Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1862-05-28
STORY CT THE MERRIMAC.
lFrom the \. Y. Herald. 1gth.1

James thompson, IA sailor bv vocation.
a citizen OF Massachusetts. and formerly
a resident of this city, arrived here or,
Saturday night last from Norfolk. and
furnished us with very interesting state
ment Of affairs in rebeIdom. He was one
of the crew of the Ke5rimac during the
/ fight with the Monitor, having been i'm
pressed into the rebel navy, and had also
been one OF the crew Of the rebel sunboat
Lady Daris during the cruisings of that
vessel off Charleston and the coast X
Having sunk the two vessels we steamed
up James River. the rebel officers being
an high @lee, anu came to an anchor al out
i've miles from the scene of action. Hero
we remained ali night On the morning
of the 9Th We prepared to 80 d, wn again,
the rebel officers thinking to complete tha
STS"i- - daSt~t,srfosi Dy SINKING ali the
vessels in the Roads When daylight had
revealed the situation of affairs the Off
crrS OF the Ne,rfRac discovered what
they at first thought was IA small tugboat.
steaming toward Us We hailed her. lut
receiving no reply. let fy at her from one
OF our bow guns; but she very lmpudently
took no notice of the messenger we had
sent a. kept steaming on. Then our off
GERS began to be fearful Of the little
chcesebox, and were fairly trembling
in their shoes for the result of a contest
with her. They soon found outlrhat she
'ras Soon the li,tle Honifor sent us her
compliments in the shape Of a round
shot which struck gun on our starboard
side, broke 1t completely in two, killed two
aud wounded four of the crew. The
firing was then kept up for about three
hours, the vessels being very often side
bv side. After an hours firing the Ner-
g.ly tt.si,f . II
plough on her antagonist, and struck her
with 1t amidships The effect produced
WAS very unsatisfactory to the rebels,
however. The HoHit0T then turned on
her giant compeer and struck her rudder.
producing great CONSERVATION on ho I'd.
but not rendering the rudder unservicea-
bic Every time the two guns from the
-NoRitor were discharged, each of the two
shots seemed to strike US in nearly the
same spot, bursting in the timbers of the
-HeyTfmac, loosening the bolts of the iron
plates and timbers, and doing US very
great damage generally 1t was ncticea-
bic also that her shots struck us near the
water line, and caused our vessel to leak
badly
Mr.. Thomson also coroborates what we
published some time since from the Rich
mond Dispatch, that the iron plates Oh
the -Ne17tmac were welded together in
many instances by the heat and force Of
the Monitor shot The 4neryimac;s crew.
during the engagement. were made to
swear that If a large number Of the rebels
on board were killed. they would not re-
veal the fact To any one on their arrival at
Norfolk. Seeing that the tide Of bettle
was against US, we ordered to bout ship
nd put back to Norfolk We had not
proceeded far when we grounded. and or
ders bad already been given to scuttle the
ship, where We made another and last ef-
tort to get of the shoal, and succeeded,
and we made our wav up TO Norfolk slow
~, arriving there at six p, NJ, with about
SIX feet oi wat'sr in the hold. The -aabei
steamer Patrick Henry which bore down
to the HO7'atOr during the fight, was driy-
en- back by shot and having steam turn
ed on her from the Monitors boilers.
She had six men sealded and two badly
wounded. After reaching Norfolk the dry
dock for repairs, and for FIVE weeks men
were working on her night and dav. giving
her thorough overhauling When de-
stroyed she was in excellent condition,
and her loss Mr. Thomson thinks, will
prove incalculabIe to the rebels. Whl;e
these repairs were goin. on great fear was
expressed that the -aoHitor might come up
the Elizabeth ri. er and shell the city. If
she had done so no resistance could or
would have been offered (as the authori.
ties and people were frightened at the
very name OF her. and the evacuation of
tne batteries aE.a the city was already Ie-
eIded on IN the event of her visit. Com
modore buchanan was badly wound I'd in
the thigh, and was taken, immediately on
our arrival, to the hospital, where, at last
accounts, he still remains.