qualities had won a way into the
affections of his subordinates. With an activity for which he had been
remarkable in middle life, and retained even now when in his sixties,
the admiral jumped into the chains to ascertain the extent of the
injury; then, finding that the ship was in no present danger, he ordered
her again to be headed for the Tennessee.

Meanwhile the monitors had come up, and the battle had begun between
them and the enemy. One of the Manhattan's fifteen-inch guns had been
disabled; and the slow firing of those unwieldy weapons, with the
imperfect mechanical appliances then used for loading them, prevented
her doing the injury that might have been expected. One shot struck
square, breaking through the port side of the armor; but even so the
missile itself did not enter the vessel, a strong evidence of the power
of the Tennessee to resist a single shot. But she was not equally
invulnerable to the sustained and continuous hammering of even lighter
projectiles. The Winnebago's turrets, being out of order, could not be
turned, and consequently the guns could be brought to bear only by
moving the helm; a circumstance which materially reduced her fire. The
Chickasaw, however, was in better case. Lieutenant-Commander Perkins got
her into position under the stern of the Tennessee just after the
latter's collision with the Hartford; and there he stuck to the end,
never over fifty yards distant, and keeping up a steady rapping of
eleven-inch shot upon the fabric which they could not at once penetrate,
but which they visibly shook. Fifty-two of these projectiles were fired
from the Chickasaw in the short half-hour of her attack. The exposed
rudder-chains were shot away, and at nearly the same time the
smoke-stack came down. Admiral Buchanan was wounded by an iron splinter,
which broke his leg and otherwise injured it to such an extent that the
limb was with difficulty saved. He turned over the command to Captain
Johnston, who stood the pounding for twenty minutes longer and then
reported to his superior that the ship was helpless, could not be
steered, and that for half an hour he had not been able to bring a gun
to bear. "Well," replied Buchanan, "if you can not do them any further
damage you had better surrender."

The Tennessee's flag had been several times shot away, and was now
flying from a boat-hook. Not being very conspicuous, its removal was not
immediately noticed, and Johnston had to show a white flag