fire-raft

• “A fire-raft, pushed by the ram Manassas against the flag-ship (the Hartford), set it on fire, and at the same instant it ran aground; but by the prompt and disciplined exertions of the men the flame was extinguished in a few minutes and the ship got afloat, never ceasing its fire upon the enemy.”

  Great Men and Famous Women. Vol. 2 of 8 A series of pen and pencil sketches of the lives of more than 200 of the most prominent personages in History

• “Besides the forts there was the _Louisiana_ floating battery that helped to swell the storm of shot and shell; and down the river came a fire-raft gallantly towed by a tug.”

  Captains of the Civil War; a chronicle of the blue and the gray

• “At a moment when she slightly grounded a huge fire-raft, fully ablaze, was pushed against her by a rebel tug, and the flames caught in the paint on her side, and mounted into her rigging.”

  A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln

• “Confederate vessels anchored above them were busily engaged in getting ready a fire-raft which was to float down the river, and make havoc among the vessels of the Union fleet.”

  The Naval History of the United States Volume 2 (of 2)

• “The flagship "Hartford" was met by a tug which pushed a huge burning fire-raft against her sides.”

  The Naval History of the United States Volume 2 (of 2)

• “As a last resort, the flying enemy sent down a huge fire-raft, in the hope of burning some of the Union vessels; but this was stopped by the piers of a railroad bridge, and, burning that, effectually cut off Newbern's communication with the world.”

  The Naval History of the United States Volume 2 (of 2)

• “Presently, from an officer who had been captured as he was setting free a fire-raft upon the river to run among the boats of our fleet, I heard that Doltaire had been confined in the Intendance from a wound given by a stupid sentry.”

  The Project Gutenberg Complete Works of Gilbert Parker

• “A vast fire-raft was constructed, composed of some seventy schooners, boats, and rafts, chained together, and loaded with combustibles and explosives.”

  Deeds that Won the Empire Historic Battle Scenes

• “The fire-raft is described as being 100 fathoms in length, and its appearance, as it came drifting on the current, a mass of roaring fire, discharging every instant a shower of missiles, was terrifying.”

  Deeds that Won the Empire Historic Battle Scenes

• “Soon after passing the obstructions, and when about to sheer in toward Fort Jackson, upon which was to be concentrated her own battery and that of her two formidable followers, a fire-raft was observed coming down the river in such a way as to make contact probable if the course were not changed.”

  Admiral Farragut

Show 10 more examples...