New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-03-18
THE FIGHT WITH THE MERRIMAC.

ant IN the Union COAST Ruuiu, WHO Nltucsh'u INC
lae naval battle Of Fortress Monroe, from the deck
Of the friglte Consress;
Vorrarss MoyaoR Va, Ma'ch II 1864?
DvAr FATEER: / wrote a short letter to You The
doy after the action, letuug you know thai l was
'fs q. have been 30 busy si1ce that have had no
time to write | viii give you description of The
tight, which will be more satisfactory tnan mo
he wspsrers ~ had good chance TO see what WIS
Going on, BENG stationed on the rcop-deek the
prcater part of fhe time. At about III o'clock =. ~
a SATURDAY. and while We .he oihcers were IN the
wsrdroom eitiug lunch, tie word wa- seut TO the
ist Lieutenant COMMANDING Mr.. j. IL Snnh, Oy
the officer Of the deck, Mr.. MclnilrN, Masters
Mate, that .he Gierrimsc was leaving Crauey Isand
and proceeding tow ri Sewahs Point. We then
went on deCA and with Il sses were watching the
Merrimac and three other Rebel gunboats for cou-
siderable time. The Merrmac bad Commodore
flag a. the fore and the Rebel fac at the stern. TIE
other Rebel guntoats had The French nag al the ioir
and the Stare and b.rs al uldshigs and ait. We
then east our eyes ~ the James River aud saw t;e
Rebel boat Jamestown (i'a'lek Henry and me
Yorktown seanug around Dope Point, ABOUT l.
miles above.
H. the mean time The Cumberland, who lay sb0ut
300 Yards above us, was intensely watching the
eneny's progress. The Moumac lief, Norfolk al 'ut
H., and steamed down slowly and near tue shore
10 wall Point, which she pas 90 aud appeared 10
be going to Fort Monroe, tui after l-aving 'he
DOint about quarter OF llic, size tur ed around
aud approached The point again, and kept ny toward
Crspey Island, where We sufroseG she Wac gong
INT after going in that direction about nh', So
headed toward Pigs Point, at the morlh OF ite
Nsrsemend River, again turned ond came s'eaoiy
/ toward Va.
We were nv no means idle this was taking
place We haa beaten 10 quarters. and tie men were
IN re dy for The work lsiole us. OLF snip az thls
lime was heading soutU-easi or down lue f|eIi hN'
as no tide was running, ihe would not " IaN OH 10
/ ,te cable OF which we had a "spfing, 20 30 10
h.. ~ tru. Ngfd On
rroa bed within 500 wares OF our bow, and We cou
moi use q single gun. The Cumberland, having Two
! pivot rifed guns on her bow, oQened lire on her
? hich struck her but glanced of like "mar0les on
ioe.' She The Mernmac then opened her bow
gnns on the Congress, the first shot she n'td
being grape. wac standing on the s'aLboa!a
uorse-bock with glass N my baod. ! SAD
70 Lieut. Peudergrsst. just az SO hred, " There
she goes, Pender,' aud he replied, 1fhie
eh! / thought she would have fired solid sLo,.'
A part Of tie netting Of The borse-eioch war
carried away with tie shot, and 1t ratified Ike laii
around us. On the poop. btsides myself, were ttpt
Smith. Lieut.. Pendergrast, Sir. kLosds, the pho,
Capt. McIntire, Lieut.. Smith. and MIR. dcCiiniock.
Captain Clerk. Sire then nrtd three or four round
shol, which went through the rigging. We tried to
be the slip 10y no sting The spalker, aud all OF tie
officers the poop assisted IN pulling Tue SAIL hlounu
80 tue wind would eaten IT ana turn our bIoaori"e
on. The Merrimac for some reason, passed oy W,
pouring IN q brOadside ~ geo yards distance. which
we promptly responded 20 by two broidsides IRON
the starboaId side aud went up 10 The CumD.fiahu,
Which ,hc ran iuto With her iron Prov at ino same
Tine lrg her two bow guns at The Cumberiald aLd
her broadside guns az us. She drew back ana ran
into the Cumberland ag ain, about bali way between
tie bow AID nGships firing al us and The Cuuber'
land al the tine. Sic then got on The siaGbohrc
side OF the Cumberland, ard we could mol nre NJ ei
/ ior fear OF hitting The tumbeTlinC. She lieh Gu
gaged the shore battery. Duing all thai 'iue we
were also fighting the Jamestown aud Yorktown
who were pouring she'll and thot al 10. then went
below, on the puA-d. elk, 10 see that our w"nid'u
were earn IN tne cockpit. anu round tth' we a.
three killed IN our company, apd zone NolAneu'
raised around tbs men, encouraging them. ann "ent
NJ on the poop again.
! TIE Nerriuac soon came ~ us again. We had
raised he ub-siis and n mixer Grd i0r"shll hu0
RED 70 qe- i.e chip Pm ~ we conld work Der WIN
fail wind. W. hid he tng"oat Iou"ve aiol gflne
Of Us, towing. bot before we lad moved 40 yarus
We 70. :gronrd SIN fighting The Jaueeto III aud
Yorktown and the Mciim.c li'ching IN Il shot
every few minute. The Menipac cane down
within %Ol wards OF as RIA got directly asern OF us
and poured IL brOadside after brondtlde. We couli
only use the two stern guns; aud tie crew were
mo we'd down ar coon Is they manned those gnt-
The second shot cane into TIE stern willie Capt
Nc niira and myfef We're in the Captains cabin
GiiuQ from Sharps rifles into tie port be lie Oh ~
Merf.mac. The ball passed between tic Captain
aud my-ef, killing q marine who was also there,
knocking the Captain down, aud knocking one against
lie door Of the Iantry. Tue stove was Knocked
over, auo everything in,ile broken mp. The ball
passed along The slar-deck, killing Mr.. lbom@
Moore, srtlng Master. We carried the marine te-
low and got pail Of water End put ont the ca' IN
fire and went to work again firing rifles out Of The
hole the ball made. Alter exhaustiug my supply,
went outside aud Mr.. Pendefgrast asked me Nv here
IL Mr.. Smith - ] did not know, aud went TO look
Tor hm the balls still whstbng around uie
and moving their way through the ship fore
and aft. NJ Smiths cap was found by Master,
Mate Daury, sill torn mp, and his body was ion
soon after We still fought item as well a. We
could with tie TWO stern chascFf, but hndlrg thai
resistance was useless, struck our colOt at quar-
ter 10 four dock. The Rebel bOst Beaufort came
along side Of us and ead the officers are prisoners
and aend the crew ashore" and waited TO bum NE
clip The Executive officer Of thtSCOngrers de-
INJURED 10 the burnt vi the ship before the wounds1
aud crew shore, aud ssiId DO SHOULD ~ dy -
The ,hp had then been on fire shout an hour. lie
Iudiana 2lrt Regiment Ger. on the sandy Teach %
tie sLOre and tending rifle tals liick sud fat Oh H.
Rebel boit; zone also biting our men. The heOei
officer, a MidBnIpuan, ordered some u the crew on
board, and 7 presume about FIFTY got On Der, hni
subsequently jumped of her and got On tie thiP
again. then went below 70 pack up my thing
expecting 10 be prisoner Of war-bad them brought
deck, Uut ;he Rebel cont yelled TO draw oil, ~
COZ sequence oi rifle BALI iron shore.
The Meuinsc, after The Beaufort LEFT us, poured
in another brond,ide, killing eight Or ten men. |
then went below 20 get The com sny rolls aud bnd
10 wade ~ blood aud water ankle deep to .et To he
room in hich those books were. found IT iuil oi
smoke, aud considerably broken up, aud everything
Knocked 10 pieces. / began 70 feel along the floor
iOr tie roll book. when a she'll buls, in tie cock
pit, the pieces iiyi around Ike hill The partition
between The r0Os and picces Of furniture, ciaire,
bureau, &c broken up by the iorce Of the es Ioson
completely coverei mo, but l fnslly succeeded il
getting ont, and with what went after.
Most OF the wounded then ia the cockpit were
Killed by tha, explOsion, aud the surgeon WA M
,r.d IL title vgtle The ward-foorn inst ovc, . .