iron, but the solid shot merely dented the
side and bounded harmlessly into the air.
Incensed Yankee sailors fired revolvers into
the enemy’s gun ports, one shot horribly
mutilating the face of the chief engineer. The
ram replied by sending a shell battering
through Hartford’s berth deck and sick bay,
killing eight. Locked in a death grip, the
ships came port to port so close that an
engineer on the Tennesseebayoneted a
Union man on the Hartford, and a Union
sailor put a pistol ball through the engineer’s
shoulder at point-blank range.
Farragut put his helm to starboard and
circled to ram again, when the Lack-
awanna, misjudging the swiftly changing
positions of a dozen vessels all converging
on a single point, rammed the Hartford
starboard aft, cutting a deep wound to
within two feet of the waterline. For the
moment, pandemonium reigned, some
sailors believing the flagship was sliced
through, and she might have been had the
Lackawannastill carried her iron prow.
Looking over the side, Farragut saw a few
inches of plank above water and ordered
Drayton to advance full speed at theenemy. Within a few moments of the
order, the Lackawannaagain loomed up
on starboard.
The agitated admiral yelled to the army
signal officer, Lieutenant Kinney, “Can you
say ‘For God’s sake’ by signal?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Then say to the Lackawanna, ‘For God’s
sake, get out of our way and anchor!!’”
The Hartford steamed ahead. Sur-
rounded on all sides, Tennessee became the
target of the whole squadron. She had
been rammed at least four times, but as her
casemate construction was continued well
below the waterline, the principal damage
was suffered by the Union ships.
But the dauntless, if foolishly directed,
Tennesseewas in her death throes. The
twin-turreted ironclads Chickasawand
Winnebagodoggedly tormented her by
placing themselves directly astern, “firing
the two eleven-inch guns in their forward
turret like pocket pistols.” The Tennessee’s
armor began to crack. Then all the weak
points of the ironclad began to fail; the port
shutters, their chains shattered, blocked the
portholes, making it impossible for gunnersto fire. The rudder chains were smashed,
making it impossible to steer.
With the Tennesseeout of control, the
Chickasawwas able to lie alongside, almost
rail to rail, and begin hammering the case-
mate with all four of her guns. The funnel,
knocked to pieces, caused steam pressure to
fall to almost zero, and a suffocating smoke
permeated the ironclad while the tempera-
ture in the engine room increased to 145
degrees. Incapable of steering, standing still,
with water pouring in from leaks opened
by repeated collisions with the enemy, the
Tennesseewas wholly disabled.
“Realizing our helpless condition,” con-
vinced that the ship was “nothing more
than a target,” Commander Johnston went
below to inform Admiral Buchanan, who
said with what must have been the bitterest
gall, “If you cannot do further damage you
had better surrender.” Johnston climbed to
the hurricane deck, lowered the Confeder-
ate colors and, “decided with an almost
bursting heart, to hoist the white flag.”
It was about 10 o’clock in the morning.
But the USS Ossipeewas bearing down
under a full head of steam, could not checkABOVE: Overwhelmed by Union ships, the stackless and battered CSS Tennesseesurrenders to her foes. OPPOSITE: Smoke and flame spew from dueling ships
in the action at the entrance of Mobile Bay. Fort Morgan is seen in the left background in this 1901 rendition of the battle.Peter Newarkʼs Military PicturesCWQ-EW16 Mobile Bay_Layout 1 10/22/15 1:10 PM Page 68