Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 04.djvu/68

 FARRAGUT

FARRAGUT

the maintoiJ. Captain Dia3'toii, seeing the danger of the admiral being thrown to the deck by a sudden lurch, ordered a sailor aloft with lashing with which he secured the admiral to the shrouds. The Tecumseh was within two hundred

yards of the Tennessee and five hundred yards ahead of the Hartford when Farragut from his outlook saw the monitor reel, lurch and go down headforemost. A torpedo had exploiled by con- tact with her hull. The gallant Craven went down with his ship, as did most of the crew. The Brooklyn backed down to the starboard bow of the flag-sliip; the Manhattan had passed ahead; the Winuebayo and ChickasaiD were abreast of the Hartford, Brooklyn and Metacomet. The Brooklyn was ordered to go ahead but failed to move, and the Hartford and Metacomet by a dexterous move- ment passed close under the stern of the Brooklyn. With an exclamation, "Damn the torpedoes! " given in response to the warning of danger such as had already lost to the navy the Tecumseh and her crew, Admiral Farragut gave the order, " Four bells? Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed! " and the Hartford and Metacomet crossed the torpedo line five hundred yaids from Mobile Point, and Mobile bay was imlocked to the Union fleet. Meanwhile the Hartford was being terribly punished by the guns from the fort and Admiral Buchanan ordered the Tennessee to ram the flagship, which order failed of execution through the dexterous movement of the helm of the Hartford, and the Tennessee turned back to meet the oncoming wooden vessels of the invad- ing fleet, which she passed, exchanging shots with each in turn. The dlonongahcla gave the Confederate ram a glancing blow with her prow. The order was then given by Farragut to pursue the enemy and destroy the fleet, but a thick rain- squall enabled them to escape under the guns of the fort. At half-past eight, three hours after the first signal and an hour and a half after the action began, the Hartford was at anchor four miles above Fort Morgan and the crew was sent to breakfast. While so engaged the Tennessee left the protecting fort and made for the fleet.

Farragut directed the remaining monitors to attack the 'Tennessee and the wooden vessels to charge the ram bows on at full speetl and to use their guns only as the ships swung into position. The Hartford's anchor hanging to the water edge struck the Tennessee and the two vessels laassed, scraping their respective sides, the Hartford dis- charging seven nine inch guns at close range against the sloping sides of the Tennessee without effect. The admiral mounted the port mizzen- rigging to watch the encounter and both the Lackawanna and the Hartford made a circuit to get a position, when a collision between the two vessels cut the Hartford to within two feet of the water line. At this moment the monitor came up and gave fight to the Confederate ram. Admiral Buchanan was struck by an iron splinter which broke his leg and he turned over the command of the ram to Captain Johnston, who soon afterward hauled down the Confederate flag. The same night Fort Powell was abandoned and blown up; on August 7 Fort Gaines surren- dered, and on the 23d Fort Morgan capitulated. The loss on the flagship was twenty-five killed and twenty-eight wounded out of a companj- of three himdred. The Brooklyn had eleven killed and forty -three wounded and the total loss to the Federal fleet in the battle was three hmidred thirty-five killed, one hundred thirteen of whom went down with the Tccnmseh. The Tennessee was a factor in the fight for three hours. Far. ragut remained in the bay till November, but advised against taking the city and recommended maintaining a strict blockade. On Nov. 30, 1864, he sailed from Pensacola, and reached New York Dec. 12, 1864, with the Hartford. The citizens of New York presented the admiral with the sum of S.50,000 with which to purchase a home in that city, and on Dec. 22, 1864, congress created the grade of vice-admiral of the navy and the Presi- dent nominated Rear-Admiral Farragut to the position. On July 2'>, 1865, congress further honored the hero of Mobile Bay by creating the grade of admiral and the senate unanimously confirmed his nomination to the position and rank, which was held subsequently by David Dixon Porter and George Dewey. He com- manded the European squadron, 1867-69, visited California in 1869, and in January, 1870, he per- formed his last public service in command of the naval force participating in the obsequies of George Peabody at Portland, Maine. In the summer of 1870 he became the guest of Rear- Admiral Pennock, then commandant of the navy yard at Portsmouth, N.H., and he died there, surrounded by his family and friends. His body was sent to New York, where the final and jiublic funeral ceremonies were held on Septem- ber 30, President Grant, the members of the