The enemy having repaired his damages, now placed himself, with both his ships, on the starboard quarter of the Essex, out of reach of her carronades, and where her stern guns could not be brought to bear. Here he kept up a most destructive fire, which it was not in captain Porter's power to return; the latter, therefore, saw no hope of injuring him without getting under way and becoming the assailant. From the mangled state of his rigging, he could set no other sail than the flying jib; this he caused to be hoisted, cut his cable, and ran down on both ships, with an intention of laying the Phœbe on board. For a short time he was enabled to close with the enemy, and the firing on both sides was tremendous. The decks of the Essex were strewed with dead, and her cockpit filled with wounded; she had been several times on fire, and was in fact a perfect wreck; still a feeble hope sprung up that she might be saved, in consequence of the Cherub being compelled to hale off by her crippled state; she did not return to close action again, but kept up a distant firing with her long guns: The disabled state of the Essex, however, did not permit her to take advantage of this circumstance; for want of sail she was unable to keep at close quarters with the Phoebe who, edging off, chose the distance which best suited her long guns, and kept up a tremendous fire, which made dreadful havock among our crew. Many of the guns of the Essex were rendered useless, and many had their whole crews destroyed-they were manned from those that were disabled, and one gun in particular was three times manned; fifteen men were slain at it in the course of the action, though the captain of it escaped with only a slight wound. Captain Porter now gave up all hope of closing with the enemy, but finding the wind favourable, determined to run his ship on shore, land the crew, and destroy her. He had approached within musket shot of the shore, and had every prospect of succeeding, when, in an instant, the wind shifted from the land and drove her down upon the Phoebe, exposing her again to a dreadful raking fire. The ship was now totally unmanageable; yet as her head was toward the enemy, and he to leeward, captain Porter again perceived a faint hope of boarding. At this moment lieutenant Downes, of the Essex junior, came on board to receive orders, expecting that captain Porter would soon be a prisoner. His services could be of no avail in the deplorable state of the Essex, and finding from the enemy's putting his helm up, that the last attempt at boarding would not succeed, captain Porter directed him, after he had been ten minutes on board, to return to his own ship, to be prepared for defending and destroying her in case of attack. He took with him several of the wounded, leaving three of his boat's crew on board to make room for them. The Cherub kept up a hot fire on him during his return. The slaughter on board of the Essex now became horrible; the enemy continued to rake her, while she was unable to bring a gun to bear in return. Still her commander, with an obstinacy that bordered on desperation, persisted in the une anchor, and the qual and almost hopeless conflict. Every expedient that a fertile and inventive mind could suggest was resorted to, in the forlorn hope that they might yet be enabled by some lucky chance to escape from the grasp of the foe. A halser was bent to the sheet anchor cut from the bows, to bring the ship's head round. This succeeded; the broadside of the Essex was again brought to bear; and as the enemy was much crippled and unable to hold his own, captain Porter thought she might drift out of gun shot before she discovered that he had anchored. The halser, however, unfortunately parted, and with it failed the last lingering hope of the Essex. The ship had taken fire several times during the action, but at this moment her situation was awful. She was on fire both forward and aft; the flames were bursting up each hatchway; a large quantity of powder below exploded, and word was given that the fire was near the magazine. Thus surrounded by horrours, without any chance of saving the ship captain Porter turned his attention to rescuing as many of his brave companions as possible. Finding his distance from the shore did not exceed three quarters of a mile, he hoped many would be able to save themselves should the ship blow up. His boats had been cut to pieces by the enemy's shot, but he advised such as could swim to jump overboard and make for shore. Some reached it-some were taken by the enemy, and some perished in the attempt; but most of this loyal and gallant crew pre ferred sharing the fate of their ship and their commander. Those who remained on board now endeavoured to extinguish the flames, and having succeeded, went again to the guns and kept up a firing for a few minutes; but the crew had by this time become so weak ened that all further resistance was in vain. Captain Porter summoned a consultation of the officers of divisions, but was surprised to find only acting lieutenant Stephen Decatur M'Knight remaining; of the others some had been killed, others knocked overboard, and others carried below disabled by severe wounds. The accounts from every part of the ship were deplorable in the extreme; representing her in the most shattered and crippled condition, in imminent danger of sinking, and so crowded with the wounded that even the birth deck could contain no more, and many were killed while under the surgeon's hands. In the mean while the enemy, in consequence of the smoothness of the water and his secure dis tance, was enabled to keep up a deliberate and constant fire, aiming with coolness and certainty as if firing at a target, and hitting the hull at every shot. At length, utterly despairing of saving the ship, captain Porter was compelled, at twenty minutes past six P. M. to give the painful order to strike the colours. It is probable the enemy did not perceive that the ship had surrendered, for he continued firing; several men were killed and wounded in different parts of the ship, and captain Porter thinking he in |