John Ancrum Winslow
ON the morning of June 19, 1864, the day being fine, with a hazy atmosphere, wind moderate from the westward, at ten o'clock was near the buoy which marks the line of shoals to the eastward of Cherbourg, and distant about three miles from the eastern entrance, which bore to the southward and westward. At twenty minutes after ten o'clock the Alabama was descried coming out of the western entrance, accompanied by the Couronne (ironclad). I had, in an interview with the Admiral at Cherbourg, assured him that in the event of an action occurring with the Alabama the position of the ships should be so far off shore that no question could be advanced about the line of jurisdiction. Accordingly, to perfect this object, and with the double purpose of drawing the Alabama so far off shore that, if disabled, she could not return, I directed the ship's head seaward and cleared for action with the battery pivoted to starboard. Having attained a point about seven miles from the shore, the head of the Kearsarge was turned short round, and the ship steered directly for the Alabama; my purpose being to run her down, or, if circumstances did not warrant it, to close in with her. Hardly had the Kearsarge come round before the Alabama sheered, presented her starboard battery, and slowed her engines.
On approaching her at long range of about a mile, she opened her full broadside, the shot cutting some of our rigging, and going over and alongside of us.
Immediately I ordered more speed, but in two minutes the Alabama had loaded and again fired another broadside, and followed it with a third, without damaging us except in rigging. We had now arrived within about nine hundred yards of her, and I was apprehensive that another broadside, nearly raking as it was, would prove disastrous. Accordingly I ordered the Kearsarge sheered, and opened on the Alabama. The position of the vessels was now broadside and broadside, but it was soon apparent that Captain Semmes did not seek close action. I became then fearful lest, after some fighting, he would again make for the shore. To defeat this, I determined to keep full speed on, and, with a port helm, to run under the stern of the Alabama and rake, if he did not prevent it by sheering and keeping his broadside to us. He adopted this mode as a preventive, and, as a consequence, the Alabama was forced, with a full head of steam, into a circular track during the engagement.
The effect of this manoeuvre was such that at the last of the action, when the Alabama would have made off, she was near five miles from the shore; and had the action continued from the first, in parallel lines, with her head in-shore, the line of jurisdiction would no doubt have been reached.
The firing of the Alabama from the first was rapid and wild; toward the close of the action her firing became better. Our men, who had been cautioned against rapid firing without direct aim, were much more deliberate, and the instructions given to point the heavy guns below rather than above the water-line, and clear the deck with the lighter ones, were fully observed.
I had endeavored with a port helm to close in with the Alabama, but it was not until just before the close of the action that we were in position to use grape. This was avoided, however, by her surrender The effect of the training of our men was evident, nearly every shot from our guns telling fearfully on the Alabama; and on the seventh rotation on the circular track, she winded, setting fore-trysail and two jibs, with head in-shore.
“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
– Hebrews 10:25