rOETER'S JOUKNAL. 



16? 



hold his own, I have no doubt he would soon have drifted 

 out of gun shot before he discovered we had anchored, had 

 not the hawser unfortunately parted. My ship had taken 

 fire several times during the action, but alarmingly so for- 

 ward and aft ; at this moment, the flames were bursting up 

 each hatchway, and no hopes were entertained of saving 

 her ; our distance from the shore did not exceed three- 

 -qjiarters of a mile, and I hoped many of my brave crew 

 would be able to save themselves, should the ship blow 

 up, as I was informed the tire was near the magazine, and 

 the explosion of a large quantity of powder below served 

 to increase the horrors of our situation — our boats were 

 destroyed by the enemy's shot ; I, therefore, directed 

 those who could swim to jump overboard, and endeavour 

 to gain the shore. Some reached it — some were taken 

 by the enemy, and some perished in the attempt ; but most 

 preferred sharing with me the fate of the ship. We, who 

 remained, now turned our attention wholly to extinguish- 

 ing the flames ; and when we had succeeded, went again 

 to our guns, where the firing was kept up for some minutes, 

 but the crew had by this time become so weakened, that 

 they all declared to me the impossibility of making further 

 resistance, and entreated me to surrender my ship to save 

 the wounded, as all further attempt at opposition must 

 prove ineffectual, almost every gun being disabled by the 

 destruction of their crews. I now sent for the officers of 

 divisions to consult them ; but what was my surprise to 

 find only acting heutenant Stephen Decatur IVrKnight re- 

 maining, who confirmed the report respecting the condi- 

 tion of the guns on the gun-deck — -those on the spar deck 

 were not in a better state. Lieutenant Wilmer, after fight- 

 ing most gallantly throughout the action, had been knock- 

 ed overboard by a splinter while getting the sheet anchor 

 from the bows, and was drowned. Acting lieutenant John 

 G. Cowell, had lost a leg ; Mr. Edward Barnewall, acting 

 sailing master, had been carried below, after receiving two 

 wounds, one in the breast and one in the face ; and acting 

 lieutenant William H. Odenheimer, had been knocked 

 overboard from the quarter an instant before, and did not 

 regain the ship until after the surrender. I was informed 

 that the cock-pit, the steerage, the ward-room and the 

 birth-deek, could contain no more wounded ; that the 



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