Ten minutes after the opening of the battle the spanker gaff of the Alabama and the ensign were brought down by the fire of the Kearsarge, whose crew burst into cheers, but the Confederates quickly hoisted the colors to their mizzen.  When the two ships were within a third of a mile of each other the fire became terrible; but from the first that of the Kearsarge was more accurate and did vast damage.  This was impressively shown by the fact that although the Kearsarge fired only 173 shots during the fight, nearly every one struck the Alabama, which fired 370, of which only 28 landed.

One of the Alabama’s 60-pound Blakely shells passed through the bulwarks of the Kearsarge, and, bursting on the quarter deck, wounded three men, of whom William Gowin was mortally hurt.  When carried to the surgeon, the intensely suffering man smiled.  “We are whipping the Alabama,” he said, “and I am willing to give my life for such a victory.”

Another Confederate shell burst in the hammock nettings and started a fire, which was easily extinguished.  A third lodged in the sternpost, but failed to explode.  Had it done so, its effect would have been terrific.  The damage done by the other shells was insignificant.

A far different story was told on the Confederate cruiser.  Winslow’s instructions to his gunners were to fire slowly and to make every shot tell, and they did so.  The men on the Alabama stripped to their shirts and drawers and fired rapidly, as if the only thing to do was to work the guns without taking pause to aim.  Crashing planks and timber and exploding shells seemed to be all about them.  A single shot from the Kearsarge killed and wounded eighteen men and disabled a gun.  Another burst in the coal bunks and cluttered up the engine room.  Death and destruction raged on every hand, and still the terrible Kearsarge kept working nearer, the dearest wish of Winslow being to get to close quarters.

The ships had described seven circles about each other and were starting on the eighth, when Winslow, all alive and eagerness, saw the Alabama set her fore trysail and two jibs and start for shore.  That meant that it was all up with her, and her captain’s only hope now was to get into the harbor of Cherbourg.  Winslow ran across her bow and was on the point of raking her, when the Alabama’s flag came down.  Uncertain whether this was an accident, and suspecting a ruse by which the enemy expected to reach shore, now only two miles off, Winslow stopped firing, but held himself ready to open again.  A white flag was displayed, and he began preparations to render assistance to his defeated antagonist.  Just then, however, the Alabama fired again, upon which Winslow answered with several shots, when the white flag was run up for the second time.

The doom of the Alabama had overtaken her at last.  She was fast settling, and while the only two serviceable boats of the Kearsarge were hurrying to the relief of the crew, the famous cruiser threw her prow high in air and slid stern foremost into the depths of the Atlantic.