Rollin' On the River
A Tale of the Morton Brothers and The War of 1848
Episode Three
July 15, 1848, Armed Riverboat Gramercy, Course Downriver
Speed two miles per hour, Just below the Falls Of The Ohio, Louisville, Kentucky
Noon
The convoy was getting underway. Actually the loading had gone well and the cargoboat captains (as nervous as Morton) has used their day in Louisville wisely, making repairs and wooding up. The passengers loaded first and then the horses. With horses, you don't waste time. In addition to the volunteers, eighteen horse wranglers came on as passengers. What the wranglers were to do in Memphis was unclear, but they had letters of credit for accommodations. Four of the captains had taken on gamblers as well, but Morton didn't think there was much money to be made off volunteers. (See Note 1)
Morton had the unarmed Ceredo lead the columns downriver. After a two-hour delay, the Vicksburg would follow, working side to side in the river to find concealment near the banks in case an ambush was needed. Thirty minutes later, the Wildcat followed, acting mostly as a signal relay, but she has a boarding party and a place to put prisoners if need be. Finally, the Gramercy, acting as lookout and bait. Morton had swapped his guns around. Now the eighteen pounder was on the stern and the six pounder on the bow. Morton expected to be chased and he wanted to give the Yankees reason to be careful about getting too close.
About 3:00 P.M. and no sign of Yankees so Morton turned south. He knew the cargoboat Captains with high-strung horses on board would be making good speed. (Dead horses didn't get you paid)
So far, so good.
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat USS Portsmouth, Course Downriver
Speed four miles per hour, Exiting Louisville and Portland Canal, Louisville, Kentucky
Late afternoon.
Commander William Laskey finally worked his ship through the Louisville and Portland Canal. Of Captain Billing's squadron, only the Portsmouth and the nearly-identical Webster had been able to squeeze through the obsolescent locks. (See Note 2) These two gunboats had been local tramps working the swift Monongahela River above Pittsburgh. Adapted to that river they were small but relatively powerful and on the slack waters of the Ohio, they were fast.
He had been ordered to proceed downriver and catch the convoy their agents had told them had left downriver carrying horses and passengers the day before. This should not be too difficult. His agent told them the convoy was all strung out and the horses were raising Cain on the decks. Soon as Lieutenant Alden gets through the canal they would take off in pursuit.
July 17, 1848, Armed Riverboat USS Portsmouth, Course Downriver
Speed eight miles per hour, Eight miles above Tell City, Indiana
Late afternoon, nearly dusk
Since getting through the locks the two gunboats had burned up the river in pursuit of the convoy. At each wood landing they heard they were closing in. Now at last Commander Laskey could see smoke over the trees. He would catch his first secessionist boat before the sun went down.
So far his boat's limitations had not been a problem. She was fast and handy with two engines. She was not overly well-armed with a pair of six-pounder field pieces, but so far he had not even heard of armed riverboats beyond that of Captain Billings. Besides he had a squad of Marine sharpshooters quartered in his hurricane deck, and he was wooded up so he could stay hard on the throttles.
There! Around the bend he could see a big sternwheeler making about six miles per hour.
"Beat to quarters." (See Note 3)
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Gramercy, Course Downriver
Speed six miles per hour, Eight miles above Tell City, Indiana
Late afternoon, nearly dusk
Captain Morton had run to the aft end of the texas deck when the lookouts called out a ship. Yes, it was a boat (not particularly big) and she was coming fast. Yes. There's the Stars and Stripes. It looks like a six-pounder field piece on her bow. Wait! Another one right behind her.
Morton ran forward. He pulled the whistle lanyard for five longs (enemy sighted). Morton looked at his chart. While the river was going generally to the southwest, at this point he was in a oxbow actually heading northeast. But in a mile or so the river would turn to the southwest again. If Ike would lay into the Kentucky side a bit, I can drag these speedy Yankees right over him. Morton gave the whistle two shorts, waited a few seconds then three more shorts (ambush-left bank). Satisfyingly, he heard the Wildcat's high-pitched whistle.
"Man the guns but don't take the tarps off just yet"
Morton went aft to watch the Yankees.
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Vicksburg, Course Downriver
Speed four miles per hour, Six miles above Tell City, Indiana
Nearly dusk
Ike Henderson had banked his fires to slow down and reduce his plume. He eased his boat as close to the Kentucky shore as close as his pilot would tolerate. He was maintaining steerage way as he would need to turn slightly to starboard to bring his powerful bow battery into play. Henderson had all lights extinguished and had his men man and unmask their guns, but he ordered them to wait for his orders.
Right on cue the Wildcat churns by, running for her life. She would pull up just around the next bend and await developments.
July 17, 1848, Armed Riverboat USS Portsmouth, Course Downriver
Speed eight miles per hour, Seven miles above Tell City, Indiana
Very nearly dusk
"Put one across her bow."
BOOM SPLASH
The shot falls about two hundred yards in front of the bigger boat, which ignores the shot and turns to round the next bend..
"Damme! She doesn't stop. Aim to hit. Marines to stations."
BOOM SPLASH Just behind the bigger boat which then is blocked by the bend.
By now the Webster is ready for action as well.
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Gramercy, Course Downriver
Speed six miles per hour, Six and a half miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
Good, Morton thinks. Ike has chosen wisely. I know where he is supposed to be and I can barely make out the Vicksburg. That drab paint works.
"Uncover the guns. Load up. Fire as she bears."
Morton swung his boat for the middle of the river. If all went well, he'd buy Ike a broadside at three hundred yards.
"There she is!"
"Stern gun fire."
BOOM SPLASH.
Morton did not expect a hit and was not surprised. The splash missed by two hundred yards. The next one, would be more accurate.
July 17, 1848, Armed Riverboat USS Portsmouth, Course Downriver
Speed eight miles per hour, Six and three quarter miles above Tell City, Indiana
Very nearly dusk
So this rascal is armed. The man back in Louisville said nothing about him being armed. Still he missed us by quite a bit. In the gathering gloom the first miss was far enough away that Laskey could not assess that the splash was much bigger than his splashes.
"Fire as she bears."
BOOM SPLASH Very close, but he was firing solid shot and those require a hit to do damage.
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Gramercy, Course Downriver
Speed six miles per hour, Six and a quarter miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
Whoa! That was close.
"Fire as she bears, boys. Make 'em count."
BOOM SPLASH
Morton could barely make out the splash. It was very long.
"Bring 'er down, boys. That was way long."
Morton stopped and surveyed the shoreline. Ike was just where he needed to be. Only thing for Gramercy to do right now is keep dragging the mouse into the trap.
July 17, 1848, Armed Riverboat USS Portsmouth, Course Downriver
Speed eight miles per hour, Six and a half miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
Another splash but she still isn't close.
BOOM
"Hit"
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Gramercy, Course Downriver
Speed six miles per hour, Six miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
urrrr-WHACK
The solid shot nicked the top of the starboard paddlebox (where the paddle wheel was housed) and knocked some of the planks into the river. Apparently no damage to the paddlewheel.
"Give 'er hell, boys."
BOOM SPLASH
July 17, 1848, Armed Riverboat USS Portsmouth, Course Downriver
Speed eight miles per hour, Six and a quarter miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
That was close and it's a mighty big splash.
BOOM
"Hit"
What's that over there?
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Gramercy, Course Downriver
Speed six miles per hour, Five and three quarter miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
urrr-WHACK
That one hit the hurricane deck on the starboard side just forward of the paddlebox Again it was a solid shot and did not start a fire.
C'mon, boys, time for a hit.
BOOM
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Vicksburg, Course Downriver
Speed less than one mile per hour, Six miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
"Fire"
BA-BOOM BA-BOOM
The Vicksburg cut loose with a full broadside. She had slowed nearly to a stop as Henderson brought her bow a little toward the center of the river.
Unmolested and sighted in, firing off a nearly stationary platform, all four guns hit the lead Yankee ship. As ordered, the eighteen pounders had fired low, one hitting right at the water line forward of the port paddle box and the other hit below the waterline right in the paddle box. The six pounders both hit the hurricane deck. None of the Marines were hit as they were mostly clustered in the bow.
Finally the Gramercy's eighteen pounder had hit as well, plunging through the deck at the bow and out the bottom of the boat.
The eighteen pounders had struck fatal blows. The Gramercy's shot had opened her hull to the river. The first of the Vicksburg's shot had ruptured her boiler and scalded most of her engine crew. The second had wrecked the port paddle and opened her yet again to the river. The Portsmouth slewed to port and immediately began to list.
Two of her Marines figured out where the Vicksburg was and started plinking at the Vicksburg, hitting one of the forward gun crews.
"Give her canister, boys."
A minute later four more shots roared forth but this time not solid shot but hundreds of smaller balls. These went right through the light superstructure of the Portsmouth and killing large numbers of her crew, including the Marines. By this time the Portsmouth was sinking fast.
"Shift fire to the trailing ship. Solid shot. All ahead full. Right rudder."
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat Gramercy, Course Downriver
Speed six miles per hour, Five and a half miles above Tell City, Indiana
Right at dusk
"Cease fire. Track on the trailing ship. Right full rudder."
The boat that had been tormenting the Gramercy had been wrecked within a couple of minutes. Time to get the other one.
July 16, 1848, Armed Riverboat USS Webster, Course Downriver
Speed eight miles per hour, Six and a quarter miles above Tell City, Indiana
Dusk
Lieutenant Alden was dumbstruck. One second the Portsmouth was chasing down the secesh, and suddenly she was wrecked and sinking. Alden had seen four flashes off to port and then four more. All he saw was flashes, wherever they came from was hidden in the shoreline.
"Right full rudder. Fire as she bears."
Alden did not know what the secesh had hidden up ahead but one thing was clear - it was quite sufficient to destroy his little boat.
SPLOOSH
Not too close, but he could see the lead ship turning to pursue. His guns fired wildly.
BA-BOOM SPLASH SPLASH
As he got turned around he ordered on all the power she had. No way he was going to let these ships catch him. Fortunately for the Webster, she was hidden by the loom of the dark land behind her. Splashes around her were not particularly close, but Alden was taking no chances and stayed at full speed.
Notes:
1. Gamblers operated at the tolerance of the Captain and that meant they kicked back some of their winnings to the Captains.
2. The Louisville and Portland Canal bypassed the Falls of the Ohio. It was completed in 1830, but had been deemed by many to be obsolete by the late 1830s as riverboats grew longer and beamier. Canal-building took so much capital that the first railroad in Kentucky was the Louisville and Portland Railroad was built specifically to carry goods from larger boats upstream to larger boats waiting downstream. Until the canal was greatly enlarged in the 1870s boats operating below the Falls were considered Mississippi riverboats where those operating above were considered Ohio riverboats.
3. At this time, the US Navy stayed with the same commands used on sailing ships and most of these were borrowed from the Royal Navy. "Battle Stations" was a command that would wait for a later war.
