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CRUISE AND COMBATS OF THE “ALABAMA.”

pivot-gun under the charge of young Midshipman Anderson, who in themidst of the carnage filled his place like a veteran. At this moment the chiefengineer came on deck and reported the fires put out, and that he could nolonger work the engines. Captain Semmes said to me, “ Glo below, sir, andsee how long the ship can float.” As I entered the ward-room the sight wasindeed appalling. There stood Assistant-Surgeon Llewellyn at his post, butthe table and the patient upon it had been swept away from him by an11-inch shell, which opened in the side of the ship an aperture that was fastfilling the ship with water.

It took me but a moment to return to the deck and report to the captainthat we could not float ten minutes. He replied to me, “ Then, sir, ceasefiring, shorten sail, and haul down the colors; it will never do in this nine-teenth century for us to go down, and the decks covered with our gallantwounded.” The order was promptly executed, after which the Kecirsargedeliberately fired into us five shot. ☆ I ordered the men to stand to theirquarters and not flinch from the shot of the enemy; they stood every manto his post most heroically. With the first shot fired upon us after ourcolors were down, the quartermaster was ordered to show a white flag overthe stern, which order was executed in my presence. When the firing ceasedCaptain Bemmes ordered me to dispatch an officer to the Kecirsarge to saythat our ship was sinking, and to ask that they send boats to save ourwounded, as our boats were disabled. The dingey, our smallest boat, hadescaped damage. I dispatched Master’s-mate Fullam with the request. Noboats appearing, I had one of our quarter-boats lowered, which was slightlyinjured, and I ordered the wounded placed in her. Dr. G-alt, the surgeonwho was in charge of the magazine and shell-room division, came on deck atthis moment and was at once put in charge of the boat, with orders to “ take

■fe In Captain Winslow’s letter (dated Cherbourg,June 21st, 1864) to the Secretary of the Navy, hesays : “ Toward the close of the action between

the Alabama and this vessel, all available sail wasmade on the former for the purpose of again reach-ing Cherbourg. When the object was apparentthe Kearsarge was steered across the bow of theAlabama for a raking fire.; but before reaching thispoint the Alabama struck. Uncertain whether Cap-tain Semmes was using some ruse, the Kearsargewas stopped”—and, I may add, continued his fire,for by his own words he thought Captain Semmeswas making some ruse. The report that the Ala-bama fired her guns after the colors were down andshe had shortened sail is not correct. There was acessation in the firing of our guns when we shiftedour battery to port, after which we renewed theaction.

Almost immediately afterward the engineer re-ported the fires put out, when we ceased firing,hauled down the colors, and shortened sail. Therewas no gun fired from the Alabama after that. Cap-tain Winslow may have thought we had surren-dered when we ceased firing and were in the actof shifting the battery; but the idle report thatjunior officers had taken upon themselves to con-

tinue the action after the order had been given tocease firing is not worthy of notice. I did not hearthe firing of a gun, and the discipline of the Ala-bama would not have permitted it.— J. Mcl. K.

In the letter from which Captain Kell quotesCaptain Winslow does not speak of “ continuinghis fire.” But in his detailed report (dated July30th, 1864) Captain Winslow says of the Alabama ,after she had winded and set sail: “Her portbroadside was presented to us, with only two gunsbearing, not having been able, as I learned after-ward, to shift over but one. I saw now that shewas at our mercy, and a few more guns welldirected brought down her flag. I was unable toascertain whether it had been hauled down or shotaway ; but a white flag having been displayed overthe stern our fire was reserved. Two minutes hadnot more than elapsed before she again opened onus with the two guns on the port side. This drewour fire again, and the Kearsarge was immediatelysteamed ahead and laid across her bows for rak-ing. The white flag was still flying, and our firewas again reserved. Shortly after this her boatswere seen to be lowering, and an officer in one otthem came alongside and informed us the ship hadsurrendered and was fast sinking.”— Editors.