north america-2-第38章

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ers　and　very　caps。　　In　other　respects　they　appeared　to　be　in　good　order。　　It　must　be　understood　that　these　soldiers；　the　volunteers；　had　never　been　made　subject　to　any　discipline　as　to　cleanliness。　　They　wore　their　hair　long。　　Their　hats　or　caps；　though　all　made　in　some　military　form　and　with　some　military　appendance；　were　various　and　ill　assorted。　　They　all　were　covered　with　loose；　thick；　blue…gray　great…coats；　which　no　doubt　were　warm　and　wholesome；　but　which　from　their　looseness　and　color　seemed　to　be　peculiarly　susceptible　of　receiving　and　showing　a　very　large　amount　of　mud。　　Their　boots　were　always　good；　but　each　man　was　shod　as　he　liked。　　Many　wore　heavy　overboots　coming　up　the　leg　boots　of　excellent　manufacture；　and　from　their　cost；　if　for　no　other　reason；　quite　out　of　the　reach　of　an　English　soldierboots　in　which　a　man　would　be　not　at　all　unfortunate　to　find　himself　hunting；　but　from　these；　or　from　their　high…lows；　shoes；　or　whatever　they　might　wear；　the　mud　had　never　been　even　scraped。　　These　men　were　all　warmly　clothed；　but　clothed　apparently　with　an　endeavor　to　contract　as　much　mud　as　might　be　possible。　The　generals　and　commodores　were　gone　up　the　Ohio　River　and　up　the　Tennessee　in　an　expedition　with　gunboats；　which　turned　out　to　be　successful；　and　of　which　we　have　all　read　in　the　daily　history　of　this　war。　　They　had　departed　the　day　before　our　arrival；　and　though　we　still　found　at　Cairo　a　squadron　of　gun…boatsif　gun…boats　go　in　squadronsthe　bulk　of　the　army　had　been　moved。　　There　were　left　there　one　regiment　and　one　colonel；　who　kindly　described　to　us　the　battles　he　had　fought；　and　gave　us　permission　to　see　everything　that　was　to　be　seen。　　Four　of　these　gun…boats　were　still　lying　in　the　Ohio；　close　under　the　terminus　of　the　railway；　with　their　flat；　ugly　noses　against　the　muddy　bank；　and　we　were　shown　over　two　of　them。　They　certainly　seemed　to　be　formidable　weapons　for　river　warfare；　and　to　have　been　〃got　up　quite　irrespective　of　expense。〃　　So　much；　indeed；　may　be　said　for　the　Americans　throughout　the　war。　　They　cannot　be　accused　of　parsimony。　　The　largest　of　these　vessels；　called　the　〃Benton；〃　had　cost　36；000l。　　These　boats　are　made　with　sides　sloping　inward　at　an　angle　of　forty…five　degrees。　　The　iron　is　two　and　a　half　inches　thick；　and　it　has　not；　I　believe；　been　calculated　that　this　will　resist　cannon…shot　of　great　weight；　should　it　be　struck　in　a　direct　line。　　But　the　angle　of　the　sides　of　the　boat　makes　it　improbable　that　any　such　shot　should　strike　them；　and　the　iron；　bedded　as　it　is　upon　oak；　is　supposed　to　be　sufficient　to　turn　a　shot　that　does　not　hit　it　in　a　direct　line。　　The　boats　are　also　roofed　in　with　iron；　and　the　pilots　who　steer　the　vessel　stand　incased；　as　it　were；　under　an　iron　cupola。　　I　imagine　that　these　boats　are　well　calculated　for　the　river　service；　for　which　they　have　been　built。　　Six　or　seven　of　them　had　gone　up　the　Tennessee　River　the　day　before　we　reached　Cairo；　and　while　we　were　there　they　succeeded　in　knocking　down　Fort　Henry；　and　in　carrying　off　the　soldiers　stationed　there　and　the　officer　in　command。　　One　of　the　boats；　however；　had　been　penetrated　by　a　shot；　which　made　its　way　into　the　boiler；　and　the　men　on　decksix；　I　think；　in　numberwere　scalded　to　death　by　the　escaping　steam。　　The　two　pilots　up　in　the　cupola　were　destroyed　in　this　terrible　manner。　　As　they　were　altogether　closed　in　by　the　iron　roof　and　sides；　there　was　no　escape　for　the　steam。　　The　boats；　however；　were　well　made　and　very　powerfully　armed；　and　will　probably　succeed　in　driving　the　secessionist　armies　away　from　the　great　river　banks。　　By　what　machinery　the　secessionist　armies　are　to　be　followed　into　the　interior　is　altogether　another　question。　But　there　was　also　another　fleet　at　Cairo；　and　we　were　informed　that　we　were　just　in　time　to　see　the　first　essay　made　at　testing　the　utility　of　this　armada。　　It　consisted　of　no　less　than　thirty…eight　mortar…boats；　each　of　which　had　cost　1700l。　　These　mortar…boats　were　broad；　flat…bottomed　rafts；　each　constructed　with　a　deck　raised　three　feet　above　the　bottom。　　They　were　protected　by　high　iron　sides　supposed　to　be　proof　against　rifle…balls；　and；　when　supplied；　had　been　furnished　each　with　a　little　boat；　a　rope；　and　four　rough　sweeps　or　oars。　　They　had　no　other　furniture　or　belongings；　and　were　to　be　moved　either　by　steam…tugs　or　by　the　use　of　the　long　oars　which　were　sent　with　them。　　It　was　intended　that　one　13…inch　mortar；　of　enormous　weight；　should　be　put　upon　each；　that　these　mortars　should　be　fired　with　twenty…three　pounds　of　powder；　and　that　the　shell　thrown　should；　at　a　distance　of　three　miles；　fall　with　absolute　precision　into　any　devoted　town　which　the　rebels　might　hold　the　river　banks。　　The　grandeur　of　the　idea　is　almost　sublime。　　So　large　an　amount　of　powder　had；　I　imagine；　never　then　been　used　for　the　single　charge　in　any　instrument　of　war；　and　when　we　were　told　that　thirty…eight　of　them　were　to　play　at　once　on　a　city；　and　that　they　could　be　used　with　absolute　precision；　it　seemed　as　though　the　fate　of　Sodom　and　Gomorrah　could　not　be　worse　than　the　fate　of　that　city。　　Could　any　city　be　safe　when　such　implements　of　war　were　about　upon　the　waters？　But　when　we　came　to　inspect　the　mortar…boats；　our　misgivings　as　to　any　future　destination　for　this　fleet　were　relieved；　and　our　admiration　was　given　to　the　smartness　of　the　contractor　who　had　secured　to　himself　the　job　of　building　them。　　In　the　first　place；　they　had　all　leaked　till　the　spaces　between　the　bottoms　and　the　decks　were　filled　with　water。　　This　space　had　been　intended　for　ammunition；　but　now　seemed　hardly　to　be　fitted　for　that　purpose。　The　officer　who　was　about　to　test　them；　by　putting　a　mortar　into　one　and　by　firing　it　off　with　twenty…three　pounds　of　powder；　had　the　water　pumped　out　of　a　selected　raft；　and　we　were　towed　by　a　steam…　tug；　from　their　moorings　a　mile　up　the　river；　down　to　the　spot　where　the　mortar　lay　ready　to　be　lifted　in　by　a　derrick。　　But　as　we　turned　on　the　river；　the　tug…boat　which　had　brought　us　down　was　unable　to　hold　us　up　against　the　force　of　the　stream。　　A　second　tug…boat　was　at　hand；　and；　with　one　on　each　side；　we　were　just　able　in　half　an　hour　to　recover　the　hundred　yards　which　we　had　lost　down　the　river。　The　pressure　against　the　stream　was　so　great；　owing　partly　to　the　weight　of　the　raft　and　partly　to　the　fact　that　its　flat　head　buried　itself　in　the　water；　that　it　was　almost　immovable　against　the　stream；　although　the　mortar　was　not　yet　on　it。　It　soon　became　manifest　that　no　trial　could　be　made　on　that　day；　and　so　we　were　obliged　to　leave　Cairo　without　having　witnessed　the　firing　of　the　great　gun。　　My　belief　is　that　very　little　evil　to　the　enemy　will　result　from　those　mortar…boats；　and　that　they　cannot　be　used　with　much　effect。　　Since　that　time　they　have　been　used　on　the　Mississippi；　but　as　yet　we　do　not　know　with　what　results。　　Island　No。　10　has　been　taken；　but　I　do　not　know　that　the　mortar…boats　contributed　much　to　that　success。　　But　the　enormous　cost　of　moving　them　against　the　stream　of　the　river　is　in　itself　a　barrier　to　their　use。　　When　we　saw　themand　then　they　were　quite　newmany　of　the　rivets　were　already　gone。　　The　small　boats　had　been　stolen　from　some　of　them；　and　the　ropes　and　oars　f