The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-25

AT this Juncture the enemy's leading
vessel backed water and stored to
one side, which arrested the progress
| of the whole squadron. But at this
| supreme moment the second vessel, Ad-
miral Farragut's flagship, the Hart
/ ford, forged ahead, and Farragut,
| showing the nerve and determination
| of the officer and the man, gave the
| order:
Damn the torpedoes! Go ahead"
| 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 un-
| der the bottoms of their ships and that
| they expected every moment to be
| blown into high air. The slightest de-
! lay at that time on the part of Farra-
| gut, subjected as he was to the terrible
| fire of the fort and fleet, would have
| been disaster, defeat and the probable
| loss Of his entire squadron, but he
proved to be the man for the emergen-
| cy.
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
| destructive, continuous, and severe
| that after we emerged from it there
was nothing left standing as large as
your little finger. Everything had been
| shot away-smokestacks, boats. davits,
stanchions, and, in fact, fore and aft"
| our deck had been swept absolutely
| clean. A few of our men were slightly
wounded, and when the last vessel hal
passed us and been fought in turn we
| had been in action more than an hour
and a half, and then the enemys 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 already won
half the battle. He had passed the fort
and fleet, and had ten wooden vessels
and three monitors left in good lighting
| trim.
| Neither the officers nor men Of either
| fleet had as yet been to breakfast, and
the order was given, "GO to breakfast" 4"
For us on the Tennessee to eat below
was simply impossible, on account of
the heat and humidity. The heat was
terrific. Intense thirst prevailed The
men rushed to the 'scuttle butts" or
water tanks, and drank greedily. Soon
hard tack" and coffee We're 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 fight
ing. was stumping up and down the
deck, lame from a wound received in
his first engagement in the Merrlmac,
and in about fifteen minutes we OBJ
served that instead of heading for the
safe "lee" of the fort, our iron prov
was pointed for the enemys feet Sup
pressed exclamations were beginning to
be heard from the officers and crew.
"The old admiral has not had his
fight out yet. He il heading for that
big fleet. He will get his fill Of it up
there" they said
Slowly and gradually this fact be-
came apparent to us, and ], being on
his staff and in close association with
him, ventured to ask him:
Are you going into that feet, adj
miral?"
II am, sir" was his reply Without
intending to be heard by him, / said to
an officer standing near me:
well, Wen never come out OF there
whole"
Buchanan had heard my remark, and,
turning around, said sharply: