reeled and shuddered, and through the great rent in her side the
black water rushed. She foundered in a few minutes; but her crew
fought her to the last, cheering as they ran out the guns, and
sending shot after shot against the ram as the latter backed off
after delivering her blow. The rush of the water soon swamped the
lower decks, but the men above continued to serve their guns
until the upper deck also was awash, and the vessel had not ten
seconds of life left. Then, with her flags flying, her men
cheering, and her guns firing, the Cumberland sank. It was
shallow where she settled down, so that her masts remained above
the water. The glorious flag for which the brave men aboard her
had died flew proudly in the wind all that day, while the fight
went on, and throughout the night; and next morning it was still
streaming over the beautiful bay, to mark the resting-place of as
gallant a vessel as ever sailed or fought on the high seas.

After the Cumberland sank, the ram turned her attention to the
Congress. Finding it difficult to get to her in the shoal water,
she began to knock her to pieces with her great rifle-guns. The
unequal fight between the ironclad and the wooden ship lasted for
perhaps half an hour. By that time the commander of the Congress
had been killed, and her decks looked like a slaughterhouse. She
was utterly unable to make any impression on her foe, and finally
she took fire and blew up. The Minnesota was the third victim
marked for destruction, and the Merrimac began the attack upon
her at once; but it was getting very late, and as the water was
shoal and she could not get close, the rain finally drew back to
her anchorage, to wait until next day before renewing and
completing her work of destruction.