nine o'clock
It 's going to blow by-and-by , and if the wind comes from the southeast , as it generally does , the ships will have to make an offing to secure their own safety . '' And that was just the way things turned out . That morning some of General Butler 's troops were landed a few miles from the forts under cover of some of the gunboats , while the others opened a hot fire upon the fortifications . The battle thus commenced lasted from nine o'clock until almost night , and then Fort Clark was abandoned , while the flag was hauled down on Fort Hatteras in token of surrender , whereupon the _ Monticello _ steamed into the inlet ; but when she came within a few hundred yards of the fort , the heavy guns of the Confederates opened upon her with such terrible effect that she was badly cut up , and in danger of sinking . The man in command of the fort who was guilty of this act of treachery was Commodore Barron , formerly of the United States Navy . He would have scorned to do such a thing while the old flag waved above him , but when he threw off his allegiance to the government he had sworn to defend , he threw off his manhood with it . But he gained nothing by it .