St. Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1845-1863, 1862-04-03
MERRIMAC AND MONITOR.

We have received. through q friend,
the following account Of the recent fight
between these vessels by an eye witness.
whose position and opportunity enabled
him to form very correct opinion Of the
incidents n,d results Of the engagement.
The writer is personally known to US to
be reliable and iutelligen, gentleman and
Of judgment not likely to be warped by
partisan bias or political feeling. The
accoun. should have been published in our
last issue but was mi.laid by the gentle
man in who.e charge it was given.
II xi.nca.ed the naval fight in Hamp-
sou Rhodes on the 9Th and 9th. As I have
no news of much Importance TO commu-
nicate this time. had AZ wei tell you
something Of this fight to undeceive you
in regard t. some Of the TRANSACTIONS which
the papers. generally. have misrepresent=d
through their correspondents. who appear
to have looked upon the action with on.
eye shut and the other twice as vide open
, AZ it should have been. They say, for
, instance, the M-rrimac. after the engage
ment on Sunday. went up Norfolk chan
mel in tow Of two gun.boats in disabled
and sinking condition. Now. it is true,
she went up the channel with a gun-boat
on each side Of her, but i, is equally true,
that she come down in the same manner.
! 1t IL customary with all heavy draft ships
to engage the service Of similar boat.
when they undertake to navigate the
shallow waters Of such channels. an,
fully satisfied that the Merrimac was Meth.
er disabled nor in . sinking condition
when she came down.
ut is also stated. BY these same cor
respondents. that the Monitor whipped her
antagonist and caused her to draw off.
This is totally untrue. The Monitor her
self was the 6rs. to draw off, the Merri.
mac remaining in her original position
and firing three times after the Monitor
had left She then returned up the
Rhodes and engaged the Minnesota
(which was sshore) for fifteen ninut, s.
Now, if the Monitor had disabled the
Merrim.c. how could the latter have en-
gagged the Minnesota. one Of The heavies,
| frigates in the navy1 But il the Cum
beriand was sunk the Congress burned.
the Oregon blown up. the Zouave and
the tug boat Dragon disabled. and the
Minnesota badly riJdled, j, was not
through the want Of courage or the lack
Of hard fighting or skillful gunnery that
they suffered. They all Tough, bravely
aud the Minnesota like bulldog. 1,
was truly . grand sight-,hc tremendous
fire which the Minnesota opened On Sew
ellis Point battery as she passed up q
where she grounded-the round shot fal-
ling like hail and the shells bursting in
the air in direct line with the battery in
countless numbers! But they all fell
short, whilst the battery, on the other
hand, lost no time in returning the com.
plinent. bu, unlike the ships. the shsts
from the battery were effective, excep,
where they ovorreaehed and struck be.
yond the ship. Il was there that the fri.
gate Roanoke received several shots and
returned to her anchorage without enter
ing Newport News channel. The turn.
ing Of the Congress was magni6cently
grand. The flames began to burst GU,
about dark, and as they traced themselvc,
from one end Of the ship to the other and
began to ascend the rigging. us If to com.
plese the work Of destruction, the White
Flag could be distinctly seen waving al
the mast bead, 40 If implorins the dcvour
ing elements to aesist. During the barn
ing Of the ship. her guns being sbot.ed
we're discharged As the Gre reached them
which made the scene still more impoeing
aud at half past eleven. the magazine ex
ploded. which shook the esrth for milei
around. and thus wss completed the de-
!stroctios Of one Ut she best sailing frigsse'
lsn she esry. have not the least doub