standing. The cause of the new excitement was evident at once. The
'Tennessee,' as if ashamed of her failure, had left the fort and was
making at full speed directly for the "Hartford," being then perhaps a
mile and a half distant. The spectacle was a grand one, and was viewed
by the Rebel soldiers in both forts, who were now out of range of our
guns, and lined the walls. Few audiences have ever witnessed so
imposing a sight. The great ram came on for a single-handed contest
with the fleet. She was believed to be invulnerable, and had powerful
double engines by which she could be easily handled; while our
monitors were so slow-gaited that they were unable to offer any
serious obstacle to her approach. Farragut himself seemed to place his
chief dependence on his wooden vessels. Doubtless the crowd of
Confederate soldiers who watched the fight expected to see the
'Tennessee' sink the Yankee vessels in detail, and the chances seemed
in its favor....

"Meanwhile, the general signal, 'Attack the enemy,' had gone up to the
peak of the 'Hartford;' and there followed a general slipping of
cables, and a friendly rivalry to see which could quickest meet the
foe. The 'Monongahela,' with her artificial iron prow, was bravely in
the lead, and struck the Rebel craft amidships at full speed, doing no
damage to the ram, but having her own iron prow destroyed, and being
otherwise injured. Next came the 'Lackawanna,' with a like result. The
huge iron frame of the 'Tennessee' scarcely felt the shock, while the
wooden bow of the Union ship was badly demoralized. For an instant the
two vessels swung head and stern alongside of each other. In his
official report, Capt. Marchand naively remarks:--

"'A few of the enemy were seen through their ports, who were using
_most opprobrious_ language. Our marines opened on them with muskets:
even a spittoon and a holystone were thrown at them from our deck,
which drove them away.'

"The 'Tennessee' fired two shots through her bow, and then kept on for
the 'Hartford.' The two flag-ships approached each other, bow to bow.
The two admirals, Farragut and Buchanan, had entered our navy together
as boys, and up to the outbreak of the war had been warm friends. But
now each was hoping for the overthrow of the other; and, had Buchanan
possessed the grit of Farragut, it is probable that moment would have
witnessed the destruction of both vessels. For had the ram struck us
square, as it came, bows on, it w