St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-03-27
THE GREAT NAVAL FIGHT,
How the Monitor Ba@ed the
Merrimac.
AN INTERESTING ACCOUNT.

From the New York Tribune, 18th
A gentleman who was at the Seminary,
Camp Hamilton, and occupied favorable
position, hss furnished Us the following
description /.
In, the early dawn through a vale Of
thick haze, TIE long trail ofsmoke drifting
lazily across the sky, gave warning that
the Merrimac and her consorts were firing
up for the coming strife. Our hopes that
At high water the Minnesota would be ex-
tricated from her perilous position died
within US as we saw the we'll known spars
Of our old tavorite piercing bank of mist
in the same place in which we had seen
her the evening before.
Soon the three rebel vessels were dis
tinctly seen, surrounded with busy crowd
of boats, and the turtle back" of the Mcr-
rimac covered with people. A long time
passed, however, before any movement was
made; period of terrible apprehension
followed, since we knew that the Minneso-
a. was perfectly helpless. We strained
our eyes to see if she lad any assistance,
but the gallant frigate and gunboat that
closed the action last night were nowhere
to be seen. Presently gun was fired -
The smoke of it was seen in the direction
of Pigs Point. Away across James Riv-
er, I could see, apparently, a rebel tug
1t lay opposite the mouth Of Nansemend
River, in the exact spot where the rebels
yesterday dealt such stunning blows at our
devoted steamer. There was no repcti-
[tion Of the shot but, as if a signal gun
had been fred, the Merrimac shut off her
waste steam, which had been piercing the
sky like tall white monument, and slow
ly passed around the jamestown and Pat
rick Henry, keeping on in the direction Of
Newport News. -:
She moves very slowly; but her course
was scarcely taken before tall feather Of
steam arose from what appeared to be the
rebel tug near Pigs Point. The air Was
now clearer and closer inspection revealed
the tact that it was the Ericsson steam bat.
terry, 50 often described of late She mus,
have come in during the nig int aud just
in time. It was one ray of hope that the
Minnesota might be saved, but I must ad'
init that it was feeble one with me. She
kept her place, however, as sentinel owe,
the embouchure of James River, ard calm
" awaited the coming of her huge antag
opist.' Really the disproportion between
them was almost startling. The one :
mountain Of iron, and the other fat, low
black, craft With queer erection In tht
! middle of it like the commencement Of ar
immense smoke stack. s@,S y2y / IT..
The Merrimac fired first. Her shot fal
short. She fred again with the same re
sslt. The Monitor now moved, bat. no
in retreat. Though it looked like mad
Enea to approach the Merrimac, Who's
guns shook the earth at the distance o
ten miles at every dnchsrge +; yet sh'
steamed down to meet her, awhile. .plum'
of steam toying with the folds Of the Star
and Stripes flying from her stern. Thrs
or four shots were thrown toward and owe
her before she dsigued to ereply. But =
hst there vas q tfnh swallowed inscloud
Of smvke, nearly even with her deck, an'
sometime before the sound of the gul
reached us her shot was seen to reooche
within . slsgt distance of tho Rebel