On the Ocean 19 



splinters while under the hands of the doctors, 

 cheered on their comrades, and themselves worked 

 at the guns like fiends as long as they could stand. 

 At one of the bow-guns was stationed a young 

 Scotchman, named Bissly, who had one leg shot off 

 close by the groin. Using his handkerchief as a 

 tourniquet, he said, turning to his American ship 

 mates: "I left my own country and adopted the 

 United States, to fight for her. I hope I have this 

 day proved myself worthy of the country of my 

 adoption. I am no longer of any use to you or 

 to her, so good-by!" With these words he leaned 

 on the sill of the port, and threw himself over 

 board. 19 Among the very few men who flinched 

 was one named William Roach ; Porter sent one 

 of his midshipmen to shoot him, but he was not to 

 be found. He was discovered by a man named 

 William Call, whose leg had been shot off and 

 was hanging by the skin, and who dragged the 

 shattered stump all round the bag-house, pistol in 

 hand, trying to get a shot at him. Lieut. J. G. 

 Cowell had his leg shot off above the knee, and 

 his life might have been saved had it been amputated 

 at once; but the surgeons already had rows of 

 wounded men waiting for them, and when it was 

 proposed to him that he should be attended to out of 



19 This and most of the anecdotes are taken from the in 

 valuable "Life of Farragut," pp. 37-46. 



