The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-03-25
FROM The NORTH.

va IuEnlsneu 70 She new York Wogl6 hy 4.
y. Smith, pilot ON board ths Cumberland .,
the time OF the Uattle, ard il by far the mos,
candid account that has yet been received
from Yankee scurcs.l
rAs sAffL1 OF HAntfor HeAps.
On Saturday morning the U. 9. sloop.of.
war Cumberland laid on In the Roaas al
shore. tha Oonsrtss being 200 yards south oa
us. The morning was mild and pleasant,
and the day opened without any notew Or IA y
incident. About IL O'Clock q dark lookip 8
Island, throaoh Norfolk channel, aud pro.
oeedine straight In our direction. 1t was in.
AtAntly recognised as the Merrimac. We
b ad been on tho lookout for her for some
inns, and were as wsll prepared then az We
have been daring tho last six months.
As che came plouzhlng through the water
right onwafds toward our port bow, she
looked like q huge half submerged CT, codiie.
Her sides seetne4 of solid iron, excep. where
the guns pointed from tha narrow poris, a.d
rose siantinSly from the water like the root
OF house or the arehed back cf a tortoise.
Probably ths extreme height of the apsx
from tns waters edge, perpendicularly, wns
ten fest. At her pcow could see ths iron
prcjec cting straight forwards, scmsEhaeahove
the waters edge, and apparently mass Of
iroH.. small honss wsse. ssnnE OF faztsne ed to
feom one stag, while q neanant wa, ftxsd IN
another at the stsrn. There was smoke stsck
cr pipe near hsr middle, and she was proha-
bly, q proDslier, 40 aide. wheels or Machine.
~ being visible. She Is pfobaniy covered
with railroad iron.
aErTIHa BIADY 1ol ACTION. a.
.Immeoiate,Y on tho appearing OF ths MGR.
rimac thS com mand was given TO mSke ready
for instant action. All hands were ordered
to their places, and the cumberland was
sprung across tna channel. so that her broad
aide would bear on the f,errtmac. Tha ar
mament we could bring to boar on the Mer.
rimac was about eleven nina AID tea. ~ IA
DahigTeu kups aEd tWo p,vs: guns OF the
same make. The Eucaers were at their posts,
within rang. She came up d. ihe rate OF four
or Ave knots rer hour. -
OPENING TH1 BATTLE.
When .hs Merrimac arrived within abont
mile W. opeced on her with cur pivot X xuns.
and as soon as wa could baar upon her. cur
on, yqe balls bouncing from her matted sides
like 1n0ia rubber, apparently making 10. tue
least impre sti0n, except 10 cut OF ner hlg.
sssff, and thns bring dowa tas Ocnfsderate
cOl0rs. None OF her crew ventursd g that
tsIoe on her onts! de 70 replac. them, and she
fought theacstOrward with only her pennans
Tying. Shs appeared to obey ar 81 m and
os very readily h-niiad, making all her
movements aud evo.uticrs with apparent
facility and readiness. Wa had probably
Aired sir or ght br0adsitles when q shot xas
received from one of her guns which killed
five OF our marines.
her way, and tho 'lerrim &c soon CT shed her
ion horn OF ram into ,he Gum berland ins,
s;arhuard the main cnatnss under the blum OF
the port bow, knocking Mole IN the std?, near
the water Hoe, as large as the heGd OF Il hcgs
hssd, aud driT,ne the vesss! back upon her.
anchors with grea. 1oroas Tka water csme
rusbi In to the hold. The Merrimac than
backed out aaa discharged her guns a. -, ,he
kav h ri
i've sick mee.s Tna watsr was all the while
rushing in the hole made by the ram, 50 that
In Aye minu.es II was up TO the sick bay On tee
ber.i deck. En- the mean .i,ne her broa dsidss
swept our mep away, killed and rnaimed, and
f,lxo set our vessel on fire. in the forward part.
Th at fire was ex .inguisned 1canuot tell how
many were wounded. The sick bay, berth
deck and gun deck were almost literally GOV
srad with men KILLED and wounded, but the
surviving ones still fought well, and every
one, eficsrs and men, Displayed the utmost
kefolsfn. aef r
The fixh. laeted about three.fosr,hs OF an
hm ses IN a1R ass So'
by aud Dy tho por q, as her bow kep: sinkiug
deeper and defpsr Near tbs middle OF the
fight, when the berth deck OF the Cumberland d
MerriEsAc came ont Of a poit to the outside
Of hsr iron. plated root. and bail frcm on .
of our guns ins antly cut him in 100. That
wss the last and only t;ofifedera-e that ven
safe, iron walled enclosure We fred con
stantly, and the Msrrimsc cccasioaaliy. bat
every shot told upon our wooden vessel and
brave crew. Her guns being without the
least elevation, pointed straight at us alopa
the surface Of the water, and her near mesa
she being much OF the time within thrss hu o.
dsed yards, made it an easy matter to send
each ball to its exact mark. PROBABLY her
knns would be useless at q consfdera bic
dissance, az 1t appears impossible 70 elevate
them.
Finally, after about thr ee-f -fourths Of an
hour OF the most severe fshlnE, our vessel
That nag was f1aally submerged bur, after
the hull grounded On the slnd, ffty four
fee. below the surface Of the water, our pen
pant was atill flying from the tapmast above
but mauu were drowned as the vessel Hect
down. We bad shout four hundred OF board.
and suppose e.om one hupdyed AMI nifty 70
two hundred were killed during the engage
lnent ard drowned q. The sinking. Ixiea ten
mt George V. Msnrice wss In commaEd Of
the vessel, Captain Radfora being aesent on
the Rom oke q. q Count y Inquiry; ead,
though he hurried back to reach his yesse,, he
could no. arrtfa tiil after shs had sank -
|. Very few CT ou- men SWAN ashore, m oss Of
those who wsre rescued from the water b y
ing saved b. small boa,s. The Msrrinac
seemed to be uainj ac5d, a. 1hougn her smsI'
boats and f1ag.s:aH we're saot away In the
commeD cement of the action.
yHGAasHhSx wIrE raa coxeaxss
The Msrrimac then turned her assentioa
to the Congress-, which lay probably tWo
hundred yards to tho South Of where the
Cumberland was. The Merrimac came ur
under her starn. and her crow hrsd their Iis.
tolls into the por,s Of tha Congress Is he ap-
pro ,ched. saw her f1r4 on tha Congress-
The sailors OF that vessel say that the Mer.
r!mack str1ck her bu. of tais lam not sure.
The Congress had q good crew OF fifty mea
from tn. Cumberland previously .aksn on
board nifty from the Mlnufso.s, hf:y 90 ths
Naval Brigade. flf.y from the Ecxaoks, and
sOns others. L,isus Joseph Smith, who was
| in commana,swa kii.ed by shot. gfea:
may OF the Nival Brigade were aiso killed
Ti.s eE tire command seemed to hava acsed
bravely during the engagement, which pro
badly lasted not over half nn hour, whom the
white mug wss rcn mp. During that rixh,
some sstlors and men # the Uong geese rs-
turned and sst hrs 10 her. and sns biaw up
about twelve O'clock. Neither the shot OF The
Oumbsrland ror Gongrsss appeared 10 have
any eject on the Merrimsc, bounding cd
harmlessly, with loud ringing sound from
the iron plates.
HOW MANY Hi ED ON TEE MINNESOTA.
Tho epgAgemsnt with shs minnesota 70
suited 10 tho killing OF four men on the hat
tor vessel, which was aground. Tie Merrs.
mac did not seem to like to 60 near her. rer
heavy guns. hut more pros1biy because an.
was tfrata also OF getting aground, the wa
ser being quite shallow ic that neig hbor r.
hood. The Mtnneeot3 10 not mucn II Jured
She wa OF. and steaming down about stz
O'Clock Sunday night.
Plight Bsrwsns rHu MONITOR AND nxaI,xAc
1hs Monitor came in Saturday night, snS
proceeded up past the Mipnesota. the Uol.
tederats steamers Jam estown and Yorktown
were rot iron plated, ar at Any rats. onl,
partially 60. 1Aey came down in hi
daylight making Tor the Minnesota, bu
to thsir sarprtss found ths Monitor ready 4
rscsive tcem. On sunday morning the Mon
itor novel Close up 70 the Mafrimac. and
eide by side, engaged hsr for four hours an.
tWsn,y mtautes. OEcs the MsrSimac dashs,
her iron Prov quarterly against the MOnttoy
The Monitor in tara dessl mined % try y