Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1862-03-20
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A NAVAL ENGAGEMENT!
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FULL PARTICULARS!
FULL. PARTICULARS !!
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From, the EO,5tK (Ka) Fay Book

1'O" e's A'e'|"' ~ - =. ~ -.s,-..
Alta quarter past eleven o'clock
on Saturday, March sth, the iron
clad STEAMER Virginia cast Loose
from her mornings at the Navy
Yard and made her way down to
Hampton Roads towards the block
aiding feet lying off Newport News.
She reached their neighborhoed
after some detention at the OBJ.
structions below at 2 o'clock
Here she found the first class sail
ing frigates Cumberland and Con
gress. With a determination to
pay her respects to the Culnber-
land first. the Virginia bore down
for that vessel, and in passing the
Congress she gave her hroadslde
as g salute. Her operations on
the Cumberland were performed
in the short space Of fifteen min
utes' time, at the end of which
the Cumberland sunk just where
she had been lying.
The Virginia, on approaching
her and getting within point blank
range, fired her bow gun several
times, and ran into her, striking
her fairly with her ram, which
made her reel to and fro and sent
her speedily to the bottom, but
as she went down her after gun
was discharged at the Virginia, do
ing some little damage.
I The object in first getting rid
of the Cumberland was probably
to destroy the very heavy arma-
ment which that frigate carried, it
being the heaviest in the Yankee
Navy. The officers and crew of
the Cumberland made their es-
cape as best they could, many of
them being captured by our gum
boats. The wounded On board, it
is believed, went down in the YES
sci.
The Virginia next turned her
attention to the Congress, which
vessel it is said gallantly resisted
her inevitable fate for nearly an
hour, but finally finding the ship
rapidly sinking, she hauled down
her coiors and made for the beach
where she was run as high aground
as possible. Her officers and crew
were taken off by our gunboats,
and as she had her tag Of truce
hoisted and was beng relieved OF
her killed and wounded by our
gunboats, the Yankees on shore at
Newport News, disregarding the
flag of truce, with Minnie mus
kets fred into her and killed
many of their own men, and slight
ly wounded in the arm Mr.. John
Hopkins, oneof our pilots, attached
to the Beaufort.
While the Virginia was engaged
with the Congress with her bow
gun, she poured broadside after
breadside into the sEere batterit $
at Newport News. Che discharge
from the bow-gun OF the Virginia,
says one Of the prisoners, capsized
2 Of the guns of the Congress, kill
ing 16 OF her men, and taking off
the head of Lieutenant Smith,
literally tore the ship to pieces.
The enemy seemed entirely I'M
aware of our intention to attack
them, and it is said were so conf
pietely lulled into security that
the Virginia had got down to Sc
wells Point before they took the
alarm.
While the engagement was 60
ing on between the two frigates
and the Virginia, the enemy's
steam frigate Minnesota put out
from Old Point to their assistance.
She laid well over towards New
port News, but not entirely out of
the range of cur batteries on Sc
wells Point, which opened on her,
but she replied to them, doing no
damage though. The Minnesota
got aground about o mile from
Newport News Point. There she
stuck, unable to get of, and the
Confederate steamers Patrick Hen
ry and jamestown peppered her
with their batteries, while thel
Virginia attended to the shorel
batteries at Newport News. =
The frigate St. Lawrence then
came up to. the assistance of the
Minnesota, and she also got
aground. A steam frigate, thought
to be the Roanoke, put off from
Old Point with the same intention,
it is supposed, but seeing the sad