On the Ocean 245 



uncomfortable in them. Their operations through- 

 out the war offer a painfully ludicrous commentary 

 on Jefferson's remarkable project of having our 

 navy composed exclusively of such craft. 



The first aggressive attempt made with the gun- 

 boats was characteristically futile. On June 2Oth 

 15 of them, under Captain Tarbell, attacked the 

 Junon, 38, Captain Sanders, then lying becalmed 

 in Hampton Roads, with the Barossa, 36, and Lau- 

 restinus, 24, near her. The gunboats, while still at 

 very long range, anchored, and promptly drifted 

 round so that they couldn't shoot. Then they got 

 under way, and began gradually to draw nearer to 

 the Junon. Her defence was very feeble; after 

 some hasty and ill-directed volleys she endeavored 

 to beat out of the way. But meanwhile, a slight 

 breeze having sprung up, the Barossa, Captain Sher- 

 riff, approached near enough to take a hand in 

 the affair, and at once made it evident that she was 

 a more dangerous foe than the Junon, though a 

 lighter ship. As soon as they felt the effects of the 

 breeze the gunboats became almost useless, and, 

 the Barossa' s fire being animated and well aimed, 

 they withdrew. They had suffered nothing from 

 the Junon, but during the short period she was en- 

 gaged, the Barossa had crippled one boat and 

 slightly damaged another; one man was killed and 

 two wounded. The Barossa escaped unscathed and 

 the Junon was but slightly injured. Of the com- 

 batants, the Barossa was the only .one that came 

 off with credit, the Junon behaving, if anything, 



