re covered with blood. Their fire was rapid and admirable.
It has been said in the House of Lords by no less a person than the Duke
of Somerset, that her firing was positively bad; and that she hit the
Kearsarge only three times during the action. By Captain Winslow's own
admission the Kearsarge was hit twenty-eight times by shot and shell--or
once to every fifth discharge. No seaman knowing anything of an actual
engagement on the deep will object to the accuracy of such an aim. Had
the Kearsarge shown the same blank sides as the Alabama, another tale
might have been told. Captain Semmes, however, perceived that his shell
rebounded after striking her, and exploded harmlessly. This led him to
rely upon solid shot. The Alabama, not being thus or in any way
shielded, was pierced with shell, and soon showed vast rents in her
after-part. Her pivot-gun was a distinct mark for the enemy, and a
single shell exploding near it killed and wounded half the number of men
by whom it was worked. Each ship fought her starboard broadside, and
steamed in a circle to keep that side to the enemy. So, for an hour,
this, to a distant spectator, monotonous manoeuvre continued, without
perceptibly narrowing the range. Captain Semmes was standing on the
quarter-deck when the chief engineer sent word to say that the ship was
endangered by leakage. The first lieutenant, Mr. Kell, was sent below to
inspect the damage. He returned with word that the ship was sinking.
Captain Semmes at once ordered the ship to be put about and steered
towards shore. But the water was rising in her: the fires were speedily
extinguished. The Alabama's shot from slackening had now ceased. It was
evident to all on board that she was doomed. To have continued firing
would have been to indulge a stupid rancour, and to act in such a manner
is not in the nature of a seaman like Captain Semmes. On the contrary,
his thoughts were directed towards saving the lives of his crew. He gave
command for the Confederate flag to be hauled down.

Many wild stories are being told of something like a mutiny of the crew
at this desecration of the Southern banner; of how they implored the
Captain to spare them the disgrace of it; and of a certain quartermaster
drawing his cutlass, daring any hand on board to haul down the flag, and
being dramatically threatened with a loaded pistol by Mr. Kell, the
First Lieutenant, and so brought to his senses. The fact is, that the
flag came down quietly a