tons, 10 guns, Lieut.-Com'r Clark H. Wells.

The Octorara, Metacomet, and Port Royal were side-wheel double-enders;
the others were screw ships. All had been built for the naval service.

The evening before the action it was raining hard, but toward midnight
stopped and became clear, hot, and calm. The preparations were all
made and the vessels lay quietly at their anchors; the wooden ships
outside, the monitors behind Sand Island. Later a light air sprung up
from the southwest, thus fulfilling the admiral's wish. He was not
well, sleeping restlessly, and about three in the morning sent his
steward to find out how the wind was. When he learned it was
southwest, he said: "Then we will go in this morning." Soon after, the
hands were turned up and hammocks stowed. Between 4 and 5 o'clock the
lighter vessels came alongside and were lashed to their consorts. At
5.30 the signal was made to get under way and the Brooklyn weighed at
once, the other vessels following in order, the monitors at the same
time standing out from their anchorage. The fleet steamed slowly in to
the bar, to allow its members to take and keep their stations, the
crews in the meantime going to quarters and clearing for action. At
6.10 the bar was crossed by the flag-ship, and by 6.30 the order for
battle was fairly formed and the monitors taking their stations; in
doing which a slight delay occurred. At this time all the ships
hoisted the United States flag at the peak and the three mastheads,
and the Tecumseh fired the first two shots at the fort. At five
minutes before seven the fleet went ahead again, and at five minutes
past the fort opened upon the Brooklyn, the leading ship, which
answered at once with her bow rifle, and immediately afterward the
action became general along the line between the fort, the monitors
(except the Tecumseh), and the bow guns of the fleet; at the same time
the enemy's gunboats moved out from behind Morgan and formed in line
ahead, east and west, across the channel just inside the lines of
torpedoes. From this position they had a raking fire upon the fleet,
which was confined to a nearly north course (north by east), until it
had passed the fort and the buoy. At half-past seven the leading ships
had their broadsides bearing fairly on the works, and while they
maintained that position their heavy fire so kept down the enemy's
that the latter did little harm.

The Tecumseh, after firing the two first guns, as stated above,