MARCH 1ST, 1865: Rear Admiral Dahlgren, upon receiving the report that his naval forces had occupied Georgetown, South Carolina, decided to proceed there and have a personal "look at things." He inspected the formidable, but evacuated Fort White and his four companies of Marines holding the city.
This date, Dahlgren's flagship Harvest Moon was steaming down Georgetown Bay enroute to Charleston; the admiral was awaiting his breakfast in his cabin. "Suddenly, without warning," he later wrote in his diary, "came a crashing sound, a heavy shock, the partition between the cabin and wardroom was shattered and driven toward me, while all loose articles in the cabin flew in different directions....
"A torpedo had been struck by the poor Harvest Moon, and she was sinking."
The flagship sank in in five minutes, but fortunately, only one man was lost. The Admiral missed his breakfast, but got off with only the uniform he was wearing.
Watch Out for Those Dadburn Torpedoes. --Old B-R'er
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