. Two years on the Alabama. ss, and both ofcourse at quarters. Our men are wild with excitementand expectation. In the darkness it is impossible to makeout her class except that she is a side-wheeler. Our crewhave lock-strings in hand, keeping the gun trained on her,and awaiting the command to fire. The two vessels areso near that conversation in ordinary tones can be easilyheard from one to the other. For a time the Hatteraspeople seem to be consulting. Finally they hailed again, If you please, F11 send a boat on board of you to whichour executive officer replied, Certainly, we shall be pleas
. Two years on the Alabama. ss, and both ofcourse at quarters. Our men are wild with excitementand expectation. In the darkness it is impossible to makeout her class except that she is a side-wheeler. Our crewhave lock-strings in hand, keeping the gun trained on her,and awaiting the command to fire. The two vessels areso near that conversation in ordinary tones can be easilyheard from one to the other. For a time the Hatteraspeople seem to be consulting. Finally they hailed again, If you please, F11 send a boat on board of you to whichour executive officer replied, Certainly, we shall be pleasedto receive your boat. The boat was soon lowered fromthe davits and began pulling toward us. All occasion forsubterfuge being now at an end, word was immediatelypassed to the divisions that the signal to fire would be Alabama. When the boat was about half-way betweenthe two vessels, Lieut. Kell hailed, This is the Confed-erate States steamer Alabama! The last word hadbarely passed his lips when sky and water are lighted up. Sailing Master Irvine S. Bulloch ENGAGEMENT WITH THE HATTER AS 69 by the flash of our broadside, instantly followed as itseemed by that of the enemy. A running fight was nowkept up, the Alabama fighting her starboard, and theHatteras her port battery, both vessels gathering headwayrapidly. Never did a crew handle a battery more deftlythan ours. About six broadsides were fired by us. Theenemy replied irregularly, and the action only lasted thir-teen minutes. It was evident to us from the trifling natureof the wounds to our hull and rigging that the Hatteraswas being whipped. A crash amongst her machinery soonsettled the business. Then she fired a lee gun, and weheard the quick, sharp hail of surrender, accompanied bythe request that our boats be sent to her immediately, asshe was sinking. The whole thing had passed so quicklythat it seemed to us like a dream. Our battery was hastilysecured, and then our boats started for her at lightningspeed. The daily prac
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, bookpublisherbosto, bookyear1895
