Marine Corporal Henry B. Hallowell from the USS Juanita was part of the Naval Brigade and wrote: "The guns from the fort poured grape and canister into us, cutting us to pieces. A few managed to crawl to the base of the fort, others tried to retreat, but this was made impossible by a barrage being thrown over our heads from the fort to prevent retreating.
"We were in a pretty fix, with the fort raking our ranks from the front and shells exploding at our rear. History states that we entrenched ourselves. The only entrenching we did was hug the ground and dig with our noses and toes."
After prolonged exposure to withering musketry and cannon fire, the sailors carrying only "cutlasses, well sharpened, and ... revolvers" (as per Ad. Porter's orders) broke and ran, carrying the Marines with them.
--Old B-R'er
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