erty in the yard. Any assistance must come from the
outside; the beleaguered could but passively await the course of
events.

At seven o'clock on the night of April 21, the United States steamer
"Pawnee," which had been lying under the guns of Fortress Monroe,
hoisted anchor, and headed up the bay, on an errand of destruction. It
was too late to save the navy-yard with its precious stores. The only
thing to be done was to burn, break, and destroy every thing that
might be of service to an enemy. The decks of the "Pawnee" were black
with men,--soldiers to guard the gates, and complete the work of
destruction within the yard; blue-jacketed tars to do what might be
done to drag the entrapped vessels from the snare set them by the
Virginians. It was a bright moon-light night. The massive hull of the
ship-of-war, black in the cold, white rays of the moon, passed rapidly
up the Elizabeth River. The sunken wrecks were reached, and
successfully avoided; and about nine o'clock the "Pawnee" steamed into
the anchorage of the navy-yard, to be greeted with cheers from the
tars of the "Cumberland" and "Pennsylvania," who expected her arrival.
The townspeople seeing the war-vessel, with ports thrown open, and
black muzzles of the guns protruding, took to their houses, fearing
she would open fire on the town. Quickly the "Pawnee" steamed to her
moorings. The marines were hurriedly disembarked, and hastened to
guard the entrances to the navy-yard. Howitzers were planted so as to
rake every street leading to the yard. Thus secure against attack, the
work of the night began. Nearly two thousand willing hands were set
hard at work, cannon were dismounted and spiked, rifles and muskets
dashed to pieces; great quantities of combustibles were piled up in
the mammoth buildings, ready to be fired at a given signal. In the
mean time, the blue-jackets were not idle. It was quickly decided,
that, of all the magnificent vessels anchored in the harbor, the
"Cumberland" was the only one that could be towed past the
obstructions in the river. All hands were set to work removing every
thing of value from the doomed vessels to the "Cumberland." Gunpowder
and combustibles were then arranged so as to completely destroy the
vessels when ignited. When the moon went down at twelve o'clock, the
preparations were complete. All the men were then taken on board the
"Cumberland" and "Pawnee," save a few who were left to fire the
trains. As the two vessels starte