.
Lieutenant Jones sent for me and asked me about it.

"It is impossible we can be making much water," I replied, "for the
skin of the vessel is plainly visible in the crank-pits."

A second time he sent for me and asked if we were making any water in
the engine-room.

"With the two large Worthington pumps, besides the bilge injections, we
could keep her afloat for hours, even with a ten-inch shell in her
hull," I assured him, repeating that there was no water in the engine
and boiler rooms.

We glided past, leaving the _Monitor_ unscathed, but got between her and
the _Minnesota_ and opened fire on the latter. The _Monitor_ gallantly
rushed to her rescue, passing so close under our submerged stern that
she almost snapped off our propeller. As she was passing, so near that
we could have leaped aboard her, Lieutenant Wood trained the stern-gun
on her when she was only twenty yards from its muzzle and delivered a
rifle-pointed shell which dislodged the iron logs sheltering the
_Monitor's_ conning-tower, carrying away the steering-gear and signal
apparatus, and blinding Captain Worden. It was a mistake to place the
conning-tower so far from the turret and the vitals of the ship. Since
that time it has been located over the turret. The _Monitor's_ turret
was a death-trap. It was only twenty feet in diameter, and every shot
knocked off bolt-heads and sent them flying against the gunners. If one
of them barely touched the side of the turret he would be stunned and
momentarily paralyzed. Lieutenant Greene had been taken below in a
dazed condition and never fully recovered from the effects. One of the
port shutters had been jammed, putting a gun out of commission, and
there was nothing for the _Monitor_ to do but to retreat and leave the
_Minnesota_ to her fate.

Captain Van Brunt, of the latter vessel, thought he was now doomed and
was preparing to fire his ship when he saw the _Merrimac_ also
withdrawing toward Norfolk.

It was at this juncture that Lieutenant Jones had sent for me and said:
"The pilots will not place us nearer to the _Minnesota_, and we cannot
afford to run the risk of getting aground again. I'm going to haul off
under the guns of Sewall's Point and renew the attack on the rise of the
tide. Bank your fires and make any necessary adjustments to the
machinery, but be prepared to start up again later in the afternoon."

I went below to comply with his instructions, and later was astonished
to hear cheer