On the Ocean 127 



fire; indeed, almost the entire loss on the Constitu 

 tion occurred at this juncture. As Lieutenant Bush, 

 of the marines, sprang upon the taffrail to leap on 

 the enemy's decks, a British marine shot him dead ; 

 Mr. Morris, the first lieutenant, and Mr. Alwyn, 

 the master, had also both leaped on the taffrail, and 

 both were at the same moment wounded by the mus 

 ketry fire. On the Gucrricrc the loss was far heav 

 ier, almost all the men on the forecastle being picked 

 off. Captain Dacres himself was shot in the back 

 and severely wounded by one of the American miz- 

 zen topmen, while he was standing on the starboard 

 forecastle hammocks cheering on his crew ; 27 two of 

 the lieutenants and the master were also shot down. 

 The ships gradually worked round till the wind was 

 again on the port quarter, when they separated, and 

 the Guerriere's foremast and mainmast at once went 

 by the board, and fell over on the starboard side, 

 leaving her a defenceless hulk, rolling her main- 

 deck guns into the water. 28 At 6.30 the Constitu 

 tion hauled aboard her tacks, ran off a little dis 

 tance to the eastward, and lay to. Her braces and 

 standing and running rigging were much cut up and 

 some of the spars wounded, but a few minutes suf 

 ficed to repair damages, when Captain Hull stood 

 under his adversary's lee, and the latter at once 

 struck, at 7.00 P.M., 29 just two hours after she had 

 fired the first shot. On the part of the Constitution, 

 however, the actual fighting, exclusive of six or 



r James, vi, 144. w Brenton, v, 51. 



** Log of the Constitution. 



