PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
15.5 
$eed three-quarters 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 fire 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 ta¬ 
ken by the enemy, and some perished in the attempt; but most 
preferred sharing with me the fate of the ship. We, whp re* 
mained, now turned our attention wholly to extinguishing 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 intreated me to 
surrender my ship to save the wounded, as all further attempt at 
opposition must prove ineffectual, almost every gun being disa¬ 
bled by the'destruction of their crews. I now sent for the officers 
of divisions to consult them; but what was my surprise to find 
©nly acting lieutenant Stephen Decatur MhEhiight remaining, 
(who confirmed the report respecting the condition of the guns on 
the gun-deck—those on the spar deck were not in a better state.) 
Lieutenant Wilmer, after fighting most gallantly throughout the 
action, had been knocked overboard by a splinter while getting 
the sheet anchor from the bows, and was drowned. Acting lieu¬ 
tenant 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 lieute¬ 
nant William H. Odenheimer, had been knocked overboard from 
the quarter an instant before, and did not regain the ship until af¬ 
ter the surrender. I was informed that the cock-pit, the steerage, 
the ward-room and the birth-deck, could contain no more wound¬ 
ed; that the wounded were killed while the surgeons were dres¬ 
sing them, and that, unless something was speedily done to pre¬ 
vent it, the ship would soon sink from the number of shot holes in 
her bottom. And, on sending for the carpenter, he informed me 
that all his crew had been killed or wounded, and that he had been 
once over the side to stop the leaks, when his slings had been shot 
away, and it was with difficulty he was saved from drowning. 
V©L. II. X 
