ch we avoided
by wearing. At 2 P.M. the enemy being within half a mile of us,
and to windward, and having hauled down his colours, except an
Union Jack at the mizzen-mast head, induced me to give orders to
the officers of the 3d division to fire one gun ahead of the
enemy to make him show his colours, which being done, brought on
a fire from us of the whole broadside, on which the enemy hoisted
his colours and immediately returned our fire. A general action
with round and grape then commenced, the enemy keeping at a (p. 169)
much greater distance than I wished, but could not bring him to
closer action without exposing ourselves to several rakes.
Considerable manoeuvres were made by both vessels to rake and
avoid being raked. The following minutes were taken during
the action:

"At 2.10 P.M. commenced the action within good grape and canister
distance, the enemy to windward, but much further than I wished.
At 2.30 our wheel was shot entirely away; 2.40, determined to
close with the enemy, notwithstanding his raking, set the fore
and main-sail and luffed up close to him; 2.50, the enemy's
jib-boom got foul of our mizzen rigging; 3, the head of the
enemy's bowsprit and jib-boom shot away by us; 3.5, shot away the
enemy's foremast by the board; 3.15, shot away his main-top-mast
just above the cap; 3.40, shot away gaff and spanker boom; 3.55,
shot away his mizzenmast nearly by the board; 4.5, having
silenced the fire of the enemy completely, and his colours in
main rigging being down, supposed he had struck, then hauled
aboard the courses to shoot ahead to repair our rigging, which
was extremely cut, leaving the enemy a complete wreck. Soon after
discovered the enemy's flag was still flying; hove to, to repair
some of our damage; 4.20, the enemy's main-mast went nearly by
the board; 4.50, wore ship and stood for the enemy; 5.25, got
very close to the enemy in a very effectual _raking position_,
athwart his bows, and was at the very instant of raking him, when
he most prudently struck his flag, for had he suffered the
broadside to have raked him, his additional loss must have been
extremely great, as he laid an unmanageable wreck upon the water.

"After the enemy had struck, wore ship and reefed the topsails,
then hoisted out one of the onl