THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
441 
From Lieut. Batcheller, U. S. Steamer “ Monongahela,** August 5th, 1864. 
“ In twice attempting to run down the rebel iron-clad ram ‘ Tennessee’ our iron 
prow was entirely carried away, together with the cutwater. The butt ends of the 
planking on both bows are started from the stem and badly shattered, the port ones 
considerably sprung off.” 
From Commander Le Roy, U.S. Steam Sloop “ Ossipee,”— 
“ Our stem is somewhat injured by running against the ‘ Tennessee* ** 
Extracts from Rear-Admiral Farragut’s report on the attack on the Defences of 
Mobile. 
“.The iron-clads— c Tecumseh,’ Commander T. A. M. Craven; the 
‘Manhattan,’ Commander J. W. A. Nicholson ; the * Winnebago,’ Commander 
T. H. Stevens ; and the * Chickasaw,’ Lieutenant Commander Gr. H. Perkins—were 
already inside the bar, and had been ordered to take up their positions on the star¬ 
board side of the wooden ships, or between them and Fort Morgan, for the double 
purpose of keeping down the fire from the water battery and the parapet guns of the 
fort, as well as to attack the ram £ Tennessee ’ as soon as the fort was passed. 
“ Having passed the forts and dispersed the enemy’s gunboats, I had ordered most 
of the vessels to anchor, when I perceived the ram ‘Tennessee’ standing up for this 
ship. This was at forty-five minutes past eight. I was not long in comprehending 
his intentions to be the destruction of the flag-ship. The monitors, and such of the 
wooden vessels as I thought best adapted for the purpose, were immediately ordered 
to attack the ram, not only with their guns, but bows on at full speed, and then 
began one of the fiercest naval combats on record. 
“ The ‘ Monongahela,’ Commander Strong, was the first vessel that struck her, and 
in doing so carried away his own iron prow, together with the cutwater, without 
apparently doing her adversary much injury. The ‘ Lackawanna,’ Captain Marchand, 
was the next vessel to strike her, which she did at full speed ; but though her stem 
was cut and crushed to the plank ends for the distance of three feet above the 
water’s edge to five feet below, the only perceptible effect on the ram was to give 
her a heavy list. 
“The ‘Hartford* was the third vessel which struck her, but, as the ‘Tennessee* 
quickly shifted her helm, the blow was a glancing one, and, as she rasped along our 
side, we poured our whole port broadside of 9-inch solid shot within ten feet of her 
casement. 
“ The monitors worked slowly, but delivered their fire as opportunity offered. 
The ‘ Chickasaw’ succeeded in getting under her stern, and a 15-inch shot from the 
‘ Manhattan ’ broke through her iron plating and heavy wooden backing, though the 
missile itself did not enter the vessel. 
“ She was at this time sore beset; the * Chickasaw ’ was pounding away at her 
stern, the ‘ Ossipee ’ was approaching her at full speed, and the ‘ Monongahela,’ 
‘ Lackawanna,’ and this ship were bearing down upon her, determined upon her 
destruction. Her smoke-stack had been shot away, her steering chains were gone, 
compelling a resort to her relieving tackles, and several of her port shutters were 
jammed. Indeed, from the time the ‘ Hartford ’ struck her, until her surrender, she 
never fired a gun. As the ‘ Ossipee,’ Commander Le Roy, was about to strike her, 
she hoisted the white flag, and that vessel immediately stopped her engine, though 
not in time to avoid a glancing blow. 
“ During this contest with the rebel gunboats and the ram ‘ Tennessee,* and which 
terminated by her surrender at ten o’clock, we lost many more men than from the 
fire of the batteries of Fort Morgan. 
“ Our iron clads, from their slow speed and bad steering, had some difficulty in 
getting into and maintaining their position in line as we passed the fort, and, in the 
