ay, as did the other vessels that had anchored, and
signal was made to the monitors to destroy the ram and to the
Monongahela, Lackawanna, and Ossipee to ram the enemy's principal
vessel. These ships took ground to carry out their orders, and when
the Tennessee was about four hundred yards from the fleet the
Monongahela struck her fairly amidships on the starboard side. Just
before the blow the ram fired two shells, which passed through her
enemy's berth-deck, one exploding and wounding an officer and two men.
She then passed on the starboard side of the Monongahela and received
a broadside at the distance of ten yards, but without harm. The
Lackawanna followed, striking a square blow on the port side at the
after end of the casemate. The Tennessee listed over heavily and swung
round, so that the two vessels lay alongside head and stern, the port
sides touching; but as the Lackawanna's battery had been mostly
shifted to the starboard side to engage the fort she had only one
IX-inch gun available, the shot from which struck one of the enemy's
port shutters driving fragments into the casemates. The Lackawanna
then kept away, making a circuit to ram again. She had her stem cut
and crushed from three feet above the water-line to five below,
causing some leakage, and the Monongahela had her iron prow carried
away and the butt ends of the planking started on both bows; but the
only damage caused to the Tennessee, protected by her sponsons, was a
leak at the rate of about six inches an hour. The flag-ship now
approached to ram, also on the port side; but the Tennessee turned
toward her so that the bluff of the port bow in each ship took the
blow. The Hartford's anchor was hanging from the hawse-pipe, there not
having been time to cat it, and acted as a fender, being doubled up
under the blow, and the two vessels rasped by, the port sides
touching. Most of the Hartford's battery was also on the starboard
side, but there were still seven IX-inch guns which sent out their
solid shot with their heaviest charge of powder; yet at a distance of
ten feet they did the Tennessee no harm. The primers of the latter
again failed her, being heard by the flagship's people to snap
unsuccessfully several times; one gun finally went off, and the shell
exploding on the berth-deck killed and wounded an officer and several
men. This was the last shot fired by the Tennessee. The Hartford put
her helm to starboard and made a circle to ram again, but