 Webb demonstrated his aggressiveness when he attempted to sortie on the first spring tide ( 30 May ) after taking command , but Atlanta 's forward engine broke down after he had passed the obstructions , and the ship ran aground . She was not damaged although it took over a day to pull her free . He planned to make another attempt on the next full tide , rejecting Mallory 's idea that he wait until the nearly complete ironclad Savannah was finished before his next sortie . In the meantime , Rear Admiral Samuel F. Du <unk> , commander of the South Atlantic <unk> Squadron , had ordered the monitors Weehawken and Nahant into <unk> Sound . Commander John <unk> in Weehawken had overall command of the two ships . 
