between these two points, the dredging party took up and exploded eighty torpedoes. From Jamesville on, the Valley City took the lead, having previously rigged a torpedo-fender on her bow. The river was dredged by means of six boats' crews, each two of which were paired, rowing about twenty feet apart, with a chain suspended between them, dragging along the bottom of the river. Each torpedo was anchored at the bottom of the river by means of a rope, one end of which was tied to the torpedo, the other end to a staple fastened in the centre of the surface of a hemisphere of iron six inches in diameter, resting at the bottom of the river. The rope was sufficiently long to float the torpedo just beneath the surface of the water. The torpedoes were made of tin, each about eighteen inches long and ten inches in diameter, and divided into two separate apartments, one for air, the other for powder. Through the centre of each torpedo, running longitudinally, there was an iron bar placed, extending beyond each end. On the upper end there was a spring trigger, which was held by a light iron cross bar, ingeniously attached to the longitudinal bar, so arranged that from the lightest touch it would fall off, letting the trigger fall on the upper part of the torpedo, striking a percussion cap immediately underneath it in the powder chamber, thus exploding the torpedo.

The boats were protected as much as possible by the Valley City following close after, watching the banks of the river on either side. There were dykes on each side of the river, behind which in the undergrowth the rebels often lurked. To obviate this, Commander W. H. Macomb ordered the marines to march a short distance ahead of the dredge-boats on either side of the river; but notwithstanding this precaution, the men in the dredge-boats were fired into, and several were either wounded or killed by the sharpshooters. Sometimes the marines ashore would be driven back. The farther up the river we proceeded, the more numerous the rebels became, and the more our difficulties increased. The men in the dredge-boats did not consider the place a very safe one by any means, and often went into the boats with many forebodings. It was not a desirable place either on the Valley City, for there was a constant dread of torpedoes below and sharpshooters above.

UP AND DOWN THE RIVER.

The Valley City left Jamesville at 8 a.m., December 12, and dredged the river, as I have described. In the evening we had proceeded a few miles above Jamesville. I will now quote as I have it in my diary, which was written at that time.

Tuesday, December 13, at 5:30 p.m., we were ordered back to Jamesville to cover the army. (I will state by way of parenthesis that the army forces at Plymouth, commanded by Colonel Frankle, had promised the fleet their co-operation, but in this the fleet was disappointed.) We proceeded down the river as far as the fleet, when our orders were countermanded and we returned to dredge the river. The remainder of the fleet would lay at anchor, whilst the dredging party, with the Valley City, would proceed four or five miles up the river; then the balance of the fleet would get under weigh and steam up to the Valley City, and then come to an anchor again; but when the rebels commenced to thicken in the woods along the river, the fleet kept together behind the dredging party.

Friday, December 16.—We have been dredging the river, and have advanced to within a short distance of Williamston. At 12 m. we arrived at Williamston. I went ashore at this place. It is a small place on the right bank of the Roanoke river—the ground rising gently from the river to the rear of the town. The houses are built of frame, and very much scattered. A family I visited there showed me a hole in their house made by a Federal shell passing through it. One of the inmates of the house had been sitting in a chair in a room in the line of the shell, and just a moment before the shell came crashing through the house the lady went into an adjoining room, thus escaping. The chair in which she had been sitting was knocked to atoms. At 1 p.m. we left Williamston, and at 5 p.m. we anchored.

Saturday, December 17.—We lay at anchor all day. In the morning I was astonished to see a hog swim across the Roanoke river immediately in front of us, because I have always heard it said that swine will not swim. This was the first and only hog I ever saw swim. At 11 a.m. I went ashore to where an old man lived; he was covered with rags, and lived in a secluded spot close by the water's edge. He had no family but a little boy about eleven years of age. There was not even a cow or horse to be seen—everything around him betokened distress and misery. I asked him how long he had been living here. He replied, "I have been living here six years." I then asked him if he enjoyed this sort of life. He answered, "No." I asked him if he had an education. He said, "I can neither read nor write." I then asked if he intended to give his son an education. He replied that before the war he had intended to give his son an education, but now times were so hard that it was barely possible for him to get sufficient to eat. After bidding him farewell, I returned aboard.