On the 5th of May the ram put in an appearance, steaming down the
river. Deliberately she approached within easy range, then let fly a
shot at the "Mattabesett" which knocked her launch to pieces and
wounded several men. The "Mattabesett" ran up to within one hundred
and fifty yards of the "Albemarle," and gave her a broadside of solid
shot from nine-inch Dahlgrens and one hundred-pounder rifles. When
these shot struck a sloping place on the ram's armor, they glanced
off. Those that struck full on the plating simply crumbled to pieces,
leaving no dent to tell of the blow. One beautifully aimed shot struck
the muzzle of one of the cannon on the ram and broke it. The gun
was used throughout the fight, however, as the "Albemarle" carried but
two and could not spare one of them. The "Sassacus" followed in line
of battle. She delivered her broadside in passing. The ram rushed
madly at her, but was evaded by good steering. Then the "Sassacus" in
turn rushed at the ram at full speed, thinking to run her down. She
struck amidships at right angles, and with the crash of the collision
came a hundred-pound shot from the ram, that passed through the wooden
ship from end to end. Still the engines of the "Sassacus" were kept
going, in the hope of pushing the "Albemarle" beneath the water. The
iron-clad careened slowly, the water washed over her after-deck; the
crew of the "Sassacus," far out on the bow, tried vainly to drop
shells and packages of powder down the ram's smoking chimneys. It was
a moment of intense excitement. But the ram was too much for her
assailant. Recovering from the shock of the collision, she slowly
swung around until her bow-gun could be brought to bear on her
tormentor, when she let fly a ponderous bolt. It crashed through the
side of the steamer and plunged into her boiler. In an instant hot,
scalding steam filled the engine-room and spread over the whole ship.
Cries of agony arose on every side. Twenty-one of the crew were
terribly scalded. Nothing remained but retreat; and the "Sassacus"
steamed away from her enemy, after making one of the bravest fights in
naval history. In the mean time the other gunboats were pounding away
at the ram. The "Miami" was trying in vain to get an opportunity to
discharge a large torpedo. Two other vessels were spreading nets about
the great ship, trying to foul the propeller. The action continued
until dark, when the ram withdrew, uninjured and without losing a man.
She had