The foreign ships had tried to enter New York Harbor under cover of the darkness the night before, but the powerful searchlights at Sandy Hook had exposed them, and one ship had been sunk by the guns from the forts and another had struck a submerged mine and been literally split in twain.
It was thirteen vessels to twelve, and the fight opened with a terrific bombardment from both sides which lasted for nearly an hour. The din could be plainly heard in New York, where it sounded like rolling thunder, and the top of every tall building was covered with spectators, with first-class telescopes, watching the magnificent contest.
At the end of an hour it looked as if the Americans had the better of the fight and those on shore were jubilant in consequence.
"We'll lick 'em out of their boots!" shouted more than one old veteran. "It's America against the world, and we are bound to come out on top!"
At this time but one American vessel, the Chicago, had sunk. Of the foreigners, a German and a French vessel were blown up, while a large Russian man-of-war and an Italian cruiser were in flames from stem to stern.
But now the fortunes of war turned swiftly.
For some unknown reason, the French and the German submarine boats which had accompanied the expedition had been delayed in getting to the battle ground, having run foul of some wreckage off the coast of Long Island.
Now they came up, and after some minute directions from the admiral in command of the Allies, as the foreigners were termed, both boats sank promptly out of sight.
It was afterward learned that the French submarine vessel could do next to nothing. She tried to sink the Indiana, but was promptly discovered and two fifteen-inch shells soon put her out of existence forever.
Not so, however, with the German craft, a boat fully the equal of any of the ill-fated Hollands. She came up silently under three of the American warships, and half an hour later every one of those gallant cruisers was wrecked and hundreds of those on board were killed.