REAR-ADMIRAL THORNTON A. JENKINS, U. S. N. In command of the “Richmond.”
it left the Selma, thus giving time to prepare for it by an extra grip around the top of the mast. Looking out over the water, it was easy to trace the course of every shot, both from the guns of the Hartford and from the Confederate fleet. Another signal message from the Brooklyn told of the sinking of the Teewmgeh, a fact known already, and another order to “go on” was given and was not obeyed.
Soon after the fight began, Admiral Farragut, finding that the low-hanging smoke from the guns interfered with his view from the deck, went up the rigging of the mainmast as far as the futtoek-shrouds, immediately below the maintop. The pilot, Martin Freeman, was in the top directly overhead, and the fleet-captain was on the deck below. Seeing the admiral in this exposed position, where, if wounded, he would be killed by falling to the deck, Fleet-Captain Drayton ordered Knowles, the signal-quartermaster, to fasten a rope around him so that he would be prevented from falling.
Finding that the Brooklyn failed to obey his orders, the admiral hurriedly inquired of the pilot if there was sufficient depth of water for the Hartford to pass to the left of the Brooklyn. !Receiving an affirmative reply, he said: “I will take the lead,” and immediately ordered the Hartford ahead at full speed. As he passed the Brooklyn a voice warned him of the torpedoes, to which he returned the contemptuous answer, “Damn the torpedoes.” This is the current story, and may have some basis of truth. But as a matter of fact, there was never a moment when the din of the battle would not have drowned any attempt at conversation between the two ships, and while it is quite probable that the admiral made the remark it is doubtful if he shouted it to the Brooklyn.
Then was witnessed the remarkable sight of the Hartford and her consort, the Metacomet, passing over the dreaded torpedo ground, and rushing ahead far in advance of the rest of the fleet, the extrication of which from the confusion caused by the
SAND ISLAND LIGHT.
FORT MORGAN.	HARTFORD.”	BROOKLYN."
THE BATTLE OF MOBILE BAY, LOOKING SOUTH AND EASTWARD.
From a war-time sketch.
' TENNESSEE,
cut down by scores, unable to make reply. The sight on deck was sickening beyond the power of words to portray. Shot after shot came through the side, mowing down the men, deluging the decks with blood, and scattering mangled fragments of humanity so thickly that it was difficult to stand on the deck, so slippery was it. The old expressions of the “scuppers running blood,” “the slippery deck,” etc., give but the faintest idea of the spectacle on the Hartford. The bodies of the dead were placed in a long row on the port side, while the wounded were sent below until the surgeons’ quarters would hold no more. A solid shot coming through the bow struck a gunner on the neck, completely severing head from body. One poor fellow (afterward an object of interest at the great Sanitary Commission Fair in New York) lost both legs by a cannon-ball; as he fell he threw up both arms, just in time to have them also carried away by another shot. At one gun, all the crew on one side were swept down by a shot which came crashing through the bulwarks. A shell burst between the two forward guns in charge of Lieutenant Tyson, killing and wounding fifteen men. The mast upon which the writer was perched was twice struck, once slightly, and again just below the foretop by a heavy shell from a rifle on the Confederate gun-boat Selma. Fortunately the shell came tumbling end over end, and buried itself in the mast, butt-end first, leaving the percussion-cap protruding. Had it come point first, or had it struck at any other part of the mast than in the reinforced portion where the heel of the topmast laps the top of the lower mast, this contribution to the literature of the war would probably have been lost to the world, as the distance to the deck was about a hundred feet. As it was, the sudden jar would have dislodged any one from the cross-trees had not the shell been visible from the time
fort in reply. Soon the cannon-balls began to crash through the deck above us, and then the thunder of our whole broadside of nine Dahlgren guns kept the vessel in a quiver. But as yet no wounded were sent down, and we knew we were still at comparatively long range. In the intense excitement of the occasion it seemed that hours had passed, but it was just twenty minutes from the time we went below, when an officer shouted down th e hatchway: ‘ ‘ Send up an army signal-officer immediately; the Brooklyn is signaling.” In a moment the writer was on deck, where he found the situation as already described. Running on to the forecastle, he hastily took the Brooklyn’s message, which imparted the unnecessary information, ‘ ‘ The monitors are right ahead; we cannot go on without passing them.” The reply was sent at once from the admiral, “ Order the monitors ahead and go on.” But still the Brooklyn halted, while, to add to the horror of the situation, the monitor Tecumseh, a few hundred yards in the advance, suddenly careened to one side and almost instantly sank to the bottom, carrying with her Captain Tunis A. M. Craven and the greater part of his crew, numbering in all 114 officers and men. The pilot, John Collins, and a few men who were in the turret, jumped into the water and were rescued by a boat from the Metacomet, which, under charge of Acting Ensign Henry C. Nields, rowed up under the guns of the fort and through a deadly storm of shot and shell and picked them up. Meanwhile the Brooklyn failed to go ahead, and the whole fleet became a stationary point blank target for the guns of Fort Morgan and of the rebel vessels. It was during these few perilous moments that the most fatal work of the day was done to the fleet.
Owing to the Hartford’«position, only herfewbow guns could be used, while a deadly rain of shot and shell was falling upon her, and her men were being
REAR-ADMIRAL JAMES E. JOUETT, U. S. N.
Iii command of tlie “ Metacomet.”
lead, with the ram Tennessee approaching and with the unknown danger of the torpedoes underneath. At this critical moment the Brooklyn halted and began backing and signaling with the army signals. The Hartford was immediately behind and the following vessels were in close proximity, and the sudden stopping of the Brooklyn threatened to bring the whole fleet into collision, while the strong inflowing tide was likely to carry some of the vessels to the shore under the guns of the fort.
On the previous night the admiral had issued orders that the army signal-officers were not to be allowed on deck during the fight, but were to go into the cockpit, on the lower deck, and assist the surgeons. The reason assigned was that these officers would not be needed, during the passage of the forts, but would be wanted afterward to open communication with the army, and that therefore it would be a misfortune to have any of them disabled. The two army signal-officers on the Hartford disrelished this order exceedingly, and, after consulting together, decided that in the confusion of the occasion their presence on deck would probably not be noticed, and that they would evade the command if possible. In this they were successful until shortly before passing Sand Island and coming within range of Fort Morgan. Then the executive officer, Lieutenant-Commander Lewis A. Kimberly, who never allowed anything to escape his attention, came to them very quietly and politely, and told them the admiral’s order must be obeyed. We were satisfied from his manner that the surgeons had need of us, and, without endeavoring to argue the matter, made our way to the stifling hold, where Surgeon Lansdale and Assistant-Surgeon Commons, with their helpers, were sitting, with their paraphernalia spread out ready for use.
Nearly every man had his watch in his hand awaiting the first shot. To us, ignorant of everything going on above, every minute seemed an hour, and there was a feeling of great relief when the boom of the TecumseWs first gun was heard. Presently one or two of our forward guns opened, and we could hear the distant sound of the guns of the