The Gulf and Inland Waters: The Navy in the Civil War. Volume 3.Mahan, A. T. (Alfred Thayer)
History
The Gulf and Inland Waters: The Navy in the Civil War. Volume 3.
Mahan, A. T. (Alfred Thayer)
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Naval operations; United States. Navy -- History
The bow and stern port shutters of the Tennessee were now jammed, so
that those guns could not be used. Soon her smoke-stack came down and
the smoke rising from its stump poured through the gratings on to the
gun-deck, where the thermometer now stood at 120 deg.. At about the same
time the tiller-chains were shot away from their exposed position over
the after-deck. Losing thus the power of directing her movements, the
Tennessee headed aimlessly down the bay, followed always by the
unrelenting Chickasaw, under the pounding of whose heavy guns the
after-end of the shield was now seen, by those within, to be
perceptibly vibrating. The Manhattan and Winnebago were also at work,
and the Hartford, Ossipee, and other vessels were seeking their chance
to ram again. During this time Buchanan, who was superintending in
person the working of the battery, sent for a machinist to back out
the pin of a jammed port shutter; while the man was at work a shot
struck just outside where he was sitting, the concussion crushing him
so that the remains had to be shovelled into buckets. At the same
moment the admiral received a wound from an iron splinter, breaking
his leg. The command then fell upon Captain Johnston, who endured the
hammering, powerless to reply, for twenty minutes longer; then, after
consultation with the admiral, he hauled down the flag which was
hoisted on a boat-hook thrust through the grating. As it had before
been shot away the fire of the fleet did not stop, and Johnston
accordingly went on the roof and showed a white flag. As he stood
there the Ossipee was approaching at full speed to ram on the
starboard side, passing the sluggish Winnebago, whose captain, still
outside his turret, exchanged greetings with his more fortunate
competitor. Her helm was put over and engines backed at once, but it
was too late to avoid the collision. As they came together her captain
appeared on the forecastle and, along with the blow, Johnston received
a genial greeting from the most genial of men: "Hallo, Johnston, old
fellow! how are you? This is the United States Steamer Ossipee. I'll
send a boat alongside for you. Le Roy, don't you know me?" The boat
was sent and the United States flag hoisted on board the Tennessee at
ten o'clock.[37]
The fight had lasted a little over an hour. The loss of the Tennessee
was 2 killed and 10 wounded, that of the Union fleet, from the forts
and the enemy's squadron, 52 killed and 170 wounded.[38] Besides the
loss of the smoke-stack and steering-gear, the injuries to the
casemate of the ram were very severe. On the after-side nearly all the
plating was found to be started, the after gun-carriage was disabled
and there were distinct marks of nine XI-inch solid shot having struck
within a few square feet of that port. The only shot that penetrated
the casing was the one XV-inch from the Manhattan. Three port shutters
were so damaged as to stop the firing of the guns.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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