CRUISE AND COMBATS OF THE “ALABAMA.

609

“kearsarge.” FIGHTING IN A CIRCUS. “Alabama .”

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for some time, we alternated shell and shot. The enemy’s 11-ineh shells werenow doing severe execution upon our quarter-deck section. Three of themsuccessively entered our 8-inch pivot-gun port: the first swept off the for-ward part of the gun’s crew; the second killed one man and wounded sev-eral others; and the third struck the breast of the gun-carriage, and spunaround on the deck till one of the men picked it up and threw it overboard.Our decks were now covered with the dead and the wounded, and the shipWas careening heavily to starboard from the effects of the shot-holes on herwater-line.

Captain Semmes ordered me to be ready to make all sail possible when thecircuit of fight should put our head to the coast of France ; then he wouldnotify me at the same time to pivot to port and continue the action with theport battery, hoping thus to right the ship and enable us to reach the coastof France . The evolution was performed beautifully, righting the helm,hoisting the liead-sails, hauling aft the fore try-sail sheet, and pivoting toport, the action continuing almost without cessation.

This evolution exposed us to a raking fire, but, strange to say, the Kear-sarge did not take advantage of it. The port side of the quarter-deck was soencumbered with the mangled trunks of the dead that I had to have themthrown overboard, in order to fight the after pivot-gun. I abandoned theafter 32-pounder, and transferred the men to fill up the vacancies at the

tad the 100-pound shell which we placed in thestern-post of the Kearsarge exploded, it would havechanged the result of the fight. I at once exam-ined every fuse and cap, discarding the apparentlydefective, and at the same time made a thoroughoverhauling of the magazine, as I thought; hut the

action with the Kearsarge proved that our entiresupply of powder was damaged. The report fromthe Kearsarge 1 s battery was clear and sharp, thepowder burning like thin vapor, while our gunsgave out a dull report, with thick and heavyvapor.— J. Mcl. K.