The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-06-05
From the Fnend.l
The Monitor and Merrimac.
BY An KYE-wITSEss.

and MeTrim1c. IL has never before been
published, having been written by an eye
tcitHeSs, and communicated In a letter 10 a
kind friend, who has furnished it at our
solicitation. Ii was not intended for publica-
ton. We are confident our readers will
peruse this letter with much interest. Ii is
an event of the civil war In America, which
seems destined to revolutionIZe all the navies
of the worId-place all the nations Of earth
upon a common level. All must now begin
to build anew their navies. As it has been
forcibIy remarked, THE Monitor. in one
day, battered Town the navies of the globe"
They lay at the mercy Of her guns. This
shows the conquering power of a neU idea.
1t is, after all, true, that mind rules the world.
An idea Of Ericsson-the native of Sweden,
and the adopted son of America-now rules
the sea" and is " Mistress of the Ocean:
Camp Bnrier-Newport News.
/ suppose you have heard of the naval engage
ment. off this place, between our men-Of-war
and the iron-clad steamer MerTi1ndc, but as some
of the accounts in the papers were not exactly as
il happened, l will just give you an eyewitness
description Of il.
Ii commenced about ! o'clock on Saturday,
the 9Th March. L had just sat down to write
when the loug roll beat, and the men all rushed
to arms. / went down To my gun on the battery
TO see the cause of the alarm. did not have 10
look long, for down the river, towards Norfolk,
| saw three rebel gun-boats coming up; in adj
vance of these was something that looked like n
roof Of a house, Nth a chimney an the center
We all knew in an instant what it was, ana the
cry " the MeTTimac is coming" passed through
the whole camp. A very formidable appearance
she presented to US, and we knew we had got
some fighting to do to get rid of her.
As soon as she got within range of the guns of
the frigate Congress, that frigate opened on her,
as we'll as the battery here; but the MeTrimac took
no notice of the shot, although they were falling
like hail, and kept steadily on till abreast of the
Congress, when she opened her ports and poured
q broadside into her, with terrible effect. The
Congress then returned the broadside directly
down on the MerTinldc, but with still no visible
effect, and the shot only ratified down like so
many marbles. The MerTimdc then kept on for
the Cumberland, which lay n short distance from
the Congress; 1t was now a perfect thunder OF
cannon, for the Congress, Cumberland, and our
battery, were raining solid shot on the Merrimac
still she kept on for the Cumberland, running
presently into her starboard bow, and at the
same time firing a broadside into her, which
made an awful slaughter. One ball from the
Merrimac killed sixteen men at one gun. The
Cumberland Immediately returned a brOadside of
l20-lb. solid shot, the MerTimac being close to
the muzzles of the guns; it only had the effect of
dismounting the only gun they had in sight, and
cutting away two of her hag-statfs. The Cum
berland now began to settle slowly, but still kept
firing. The commander of the MeTTinac now
n az VI YIN - IN
would surrender. "No, never" said that gal
liant commander, but still kept on firing. As she
began to 60 down faster, the commander was
again asked if he was ready to surrender. NO."
said be, " | will 90 dOrH with my colors flying
and so he did.
Until the water was knee-deep on the gun-deck,
the Cumberland kept up her firing, and finally
sunk, carrying over a hundred brave and loyal
men to a watery grave. Ii was a terrible sight
to us to see this noble vessel disappearing from
@n- ca.Ar -f N aannI r-a1 hanrH nm hnr n a
she made her final plunge in the river she had so
faithfully guarded-even the cannon ceased their
thunder for n few minutes, and the stiffness of
death was here"
Just before the poor Cumberland went down,
the Congress slipped her cables and ran ashore
on the point about half n mile below here.
Both of our vessels being now out OF the way,
three more gun-boats came down the river from
Richmond.
The Merrimac next commenced to shell our
camp, but being so near, she did not do much
harm, her shot passing over us. She then ran
down to where the Congress was ashore, and was
joined by the other six rebel gun-boats. The
Congress fired a few shots in return, and then
hosting the white flag, surrendered.
One of the gun-boats came up to take the crew
prisoners. but were kept off by the boys on shore,
who fired with their ri6es-so the Rebels only
succeeded in taking a very few.
The Merrimac, and all the gun-boats, COM
menced Smelling the camp, the shot and shell
whistling over US and crashing among the trees
of the forest, and occasionally smashing our tents
and exploding near us; but the night soon came
on, the firing ceased, and the boats ran up to
Norfolk to wait till morning, when they intended
20 return, capture the Minnesota and other YES
sells of war, shell US out, and land 4 force to hold
this post. They would have done it too if Erics-
sons floating battery, the Monitor, had not
arrived during the night.
As soon as il was dark, the flames broke
through the deck Of the Congress {she had been
on fire below some time,) and mounted the masts
and rigging of the doomed friga.e, and she was
soon enveloped in flames from stem to stern,
which cast a lurid glare over the water and on
the camp. She Law broadside to the camp.
About s 7. NJ. the fire began to affect the guns.
which were loaded. 1t was a fearful, yet grand,
sight TO see that noble vessel blazing like n huge
pyramid, to hear the booming of the bursting
guns and have the balls whizzing over our heads,
fired by no mortal hand. One of the shot struck
a schooner and sunk her near to our wharf. We
went TO sleep in the midst of this sublime scene,
with the shot still flying over us. At l O'Clock,
every man in camp was startled by the explosion
of the magazine; it shook the ground like an
earthquake the whole frmament was filled by
the burning ~splinters ana sparks of fire.
Sunday, the 9th, was as beautiful a day as ever
dawned on this troubled Union. We were up ut
daylight, to see the re-commencement of the fight.
At 8 o'clock, the MerrimGc, Patrick Henry and
Yorktown, came down from Norfolk to engage
and take the Minnesota, which lay aground off
here; but when the MeTTimdc got within three
miles. the Monitor came out from behind her
and bore directly for the Merrimac-the other
two rebel boats ran of. The Rebels were very
much surprised to see the Monitor; they neither
knew where il came from. or what it was. The
Rebels fred the first shot, and thus opened the
engagement. The Monitor engaged the MerrimGc,
and it Vas a novel sight 10 see these two IRON
clad steamers firing upon each other without
serious damage TO either, and all this time not a
man could be seen on either vessel. After FIVE
hours firing. the Monitor drove of the Merrinac,
with some considerable damage. While they
were fighting on the river, the long roll beat in