lm, clear, lovely." Thatcher's comet
was flaming in the sky. We steered by it, pulling in the plane of its
splendid train. All the noise and turmoil of the enemy's camp and fleet
was hushed. They had no guard boats of any kind, and as with muffled
oars we neared them we heard seven bells strike. After putting the
torpedoes under one ship the boats that carried them went back, and
Captain Maury with the other two, planted the other torpedoes. They then
rowed away and waited, but the explosion did not come and the enemy
never knew of the attempt. Lieut. R. D. Minor, one of his skilful and
daring assistants, commanded the second expedition which he thus
describes:

C. S. S. Patrick Henry,

Mulberry Point, October 11th, 1861.

Sir,--Owing to an unexpected delay in the completion of the magazine I
was unable to leave Richmond before the morning of the 9th, and did not
reach this ship until yesterday about 8 A.M. when I laid your plan of
the intended attack on the United States ships at anchor off Newport
News before Commander Tucker, who with Lieutenant Powell, the executive
officer, placed every facility at my disposal for carrying it into
execution. Acting Master Thomas L. Dornin and Midshipman Alexander M.
Mason, having volunteered to accompany me, the evening was passed in
preparing the magazine and in explaining in detail to the officers the
manner of handling and working them. In filling the tanks I found that I
would have 392 pounds to operate with, instead of 400, which I had
calculated upon; and to insure them from sinking I had some cork
attached to the buoys, which subsequently proved of great advantage. The
day was a stormy one, with a fresh breeze from the northward with rain
and mist well suited for our operations against the enemy. About sunset
Commander Tucker got underway from his anchorage off this place, and
with lights shaded steamed slowly down the river on a strong ebbtide
till the ships were seen ahead of us, when we came to within a mile and
a half of the point, dropping the anchor with a hawser bent on to it to
prevent noise from the rattling of the chains. The boats were then
lowered, the magazines carefully slung, buoys bent on at intervals of
seven feet, and when all was ready the crews armed with cutlasses took
their places, and were cautioned in a few words by me to keep silent and
obey implicitly the officers. Acting Master Dornin with Midshipman Mason
took the left side of the channel, whil