This narrative which I have given you is very tame. Look at the scene once more,--the early morning, the cloudless sky, the majestic river, the hostile fleets, the black pall of smoke overhanging the city, the forest, the stream, the moving of the boats, the terrific cannonade, the assembled thousands, the glorious advance of the Queen and the Monarch, the crashing and splintering of timbers, the rifle-shots, the sinking of vessels, the cries of drowning men, the gallantry of the crews of the Benton and Carondelet, the weeping and wailing of the multitude, the burnings, the explosions, the earthquake shock, which shakes the city to its foundations! These are the events of a single hour. Remember the circumstances,--that the fight is before the city, before expectant thousands, who have been invited to the entertainment,--the sinking of the Union fleet,--that they are to see the prowess of their husbands, brothers, and friends, that their strength is utter weakness,--that, after thirteen months of robbery, outrage, and villany, the despised, insulted flag of the Union rises from its burial, and waves once more above them in stainless purity and glory! Take all under consideration, if you would feel the moral sublimity of the hour! In these pages, my young friends, I have endeavored to make a contribution of facts to the history of this great struggle of our beloved country for national life. It has been my privilege to see other engagements at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg, and if this book is acceptable to you, I hope to be able to tell the stories of those terrible battles. THE END TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES: 1. Minor changes have been made to correct typesetters' errors; otherwise every effort has been made to be faithful to the author's words and intent. 2. In the edition from which this e-text has been transcribed, the printers omitted the words "At a" from the 9th paragraph of Chapter IV. The research staff at the University of Northern Colorado, Greely, Colorado, were kind enough to locate their edition, and find the correct words to commence the sentence. 3. Page numbering in the List of Diagrams for "A Rebel Torpedo" has been changed to reflect the illustration's final placement in this e-text.