ounce of coal." In his report of
the battle, Farragut warmly acknowledged the zeal and energy of Jenkins,
to which he owed the seasonable arrival of this important
re-enforcement. "He takes," he said, "as much interest in the fleet now
as formerly when he was my chief-of-staff. He is also commanding officer
of the second division of my squadron, and as such has shown ability and
the most untiring zeal.... I feel I should not be doing my duty did I
not call the attention of the Department to an officer who has performed
all his various duties with so much zeal and fidelity." Farragut has
been charged with failure to notice adequately the services of those
under him; but the foregoing words, which are not by any means
unparalleled in his dispatches, show that he could praise cordially when
he saw fitting occasion.

The night of August 4th was quiet, the sea smooth, with a light air just
rippling the surface of the water. At sundown it had been raining hard,
but toward midnight cleared off, the weather becoming hot and calm.
Later on a light air again sprang up from the southwest. The admiral was
not well, and slept restlessly. About three in the morning he called his
servant and sent him to find out how the wind was. Learning that it was
from the quarter he wished, he said, "Then we will go in in the
morning." Between four and five the lighter vessels got under way and
went alongside those to which they were to be lashed. When daybreak was
reported Farragut was already at breakfast with the captain of the
Hartford, Percival Drayton, and the fleet-surgeon, Dr. James C. Palmer,
who had left his usual post at the hospital in Pensacola to superintend
the care of those wounded in the approaching battle. It was then about
half-past five; the couples were all formed, and the admiral, still
sipping his tea, said quietly, "Well, Drayton, we might as well get
under way." The signal was made and at once acknowledged by the vessels,
which had all been awaiting it, and the seamen began to heave round on
the cables. The taking their assigned positions in the column by the
different pairs consumed some time, during which the flag-ship crossed
the bar, at ten minutes past six. At half-past six the column of wooden
vessels was formed, and the monitors were standing down from Sand Island
into their stations, in gaining which some little further delay was
caused. At this time all the ships hoisted the United States flag, not
only at the pea