“Not with them swabs on,” he said, pointing to Hull’s big bullion epaulettes. He would have been a certain mark for one of the sharpshooters of the enemy.
At about this time the flag of the “Constitution,” which had been nailed at the mizzen-truck, was shot down. But a young topman, named Hogan, shinned up the spar far aloft, and, though fired at repeatedly by the British marines, succeeded in replacing it amid the cheers of his companions.
On the “Guerriere” things were going badly. Captain Dacres had been shot in the back by one of the American marines, but he pluckily remained on deck. As the “Constitution” got clear again, both the mainmast and foremast of the “Guerriere,” which had been repeatedly cut by American shot, went over with a crash, and she lay on the wave completely helpless. This was less than half an hour after the “Constitution” sent in her terrible broadside.
The American ship drew off to a short distance to repair her damages, and in less than an hour returned, and sent Lieutenant Read in a cutter to discover if Captain Dacres had surrendered.
Dacres’s humiliation was complete, and he felt that further battle would only be the butchery of his own brave fellows.
Lieutenant Read hailed him to learn if he had surrendered.
“I don’t know that it would be prudent to continue the engagement any longer.”
“Do I understand you to say that you have struck?” asked Read.
“Not precisely; but I don’t know that it would be worth while to fight any longer.”
“If you cannot decide,” said the American, “I will return aboard my ship and resume the engagement.”