Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1862-07-05
Destruction or,Ao aIerrlmao.
OFFICIAL LsTrER Of CoaAoDoaE IATSALl.


The following is a copy OF q letter addressed by
Commodor ratnal to Secretary Mallory
Rlchmond, May ii 1862.
sIR:-In detailing to you the circumstances
which caused the destruction Of the =. s. steamer
Virginia and the movements few days previous
TO that event begin with your telpgpph,d dis.
patches to me, Of tho 4thanl 9TH Instant Direct
log me to take such position in the James River
as woad entirely prevent the cneuys ascending
it.
General Huger, commanding at Norfolk, on
learuiDg that had received this order, called on
me and declared that It's execution would obIge
him to abandon immediately his forts on urluey
Island aud Sewall's Point and their guns to tue
enemy informed him that, as the order was
imperative, must execute II, but suggested that
he should telegraph you and state the cr0saqucn
ces. B5 did so, and on the 9Th instant you ta,e
grlphel me to enleayor to afford protection to
Norfolk Us well as James River, which replaced
NE in my original position. then arranged with
the General that he should notify me when his
preparations for the evacuation Of Norfolk were
sufficiently advanced to enable me 10 act indepen-
IDENTIFY
On the 7th instant Commodore IIollins reached
Norfolk with orders from you to consult with me
aud such officers as might select in regard to the
best disposition to be made Of the Virginia, under
the present aspect Of things,
We had arranged the conference for the next
day, the 9Th, but on that day before the hour up
pointed, the enemy attacked the Sewalls Point
battery and left timnediatrly with the ViFgIaato
defend il.
We found six Of the enemy's veasels including
the iron.cad steamers Monitor and Nangaturk,
Smelling the battery We passed the battery and
stood directly for the enemy for tho purpose ol
engaging him, and thought au acton cerialn
particularly as the Minnesota and vanderbilt
which were anchored below Fortress Monroe, get
under way aud stood up to that pOlOt, apparently
withthe in ention Of 01iug their sqaldton in The
Roads Before, however, we got within t,na shgt
the enemy ceased Iiriug aud retired with all speed
under the protection OF the guns Of tho Fortress
followed by the Virginia until the shells from the
Rip Rap5 passed over her
The Virginia wastheu placed at her mooriug7.
rear 5ewas Point, and returned to Norfolk 10
h,lI tha conference referred TO,
/! was he ID on Che 9th, and the officers present
,gera Colonel Anderson and Gaptai1------, otthe
army, selected by General lluser, who was tho
unwell to ateld hinsef aug ol lhaHary myself,
Commodore llol.ins, and Captains stene aud
Lee. Commander Richard L, Jones and LIea'en'
ants An Catesby Jonesand j. Ppntroke Jones
The opnon was unanimous that the Virginia
was chem emploged to the best advantage, aud
TINT she should continue for tho present to pro-
tsct Norfolk; and thus afford time to remove th'
public property.
Oat6e ilext day, at tea O'Clock A. NJ we OBJ
soryd from the Virginia that the flag WIS not Ny
iag on the Stwalis Point battery aud that it ap
pearei to have been abandoned. : dispatched
Lieutenant J. P. Jones, the Flag Lieutenant, II
Craney Island, where th9 Confederate ilag wa,
still flying, and he tn larned that large fore,
Of the enemy had landed on the bay Shore, auy
Ware marching rapidly on Norfolk; that the Se
= wallis Point battery was abandoned. and our tr00I
wne ratreating. / then dispatched the same OF
feer to Norfolk 10 confer with General Huge
and Captain Lee. He found the Navy yard il
flames and lhtAll It's officers had let by rulroad
On reaching Norfolk he found that General thu
er and all the other officers had also 4Iti that l
enemy were within . halt mile Of tho clIy, am
tha. tho Mayor was treating forts surrender
0ureturung to the ship, he fund that Crane
Island and 9ll-rlle other batteries Oh the river hl
been abandoned. 4t..au
!, 1t was now seven o'clock in the eyaning, aB
9 this unexpected cou6rmatOn rendered PRONG
measures necessary Tor the safety Oi the Nirgina
Tho pilots had assured me that they could TAX
the ship with a draft OF eighteen feet, to with
forty miles Of Richmond.
This the chief pilot, ,Mr, Parrish and his chi
oes;,tont Nv Wpuht hol oeanrfnl onoin
again and on the afternoon Of tho Tth, in IN
cabin in the presence Of Commodore lIollins AZ
Captain Sterrett, in reply to aquestion Of min
they both emphatically declared their ability to
10.
ConGnding in these assurances and, after co
Bulting with the First and Flag Lieutenants III
learning that the officers generally thought it Il
most judicOus course determined to lghten Il
ship at once, and run up the river for the prote
tion Of Richmond
All hands having been called on deck stat
to them the condition of things, aud hope that
getting up the river before the enemy could
made aware ofour designs we might capture i
vessels which had asceu led it, and render eflicie
aid in the defense Of Richmond; but that to effe
this would require oil their energy in lighteul
the ship. Theyreplicd with three cheers, al
went to work ut once. The pilots were on de
and heard this address to the crew.
Being quite unwell, had retired to bed Z
tween one and two o'clock in the morning t
Fist Lieutenant reported to me that after t
crew had worked for Eve or six hours, and lit
tha ship SO as to render her unfit for action, t
pilots had declared their inability to carry eig
teen feet above the jamestown Flats, up to viii
pojnt the shore, on each side, was occupied byt
enemy. t~f r'4ss', "a gees 'isal'i- 2 lN
ondemanding from the chief pilot Mr. Parr