Page:Cambridge Modern History Volume 7.djvu/587

1864] Sinking of the Tecumseh ; Farragufs exploit. 655 of the larger ships ; and sandbags were in some cases used to defend the decks and sides against shell-fire. At dawn on August 5 the signal was given for the fleet to make the perilous attempt, and open the last and fiercest naval encounter of the war. The monitor Tecumseh, captained by Commander Craven, led the way; and as she came on the Tennessee moved into position to support the fort. Straight at the gap in the chain of torpedoes went the Tecumseh ; then, as her captain saw the Tennessee on the further side of the fateful line, he turned deliberately and headed across the field of danger, probably because he thought it impossible to take his badly-steering vessel through the narrow gap in the torpedo line. As his ship passed over the torpedoes a dull muffled roar was heard. The sea heaved; the Tecumseh rolled violently from side to side ; then she lurched forward and her bows plunged, showing to her comrades astern her whirling screw. She sank with incredible swiftness ; and, as she went down, Craven, who was with the pilot in the conning- tower, made an instinctive movement towards the narrow man-hole, in order to escape. But even as he moved, his chivalry asserted itself. " After you, pilot," he exclaimed, and drew back to make room for his comrade, who passed through the man-hole and escaped, while the gallant Craven went down with his ship. While this scene was being enacted, the other monitors were passing safely under the fort and up the channel. The wooden ships had now overhauled the monitors and were bunched up to the lee of them. The Brooklyn, first in the line of wooden ships, stopped and signalled that she could not go ahead owing to the monitors in her way. The Hartford, with Farragufs flag, had also to stop, under the guns of the fort. The fire on the ships was heavy; ahead was the line of torpedoes; and the fate of the Tecumseh showed that the danger from them was real and terrible. But Farragut was equal to the emergency; as his line curled up and fell into disorder he defied the torpedoes, and went ahead full speed across the mines. The snapping of the torpedo primers was plainly heard in the terrible seconds during which the Hartford was forging across the mine-field ; there was dead silence on board amid the roar of the fight, while men held their breath and waited in expectation for the explosion to follow; but the ship passed in safety and steamed on to meet the Tennessee. The line behind straightened out; and the other ships ran by the fort without the loss of a single vessel. After a short but fierce encounter with the wooden ships and four unsuccessful attempts to ram, the Tennessee was attacked by the Wmnebago, without much effect, though the Southern ship was com- pelled to retire under Fort Morgan, to give her gunners rest. Two of the Confederate gunboats were sunk before she returned to the fray; the third, like the Tennessee, was driven to the shelter of the fort. After a brief rest the Tennessee once more moved out to the attack, though CH. XVII.