When the lull was over Farragut headed his ship for the fort, signalling to the remainder of the fleet, which followed close after him.  When warned of the torpedoes the wrathful Admiral came near adding a little profanity to his contemptuous opinion of them as he passed on.  Wheeling, he launched his whole broadside at the fort, then delivered a second at the Tennessee and headed for the gunboats Selma, Gaines and Morgan, all of which were raking him.  Casting off his consort, the Metacomet, he sent her after the Selma, and, after a hot chase, she captured her.  The other two took to shallow water under the guns of the fort.

The ships, having passed the latter, were about to anchor when the Tennessee was perceived coming straight for the fleet, with the intention of attacking it.  Farragut signalled to the vessels to run her down and ordered the pilot of the Hartford to drive her with full speed at the ironclad.  The Monongahela was the first to reach the monster, struck her fairly, and, swinging around, let fly with a broadside of 11-inch shot, which dropped harmlessly from her mailed side.  Undaunted, the Monongahela rammed her again, though she received ten times as much damage as she inflicted.  The Lackawanna passed through a somewhat similar experience but a gunner drove a 9-inch shell into one of the shutters, which was shattered and forced within the casemate.  The crews were so close that they taunted each other through the portholes and even hurled missiles across the brief intervening space.

At this juncture the Hartford arrived, charging full speed upon the ram, which so shifted its position that the blow was a glancing one.  Recoiling, the flagship delivered its most tremendous broadside, doing no harm, while the Hartford itself was pierced again and again by the exploding shells which strewed her deck with dead and dying.  Nothing daunted, Farragut prepared to ram once more, when his ship was badly injured by an accidental blow from the Lackawanna.  But Farragut, seeing that she still floated, called for a full head of steam that he might deliver a blow that was likely to send his own ship to the bottom.

By this time the slower going monitors had arrived and were getting in their fine work.  The Tennessee’s smokestack was shot away, her stern port shutter was disabled, making the gun useless, while her steering chains were smashed.  Like a stag beset by a pack of hounds, she was brought to her knees.  The white flag was raised, and the sorely battered Tennessee became the captive of the Union fleet.  The forts were passed and the victory of Mobile Bay was secure.

[Illustration:  BURNSIDE’S EXPEDITION CROSSING HATTERAS BAR (1862).]

But it had cost dearly.  In addition to the men lost on the Tecumseh, there had been 25 killed and 28 wounded on the Hartford, 11 killed and 43 wounded on the Brooklyn, the total of all, including those lost on the Tecumseh, being 145 killed and 170 wounded.  The Confederate loss was 12 killed, 20 wounded and 280 prisoners.