The initial blast and shock wave killed most of the Royal Marines on Alcatraz. The shock wave also struck HMS Rangoon which rocked so violently that spars, tackle and blocks were wrested off the masts and fell onto the main deck below. When the secondary explosions subsided, and the debris fell back to earth, not a building, wall, tree or plant was left standing on Alcatraz.
The sacking of San Francisco was well underway. The British loaded tons of confiscated goods onto five captured merchant ships. Several other smaller merchant ships were burning, as there were not enough prize crews to go around. The Marines had broken into local banks and dynamited open the vaults. Hundreds of bars of gold and silver were carted away towards the warships. The banks and other mercantile buildings were burning, and civilians were running in panic. The police, lightly armed with pistols and shotguns fled, as they realized they had no chance against Royal Marines.
Captured women were dragged into alleys, stripped and gang-raped. Officers at first tried to prevent the rapes but soon gave up as raping and pillaging were everywhere. The sack continued until the Alcatraz armory exploded. At first most thought it was an earthquake and were stunned by the force of the explosion, which was followed by the shock wave. Most stood up looking at the fireball rising into the sky.
Chapter 2
The Battle of San Francisco Bay
In confusion, the British didn’t notice that steaming down San Pablo Bay into San Francisco harbor were the ironclads USS Monadnock, USS Comanche and two sloops of war. For the last twenty-minutes, the sound of cannon fire increased in volume, and huge billows of black smoke darkened the horizon. As they rounded the point, the ship crews could see the Marina District in flames, with Royal Navy ships continuing the bombardment.
Suddenly there was a tremendous explosion in the outer harbor, and a fireball soared upward. Captain Joshua Kincaid of the USS Monadnock remarked: “What the hell was that.” Observing the disposition of the Royal Navy ships, he then signaled Commander John Dalton of USS Comanche and the sloop of war commanders to attack the Royal Navy ships which were bombarding the city. Kincaid maneuvered USS Monadnock to steam towards the wood battleships.
USS Monadnock
San Francisco Harbor
USS Comanche engaged one of the frigates from less than 300 yards. The turret fired into the frigate tearing huge holes in the hull. The turret rotated away then shot again with similar results. After the second salvo, the Royal Navy gunners began to return fire, but the cannon balls and shells bounced off. USS Comanche fired the third salvo into the frigate, opening huge holes near the waterline. The frigate began to list, then in minutes rolled over and sank.
One other frigate was tied up at the dock loading crates of gold and silver bullion. USS Comanche fired into her stern, with both 15-inch cannons firing explosive shot smashing through the stern, blowing half way down the frigate before exploding amidships; cutting down scores of sailors and starting fires. USS Comanche came about and repeated the process, this time igniting numerous fires, which erupted through open hatches to the main deck and quickly spread up the masts. The British sailors began jumping overboard just before the frigate’s magazine exploded. That explosion wiped out all the sailors and marines on the dock.
Dalton then steamed USS Comanche back into the main harbor looking for the other Royal Navy ships. The two US Navy sloops of war were engaging the three Royal Navy sloops. The remaining frigate backed away from another dock and turned to fight USS Comanche. The frigate fired a broadside. Most balls missed due to the Monitors’ low freeboard. Comanche fired back, and both shells smashed through the teak-wood sides, one passing through, striking a cannon on the other side. Sparks ignited the gunpowder, blowing a hole in that gun deck. The turret rotated around again and fired. The twin cannon balls blasted through the hull, showering splinters everywhere before exploding. A ragged broadside from the frigate followed. Incredibly, one of the British cannon balls became lodged in the cowling below the turret, which ground to a halt. With the turret jammed at a wrong angle, USS Comanche retreated down the bay to make repairs.
The battle between the sloops of war ended with one Royal Navy and both United States Navy sloops sinking, and both of the remaining Royal Navy sloops severely damaged. With the tide of the battle moving against them, the prize vessels retrieved many Royal Marines and steamed off to attempt their escape through the channel between Alcatraz and Angel Island. The frigate circled to retrieve Royal Navy Marines who were rowing towards it in longboats.
Golden Gate.
USS Monadnock steamed on a parallel course with HMS Rangoon, which fired the first broadside. However, all the cannon balls bounced off. USS Monadnock shot with both turrets simultaneously with the 15 inch balls punching through the teak sides, dismounting several cannons. The turrets rotated again and fired this time with explosive shells which passed into the middle of HMS Rangoon before exploding with devastating effect. Splinters and shrapnel killed or wounded dozens and fires began to spread.
Captain Kincaid realized that one more salvo would finish HMS Rangoon, but broke off to engage HMS Madras which was approaching from the port side. HMS Deli broke off the bombardment of Fort Point and was in the process of coming about, for HMS Deli and HMS Madras be able to engage USS Monadnock from both sides simultaneously.
Realizing his predicament, Captain Kincaid ordered full speed ahead, firing both turrets into HMS Madras hull, then ordering a hard turn to port, scraping the stern of HMS Madras as USS Monadnock passed, shearing off the rudder.
Following the collision, Kincaid asked: “Damage Report.” Moments later his executive officer said: None Sir.” Without the rudder, it would take HMS Madras twice as long to maneuver using the twin screws alone. Coming about, USS Monadnock passed by HMS Madras stern again, firing both turrets with raking explosive shot. The four shells exploded aft of amidships of HMS Madras, decimating the crew, punching holes in the boilers, which vented scalding steam dozens of sailors. With a wry grin, Kincaid looked at his Executive Officer and said: “That’s two, where is the third.” He knew that without rudder or steam engines HMS Madras could be left to be mopped up later.
Admiral Chadbourne observed that the tide of battle had drastically changed. HMS Madras and HMS Rangoon were severely damaged and essentially out of the fight. Two of his frigates and one of the sloops of war had sunk. The third Frigate was recovering Royal Marines, but the other Monitor looked to be able to resume the battle. On the positive side, the five prize ships were making their escape past Angel Island through the Golden Gate. With an eye towards vengeance, he ordered HMS Deli to engage USS Monadnock.
San Francisco Harbor:
USS Comanche had retreated one-half a mile down San Francisco Bay to make repairs. The engineering crew removed the turret cowling and used pry bars to dislodge the cannon ball. The turret was test rotated, and a loud grinding noise was apparent. The engineers looked for and removed debris. Then the sprocket and gears were packed with grease. The next rotation test was successful; the cowling replaced, and USS Comanche steamed back into the battle.
The third Royal Navy frigate was retrieving Marines from the longboats, who were climbing boarding nets. The two Gatling guns in the cupola above the turret opened fire, shredding the longboats and decimating the Marines on the boarding nets. The twin Dahlgren cannons fired into the frigate and rotated to re-load. The frigate turned and fired a broadside at the rapidly approaching monitor just as USS Comanche fired another salvo which smashed into the frigates gun deck. As the turret began to rotate to reload, a screeching grinding noise returned, and it jammed. Undeterred, Commander Dalton ordered full speed ahead and rammed the frigate penetrating 8 feet into the hull.
Royal Marines in the longboats tried to board USS Comanche, but the Gatling guns mowed them down. Commander Dalton ordered the engines astern, and USS Comanche backed out, leaving the frigate with a gaping hole. The cupola Gatling guns continued firing into the Royal Marines in the longboats. Soon, there was n
othing left to shoot. Within minutes, the frigate rolled over and sank.
Looking for the other Royal Navy sloops of war, Commander Dalton observed them following the prizes out the Golden Gate. Surviving sailors from the frigate were hauled onto the deck, huddled under the watchful Gatling gun crews. Comanche then steamed to the debris field of the sloop of war engagement. Dozens of sailors from both sides were clinging to the wreckage. One by one they were pulled aboard the deck. There they stayed until US Navy crew members could be sorted out.
Militia units began to arrive at the San Francisco waterfront. Commander Dalton off-loaded his prisoners and requested the officers to sort out the American sailors from the British. With the pumps containing the leaks, USS Comanche, steamed to assist Captain Kincaid. Damage control crews were frantically working to patch the holes and repair the turret.
Golden Gate:
HMS Deli was approaching to engage, however, Captain Kincaid, not wanting to fight two ships at once, detoured towards HMS Rangoon and fired a four gun salvo aimed at her waterline. The shots penetrated Rangoon’s hull and penetrated the lower deck before exploding. With her back broken, HMS Rangoon began to settle into the water.
USS Monadnock came about in a broad sweeping curve. With his guns reloaded, Captain Kincaid was ready to finish the battle. HMS Deli fired a powerful broadside. However, the cannon balls bounced off the rounded turrets and sloping hull of USS Monadnock, which fired back with the 15” cannon balls punching through, showering the gun crews with deadly splinters. Both warships began the circular engagement.
USS Monadnock was impervious to every hit, whereas HMS Deli was starting to incur substantial damage. The Gatling guns mounted on the forward turret and the rear turret cupola’s maintained a constant fire into the holes in HMS Deli’s hull, hampering movement within. The Royal Marines on the fighting tops fired their swivel guns at both of the cupola’s, wounding several sailors. The Gatling guns switched their targets, and soon the Royal Marines were swept off the fighting tops.
When a four gun salvo exploded inside HMS Deli, fires broke out and began to spread along the oiled deck. The next salvo of explosive shot further spread the flames. Admiral Chadbourne, observing his ship burning around him struck his colors, so his crew could fight the fires. Hoses were tossed overboard, connected to hand pumps for pressure and were used to slow down the spreading fires.
Kincaid then maneuvered towards HMS Madras which also struck her colors. He then ordered USS Monadnock pulled alongside HMS Deli and deployed Monadnock hoses to assist in the firefighting efforts. An hour later, after extinguishing the fires, the exhausted Royal Navy crewmen slumped to the deck.
Captain Kincaid, preceded by a detachment of heavily armed Marines climbed onto HMS Deli to accept Admiral Chadbourne's surrender. The crew was locked below, and Chadbourne and his officers confined to their cabins. A prize crew came aboard and steamed HMS Deli, under the escort of USS Comanche to the Mere Point Naval base. USS Monadnock then towed HMS Madras to a San Francisco dock for emergency repairs. Boats were launched from the shore to rescue the surviving Royal Navy crews clinging to debris in the water.
Chapter 3
Alcatraz Island
Marines, based at Mare Point, were transported to Alcatraz Island. They carried picks and shovels to dig in an attempt to determine what happened. What they saw was total devastation. Parts of human remains were scattered everywhere. There was a crater where the armory had once stood.
The Marines debated if that was where the defenders had made their last stand. A Gunnery Sergeant tilted his head and then motioned with his hands for everyone to be quiet. A lieutenant said: “Gunny, what do you hear.” Gunny replied: “I don’t know sir, something banging over there by that rubble.” As the Marines quietly walked in the general direction of the noise the Gunny said: “There, I heard it again. “ The lieutenant blew his whistle, and more Marines came running.
The Marines began to dig and use the picks as pry bars to move larger sections of debris. A faint raspy voice was heard: “Help us.” Marines were now shouting and waving “someone is alive, over here … Over here!!” More Marines came to remove the rubble. Several worked together to move a large section of granite and revealed two men huddled together in the corner of the casement, where they had been buried alive by the explosion.
Carefully the Marines cleared the debris and gently lifted the more severely wounded and unconscious soldier who was lying on top of the other; who had miraculously suffered only minor injuries. That soldier said there were two more. After more digging, the Marines found the bodies of other two defenders.
The lieutenant provided the rescued defender with ample amounts of water, sat him down on the rubble and asked: “Soldier, just what happened here.”
The soldier replied: “Sir, we were just finishing breakfast when all hellfire and brimstone exploded on us. We all went running out of the barracks to see this God-awful Limey warship firing broadsides at us. Captain Mitchell, he done opened the armory for us to bring the powder to the guns, but the Limey broadsides were dropping shells everywhere; explosions on the ground and bursting in the air. We all just got six guns firing back, and even that took a while. We had dead bodies everywhere, and almost as many men were holding their ears running around screaming; while others, why they just curled up in a ball and waited to die.”
After a pause to drink more water, he continued. “Our six guns did not last too long. Then we saw those Limey soldiers coming in their longboats. We looked around for the officers, but they all be dead. So the Sergeant Major over there he gathers us and tell us to build a wall from the wreckage in a semi-circle in front of the armory. He then had us haul out two Gatling guns and ammunition and told the rest of us to get Spenser Rifles and bayonets.
When those limeys came for us, we gave it back to them. We made them pay the butcher's bill every time they charged. The shooting was constant for about an hour and during that time the Sergeant Major, he done have us pile up barrels of gunpowder in the armory, with a short fuse leading to it. After a while, there were only a dozen or so of us left. The Sergeant Major tells us how proud he is to serve with us and GOD bless us all.
Those Limeys come for us in a big rush, and we begin to mow them down, but soon there were only 4 of us left. The Sergeant Major told us to jump into the casement. He lit the fuse with his cigar and jumped in on top of us.”
Visibly traumatized by his memories, the soldier crosses his arms over his chest, gripped his upper arms and rocked back and forth. The Gunny Sargent gave him a canteen of water, and the Lieutenant said: “Take your time soldier, there is no hurry.”
After taking a long drink from the container, the soldier continued. “GOD Almighty, I never heard such an explosion. The shock wave lifts us up into the air and drops us back down. The sergeant major, he lands on top of me, then all that rubble covers us up. It was as dark as pitch, my ears are ringing, and the weight of the Sergeants body is crushing me into the ground. I could feel him breathing, but he was knocked out cold. I sure did not want to die that way. It seemed like an eternity; then I heard your men. I started screaming and pounding until I hear you digging. Thank you for coming and digging us out.” With his story told, the soldier puts his head in his hands and begins to shake and sob.
The Lieutenant placed his hand on the soldier’s shoulder and said: “Son, you are a brave man and I am honored to meet you. What are your name and rank and who is the Sergeant Major.”
The soldier looked up, dried his eyes, stood up at attention and saluted. “Private Isaiah Hamilton, reporting for duty Sir! The Sergeant Major is Hannibal Johnston, the bravest man I know.” The lieutenant returned the salute, smiled and said: “At ease Private Hamilton, you could be a Marine. If you can, please identify the other two soldiers.”
The litter bearers arrive and gently place Sergeant Major Hannibal Johnston onto one and carried him to the boats. Private Hamilton walked with them. The lieutenant looks at the Gunnery Sergeant
and says: “Gunny, did you get all that written down.” Gunny replied: “Yes sir I did.” Then he added: “Hannibal’s Stand, by GOD like Bunker Hill, it will go down in history.”
Chapter 4
Washington DC, April 2, 1868
The telegraph lines from San Francisco brought the news of the outcome of the battle. The reports hailed Captain Kincaid as a hero for his destruction of the Royal Navy flotilla and the capture of 2 battleships.
The next day, newspapers were full of accounts of the sacking of San Francisco, and the virtual destruction of the Marina District. There are calls for vengeance for the pillaging and rapes. Newspapers are calling Admiral Chadbourne a pirate who deserves execution. Caricatures of him hanging from a scaffold wearing a pirate’s hat are on billboards everywhere.
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