The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-03-28
THE NAVAL BATTLE.
WHAT TIE REBEL NEWSPA PERS SAP
ABOUT 1T.

scription. "By this daring exploit" the
Norfolk Day Book says "we have raised
the blockade OF the James River, without
foreign assistance" The force encountered
by the rebel feet is set down at $3.50 men
and $50 guns. The Day Book says of the
engagement between the Virginia (Merri-
mac) and Monitor. on Sunday:
X The Virginia, looking grim
and mysterious, steamed in pursuit of a
wonderful looking thing that was justly
compared to prodigiOus ''cheese box on a
plank" said "cheese box" being of Pluto
MAN blackness.
AT first we could see the great puffs of
white smoke letting out, now from the Vir-
ginia, now from the Minnesota, and at long
intervals from the black "cheese box" But
these white wreaths of smoke blew off to
seward without a sound reaching us, for
the wind had now risen. Away we went
across Craney Island flats, and presently we
could hear the guns, louder and louder.
But the strange looking battery, with its
black, revolving cupola, fled before the Vir.
ginia. 1t was, as somebody said, like fight
ing ghost. Now she ran down towards
Old Point, now back towards Newport
News, now approached to fire and then ran
away to load, but evidently fighting shy,
and afraid of being put Tin chancery," as
the pugilists call it,by her powerful pursuer
The projectiles from her great piece of ord
nance, ten inch solid shot gun, came dane
ing across the water with series of short,
sharp pops, which made music more ex-
citing than melodlOus.
Now she overshot the Virginia, ard the
spray flew more than thirty feet high. Now
she shot to this side, now to that. Now
she steamed close up and hit her fairly.
In one of these encounters we thought her
iron castle had been shot away, but when
the smoke cleared away, there it was,
and the long, pIank-like hull in shore again,
driving along like the " Flying Dutchman."
Meanwhile the Virginia crept up towards
the Minnesota crept up and paused in that
mysterious silence which fell upon her at all
times-a silence awfully impressive to US
aboard the tug. Was she aground One
thought yes. Another could make out
that she was moving. A third discovered
that it was our forging ahead which impair
ted the apparent motion we bad moment
before congratulated ourselves upon. The
minutes seemed like hours as we stood
watching the noble ship, against which the
combined batteries of the Minnesota and
Ericsson were now directed. The shot
and the she'll fell like rain drops, and slowly,
steadily she returned the fire. There lay
the Minnesota with two tugs alongside.
Here, there and everywhere was the black
cheese box" There lay the Virginia, ev.
identity aground, but still firing with the
same deliberate regularity as before. Pres
emily great white column of smoke shot
up above the Minnesota, higher and higher,
fuller and fuller in its volume, and beyond
doubt carried death all along her decks, for
the red tugs boiler had been exploded by
shot, and that great white cloud canopy was
the steam thus liberated-more terrible
than the giant that grew out of the vapor
unsealed by the fisherman in the fable. And
now the Virginia moves again. There can
be no error this time, for we see her actually
moving through the water, and mark the
foam at her PROV. And, strange to say,
these long painful hours, measuring time by
our emotions, are condensed by the unsym-
pathetic hands of our watches into fifteen
minutesl At twelve o'clock noon she was
steaming down for Sewall's, while the
strange looking battery bore away for the
frigate ashore"
And of the scene on the Congress, the
rebel boarding officer says:
The scene around the Congress is repre-
sented as heart sickening. The officers of
the Beaufort, who ran alongside of her on
Saturday night, and who boarde1 her for
the purpose of removing the wounded
aboard of her, and who were brutally fired
upon by the enemy while engaged in this
work of mercy to their own kith and kin,
represented the deck of the vessel as being
literally covered with the dead and dying.
One OF them assures US that as he went
from fore to aft bis shoes were we'll nigh
buried in blood and brains. Arms, legs and
heads were scattered in every direction,
while here and there, in the agonies of
death, would be found poor deluded wretch.
es, with their breasts torn completely out.
The firing referred to, from the shore bat.
terles, while the enemy were taking posses.
sion of thu Congress, caused almost the
only loss the enemy suffered. Buchanan
was wounded at this time. The rebel loss
was not large. On the Virginia, 1t Was
two killed and eight wounded and their
total loss was but seven killed and eighteen
wounded.
Speaking of the Cumberland, which went
down with colors flying, the same paper
says:
Slowly the Virginia steams back, and the
Cumberland, sunk now to her white streak,
opens upon her again. A gallant man
fought that sbip-a man worthy to have
maintained better cause. Gun after gun
he fired, lower and lower sunk his ship-his
last discharge comes from his pivot gun
the ship lurches to starboard, now to port,
his flag streams out wildly, and now the
Cumberland goes down on her beam ends,
at once monument and an epitaph of the
gallant men who fought her.
Business is reviving in st. Louis. The
Democrat says Main street is again assum.
ing its wonted business appearance. Large