THE FIRST SHOT OF BLUMENHOFF
Captain Breaker watched the Tallahatchie with the most earnest
attention; and it was not five minutes after he had given out the new
course before she changed her direction, though not to the south, but
enough to carry her clear of the Passes of the Mississippi. Paul Vapoor
was still crowding the engine to the utmost that could be done with
safety, and he spent no little of his time in the fire room, personally
directing the men in the work of feeding the furnaces.
It was evident to the commander that his ship was gaining on the
Tallahatchie, at least a knot an hour, as he estimated it, and the chase
could not now be more than four miles distant. This was within the range
of her Armstrong gun, if it was of the calibre reported by Bokes, whose
information was mere hearsay, and was open to many doubts.
"She is changing her course again, Captain Breaker," said Mr. Ballard,
who had been observing the chase with the best glass on board.
"Probably she has discovered a man-of-war in the distance," added the
captain.
"I cannot make out anything to the westward of her," said Mr. Ballard,
who had directed his glass that way.
"She knows very well that she is liable to encounter a Federal ship on
the course she is running. How does she head now?"
"As nearly south as I can make it out."
"Then we have made something on her by going to the south south-west
in good season; and I am sorry I did not do it sooner," replied the
commander, as he went into a fine calculation, estimating sundry angles,
and figuring on the gain he was confident he had already made.
"I think she is headed due south now, Captain," said Mr. Ballard.
"So I should say, and we are headed a little too much to the westward.
Make the course south by west half west, Mr. Ballard."
This course was given to the quartermaster conning the wheel. For
another hour the two steamers kept on the course taken, at the end of
which time the captain believed they were within three miles of each
other; and the appearance, as viewed by skilful and experienced
officers, verified his estimate of the relative speed of both--that
the Bellevite was gaining about a knot an hour on the chase.
They had hardly agreed upon the situation before a cloud of smoke was
seen to rise from the waist of the Tallahatchie, followed by the report
of a heavy gun. The projectile struck the water at least a quarter of
a mile ahead of the Bellevite, at which the watch on deck gave a
half-suppressed cheer.
"They must have better gunners than that indicates on board of that
steamer, for she has been fitted out as a cruiser," said the commander
with a quiet smile.
Twenty minutes later another puff of smoke, followed by a second report,
excited the attention of an officer on the deck of the loyal ship. The
shot struck the water only a little less ahead of the ship than the
former, and the crew gave a more vigorous cheer: but it was observed
that it hit the sea a little on the starboard bow, so that if it had
been better aimed it would not have reached the ship.
"She is wasting her ammunition," said the captain. "She seems to be
jesting, or else she is trying to frighten us."
"I think it is some thing worse than that, Captain Breaker," replied Mr.
Ballard.
"What could be worse?"
"I am inclined to the opinion that she cannot swing the gun around so as
to make it bear on an object so far astern of her as this ship is at the
present moment." said the lieutenant.
"He has an all sufficient remedy for that," added the captain. "He can
swing his ship's head around so his gun will bear on us."
"But that would cause him to lose a quarter of a mile or more of his
advantage; and she seems to be more inclined to run away from the
Bellevite than to fight her," suggested the lieutenant.
"Call all hands, Mr. Ballard," said the commander; and in a few minutes
all the officers and seamen were at their stations.
The call awoke Christy from his slumber, which the report of the gun and
the cheering of the men had failed to do. But he understood the summons,
and thought the action was about to begin. He adjusted his dress and
hastened to the quarter deck, where he reported in due form to the
captain. Mr. Ballard was relieved of his duties as acting executive
officer, and went to his proper station to take command of his division.
Christy took a careful survey of the situation, and saw that the
Bellevite had gained at least two knots on the chase. The Holyoke and
the West Wind were no longer in sight, though the fog seemed to be still
hanging about the entrance to Mobile Bay.
"The Tallahatchie has fired two shots at us, Mr. Passford; but she
wasted her ammunition," said the commander. "I am inclined to agree with
Mr. Ballard that she cannot swing her Armstrong gun so as to cover the
Bellevite."
"She has stopped her screw, sir!" exclaimed the first lieutenant, who
was looking at the chase through the best glass.
"Make the course west, Mr. Passford!" said the captain with energy.
"Quartermaster, make it west!" shouted Christy.
"West, sir!" repeated the quartermaster, as he caused the helmsmen to
heave over the wheel.
Directing his glass to the chase again, Christy saw the Tallahatchie
swing around so that she was broadside to the Bellevite. Almost at the
same moment the smoke rose from her deck, and the sound of the gun
reached the ears of the officers and crew. The shot passed with a mighty
whiz between the fore and main mast of the ship, cutting away one of the
fore topsail braces, but doing no other damage. The seamen cheered as
they had before. The Tallahatchie started her screw as soon as she had
discharged her gun, and resumed her former course, the Bellevite doing
the same.
If the loyal ship had not promptly altered her course, the projectile
would have raked her, and must have inflicted much greater injury in
the spars and rigging. But both vessels promptly resumed their former
relative positions, though the Tallahatchie had lost some of her
advantage by coming to, while her pursuer had only made a small circuit
without stopping her engine for a moment.
"If she does that again, Mr. Passford, we must be ready to return her
fire," said the captain. "Have the pivot gun ready, and aim for her
Armstrong, which seems to be sufficiently prominent on her deck to make
a good target."
Christy hastened forward, and gave the order to Mr. Ballard, in whose
division the great Parrot was included. The signal was promptly given
for manning the gun, and seventeen men immediately sprang to their
stations. The men were armed with cutlasses, muskets, battle-axes,
pistols, and pikes, which were so disposed as to be in readiness for
boarding the enemy, or repelling boarders.
"A solid shot, and aim at the pivot gun of the enemy," said Christy in
a low tone to the second lieutenant, who had the reputation of being an
expert in the handling of guns of the largest calibre.
There were two captains to the pivot gun, one on each side, stationed
nearest to the base of the breech. Seventeen men were required to work
the pivot gun, whose duties were defined in the names applied to them,
the powderman being the odd one. The first and second captains were
numbers one and two; the odd numbers being on the right, and the even
on the left of the piece: number three was the first loader, four the
first sponger, five the second loader, six the second sponger, seven the
first shellman, eight the second shellman, nine the first handspikeman,
ten the second handspikeman, eleven the first train tackleman, twelve
the second train tackleman (the last two at the breech, next to
the captains), thirteen first side tackleman, fourteen second side
tackleman, fifteen first port tackleman, sixteen second port tackleman.
The gun crew had been frequently drilled in the management of the piece,
and the men were entirely at home in their stations. Other hands had
been trained in serving the gun, so that the places of any disabled in
action could be replaced. The service at the Parrot was not all that was
required of the men forming the gun crew, for each was also a first or
second boarder, a pumpman, or something else, and to each number one
or two weapons were assigned, as musket and pike, sword and pistol,
battle-axe. When the order to board the enemy was given, every man
knew his station and his proper officer.
"Silence, men!" commanded the second lieutenant, "Cast loose and
provide!"
These orders were repeated by the first captain of the gun. It is his
duty to see the piece cleared and cast loose, and everything made ready
for action. He and the second captain "provide" themselves with waist
belts and primers, and the first with some other implements. But the
handling of one of these great guns is about as technical as a surgical
operation would be, and it would be quite impossible for the uninitiated
to understand it, though it is every-day work to the ordinary
man-of-war's-man.
Prompted by the executive officer, who had been further instructed by
the captain, all the series of steps had been taken which put the piece
in readiness to be discharged, and all that remained to be done was to
adjust the aim, which is done by the first captain. At this time the
distance between the two ships had been considerably reduced. The
captain and the first lieutenant were closely watching the chase with
glasses.
The crew of the Tallahatchie could be seen at work at the long gun, and
another shot from it was momentarily expected. The instant the bow of
the enemy began to swerve to port, the captain of the Bellevite gave the
order to put the helm to starboard. Almost at the same instant the enemy
stopped her screw, swung round and fired her long gun. The projectile
crashed through the bulwarks between the foremast and top-gallant
forecastle, wounding two men with the splinters which flew in every
direction.
Dr. Linscott and his mates had established themselves in the cockpit,
to which the wounded are conveyed, in action, for treatment. The two men
who had been injured by the splinters were not disabled, and they were
ordered to report to the surgeon. Before the enemy could resume her
course, the captain of the pivot gun had caught his aim, and discharged
the Parrot. All hands watched for the result of the shot, and the
glasses of the captain and the first lieutenant were directed to the
chase.
She was near enough now to be observed with the naked eye with tolerable
accuracy, and a shout went up from the men at the pivot gun, in which
the rest of the crew on deck joined, as they saw that the shot had
struck the midship gun of the enemy, or very near it; and this was the
point where old Blumenhoff, the captain of the gun, had been directed
to aim. He was a German, but he had served for twenty-one years in
the British navy, and had won a brilliant reputation in his present
position.
It could not be immediately determined whether or not the Armstrong had
been disabled. The Tallahatchie had swung round again and resumed her
flight; but her commander must have realized by this time that he was
getting the worst of it. Paul Vapoor had not left his post in the engine
and fire room, to ascertain how the battle was going, but still plied
all his energies in driving the Bellevite to the utmost speed she could
possibly attain. The log was frequently heaved, and the last result had
been sent down to him by Midshipman Walters, and it was twenty-one
knots.
During the next hour the long gun of the enemy was not again discharged,
and the officers of the loyal ship were assured that it had been
rendered useless by Blumenhoff's only shot.