The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-03-21
THE GREAT NAVAL FIGHT.
How the Monitor Ba1led the
Merrimae. @ a
AN INTERFERING ACCOUNT.

AN lNTEhEi1NG AOCVoNA. gn
From the New York Tribune, lAh.
A gentleman who was at the Seminary,
Camp Hamilton, and occupied q favorable
position, has furnished Us the following de-
scription !:
In the early dawn through vale Of
thick haze, the long trail of smoke drifting
lazily across the sky, gave warning that
the Merrimac and her consorts were firing
up for the coming strife. Our hopes that
at high water the Minnesota would be ex>
tricated from her perilous position died
within us as we saw the wellknown spars
of our old favorite piercing bank of mist
in the same place 10 which we had seen her
the evening before.
Soon the three rebel vessels were distinct.
ly seen, surrounded with busy crowd of
boats, and the "turtle- back" of the Merri.
mac covered with people. A long time
passed, however, before any movement was
made /; a period of terrible apprehension
followed, since we knew that the Minnesota
was perfectly helpless. We strained our
eyes to see if she had any assistance, but
the gallant frigate and gunboat that closed
the action last night were nowhere to be
seen. Presently gun was fired. The
smoke of it was seen in the direction OF
Pigs Point. Away across james River l
could see, apparently, rebel tug. 1t lay
opposite the mouth of Nansemend River, in
the exact spot where the rebels yesterday
dealt such stunning blows at our devoted
steamer. There was no repetition of the
shot but, as if signal gun had been fred,
the Merrimac shut off her waste steam,
which had been piercing the sky like a tall
white monument, and slowly passed around
the jamestown and Patrick Henry, keeping
on in the direction of Newport News.
She moves very slowly; but her course
was scarcely taken before tall feather Of
steam arose from what appeared to be the
rebel tug near Pigs Point. The air was
now clearer and closer inspection revealed
the fact that it was the Ericsson steam bat
terry, SO often described of late. She must
have come in during the night and just in
time! 1t was one ray of hope that the
Minnesota might be saved, but must adj
NIT that it was feeble one with me. She
kept her place, however, as sentinel over
ly awaited the coming of her huge antago'
mist. Really the disproportion between
them was almost startling. The one a
mountain of iron, and the other fiat, low,
black craft with a queer erection in the
middle of it like the commencement of an
immense smoke stack.
The Merrimac fired first. Her shot fell
short. SIZE fred again with the same result.
The Monitor now moved, but not in retreat.
Though it looked like madness to approach
the Merrimac, whose guns shook the earth
at the distance of ten miles at every dis
charge yet she steamed down to meet her,
a white plume of steam toying with the
folds of the Stars and Stripes flying from
her stern. Three or four shots we're thrown
toward and over her before she designed to
reply. But at last there was fash swal.
lowed in clouds of smoke, nearly even with
her deck, and sometime before the sound of
the gun reached US her shot was seen to
recochet within a short distance of the
Rebel. About this time, the jamestown
came up to share the fun, and in her eager.
ness to punish the "tug," as l dare say
they supposed she was, ran a considerable
distance ahead Of her fellow. The third
shot fired by the Monitor hulled her, and it
was most amusing to see how quickly she
drew off. She had fired three or four shots
as she came up, but no sooner was she hit
than her music ceased and like fright
eDed deg, she hurried back to cover under
the guns of Sewel's Point. We heard no
more from her till the c'ose of the action,
when, to help cover the Merrimac's retreat,
she fired a few spiteful shots at too long d
range to be harmful.
But look at the iron clad champions.
Tney still approach each other; the Mer'
ri:Dac's speed is perceptlbly diminished. She
has found a fOeman worthy of her stel,"
and thunders fearluliy as she cautiously ap-
proaches They stop and maneuver, and
advance again. The Merrimac shuts off
her escape steam, as it holding her breath
for fatal plunge. Suddenly she starts
forward, and in "a mO0eut the foam flashes
from her prov, and one turns the glass 10
dismay to see bow the Monitor will receive
it, but is happy to find the movement an
ticipated, and the agile craft as rapidly
Withdrawing. They seem but a short dis.
taoce apart. But the distance is maintain.
ed, and two frightful shots are fred into the
fee as she passes forward. She stops. The
Monitor hats, too, and receives the howl.
ing metal messenger hurled at her unscatha
ed. She then advances, shyiDg round to
get clean sweep at the side OF the Mer-
rimac. The latter, having come to dead
rest, finds il difficult to start, and the Mon
itor, passing by her iron snout, and along
her exhausted broadside, fires one of her
huge guos into the Merrimac's steering ap.
paratus, and though fired at as she passes
the stern turns her bows to the larboard
side OF her foe, and runs against her with
fearful force. AS she did so, she fired her
other gun at the distance of few yards,
and reeled the rebel over to such an extent
that we thought she Was sinking. All this
time the Merrimac was shaking the very
skies with the stunning boom of her can.
non. But il any struck the Monitor they
did no harm, though l believe nearly all Of
them passed hsrmlsssly by over her.
The Merrimac now drew of, and the
Monitor rested-pOss.biy to cool her guns
Again they approached and wrestled amid
the fire and smoke, the Monitor parrying
fho .,oot, oc L.. r. hon do