Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-08
then we knew that the gage of battle

then we knew that the gage Of battle"
was offered.
We had been very uncomfortable for
many weeks on board the Tennessee, In
consequence OF the prevailing heavy rains
wetting the decks, and the terribly moist.
hot atmosphere, which was like that OPP
pressiveness which precedes a tornado.
1t was, therefore, impossible to sleep in
side; besides, from the want OF properly
cooked food and the continuous wetting
Of the decks at night. the officers and
men wore rendered desperate. We knew
that the impending action would soon be
Cttermined orc way or the other, and
eve " one looked forward TO it with a
positive feeling Of RELIEF.
l had been sleeping on the deck OF the
Admrafs cabin for two OF three nights
when, at daybreak on August 5th the old
quartermasteT came down the ladder,
and. rousing us with his gruff voice. said:
Admiral. the officer of the deck bids
me report that the enemy's feet is under
way"
Jumping up, still half asleep, we came
on deck, and sure enough there was the
enemy heading for the passage past the
fort. The Admiral of sixty years, with his
countenance rigid and stern. showing a
determination for battle in every line,
then gave his only order:
Get under way. Captain Johnson. Head
for tho leading vessel Of the enemy, and
fight each one as it passes"
The fort and feet by this time had
opened fire, and the Tennessee replied,
standing close in and meeting each fore
most vessel as it came up. We could see
two long lines of men-of-war, the inner
most was composed of the four monitors,
and the outer of the ten wooden frigates,
all engaging the fort and fleet. Just at
the moment we expected the monitors
TO open fire upon us there was halt In
the progress of the enemy's fleet. We OBJ
served that one Of the monitors was APP
parently at a standstill. 1t laid to- for
a moment, seemed TO reel, then slowly
disappeared in the Gulf. Immediately
immense bubbles OF steam as large as
caldrons rose to the surface Of the water,
and only eight men could be seen in the
turmoil. Boats were sent to their rescue
both from the fort and feet, and they
were saved Thus the monitor Tecumseh
at the beginning of the fight, struck by
a torpedo, went to her fate at the bot
tom Of the Gulf. where she still lies.
Sunk with her was her chivalric COM
mander. T. A. NJ. Craven. The pilot, an
survivors picked up by the Federal boats,
and they were on duty in the turret.
The pilot, with whom l some time after
ward conversed at Pensacola on the sub
ject, told me that when the vessel ca
reened so that water began to run into
the mouth of the turret, he and Captain
Craven were on the ladder together the
Captain on the top step with the way open
for his easy and honorable escape. The
pilot said:
Go ahead, Captain"
mo. siri' replied Captain Craven. "Af-
ter you. pilot; leave my ship last"
Upon this the pilot sprung up and Cra-
ven went down, thus sacrificing himself
through a chivalric sense of duty.
There was dead silence on board the
Tennessee. The men peered through the
portfolios at the awful catastrophe, and
spoke TO each other only in whispers, for
they al! knew that the same fate was
probably awaiting us, for we were then
directly over the "torpedO-bed," and shut
up tightly as we were in our iron cap
sule' in a moment it might prove our
coffin.
At this juncture the enemy's leading
vessel backed water" and steered to one
side which arrested the progress Of the
moment the second vessel, Admiral Far
raguts flagship, the Hartford, forged
ahead. and Farragut, showing the nerve
and determination of the officer and the
man, gave the order:
Damn the torpedoesl Go aheadw
Away he went crashing through their
bed to history and renown. Some of the
officers told me afterward that they
could hear the torpedoes swapping under
the bottoms of their ships. and that they
expected every moment TO be blown into
high air. The slightest delay at that
time on the part of Farragut. subjected
as he was TO the terrible fire OF the fort
and fleet, would have been disaster de-
feat, and the probable loss Of his entire
squadron. but he proved to be the man
FOL the emergency.
We in the Tennessee, advancing very
slowly, at the rate Of about two miles an
hour. met the leading vessels Of the
enemy as they passed and fought them
face TO face, but their fire was so de-
structive, continuous, and severe that at
ter we emerged from ii there was nothing
left standing as large as your little fin
ger. Everything had been shot away
smokestacks. boats, davits. stanchons,
and, i'm fact, fore and aft' our deck had
been swept absolutely clean. few of
our men were slightly wounded and wher
the last vessel had passed us and been
fought in turn we had been in action
more than an hour and a half, and then
the enemy's fleet somewhat disabled. Of
course, kept on up the bay and anchored
about four miles away. So ended the
first part OF the fight. Farragut had al
ready won half the battle. He had passed
the fort and fleet. and had ten wooden
vessels and three monitors left in good
fighting trim.
Neither the officers nor men of either
feet had as yet been to breakfast, and
he order was given, Go 10 breakfast 4"
For us on the Tennessee 10 eat below
was simply impossible. on account of the
heat and humidity. The heat was ter
rife. Intense thirst prevailed. The men
rushed 10 the 'scuttle butts" or water
tanks, and drank greedily. Soon hard
tack" and coffee were furnished. the men
all eating standing. creeping out Of the
ports of the shield to get a little fresh
air. the officers going TO the upper deck.
| Admiral Buchanan, grim silent, and
rigid with prospective fighting, was
stumping up and down the ideck. lame
from a wound received in his first en-
gagement in the Merrimac. and in about
fifteen minutes we observed that instead
Of heading for the safe Zee" OF the fort
our iron prov was pointed for the enc
my's fleet. Suppressed EXPLANATIONS were
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