Page:Maud Howe - Atlanta in the South.djvu/102

 up to a point just below Forts Jackson and Philip on the sixteenth of April; and for six days and nights the bombardment was kept up, the corvettes and gun-boats taking part by turns in running up, delivering their fire, and dropping down with the current out of range again. The forts replied vigorously. Our object was to force a passage through the floating obstructions, and the officer I have spoken of was returning from his examination of the work already done. He had avoided with some difficulty the fire-rafts which, you will remember, were sent down every night to destroy our ships, and was very close to the vessel, when he saw a boat stealing out from the shore in the same direction. He thought her action suspicious, and gave orders to pursue her. He soon caught up with the crazy old craft, which carried only one man, and challenged her, ordering the man to surrender. He refused, and bent to his oars. The officer fired his revolver, the man returned the fire; then there was a flash, a crash, an explosion, and the officer knew nothing more till he came to himself the next morning in the sick bay below there. The torpedo intended to blow up the man-of-war had exploded prematurely. His boat had been blown to splinters, and he himself thrown into the water, from which he was rescued by two of his men, who supported him till relief came from the ship, where