, 1862-03-13

:WAsH1xGTox, March 12.-The official report
Of Lieut. Pe11de1grasto Of: the hignte Congress,
addressed to Commodore Mafstou, has been
forwarded :tothe Navy Department. ticut
the late commanding officer, jas. B. Smith,
It becomes his painful duty to make report
to you Of the part which the United States
fiGa1c took in the efforts Of our vessels At
Newport News to repe1 the attack Of the rebel
f1otilla on the 8th inst.
- The report says that when the Merrin1ae,
with three gunhoets, was seen stcaming down
from Norfolk, and hadapproached near enough
to discover her chsz7cteE, the shi1, was cleared
1os aeton At ,iS y nqIea % 5hS Ms1 ane
passing us on the starboard Side at q distance
Of about 800 yards, receiving our h<padside
and giving one in return. After passing the
Congress. she ran into and sum- the Cumber-
1E, killing and Founaing many Of our crew.
Seeirg the fate Of The Cumberland, ne set the
1ib ard topsail and With the assistance Of the
gunboat Zouaye ran the vessel ashore: At
ha1fpast tho the Ne11im8e took q position
astem Of us, ct distance Of about 150 yards,
o. the smaller steamers kept mp . fire on our
star-board quarter III the meantime the Pat
rick Henry and the Thomas 9eEesaon, -rshel
! steamers. approached from up the james river,
firing with precision and doing us great dam
age. Oar two stem guns Were our only means
| being dismounted and the other It's mtu:zle
! knocked away. The men wore knocked away
from them with great rapidity aud slaughter
By the terrible fire Of tho enemy.
of Lieut. Smith at half past 4. The death
1 happered ten minutes previous. Seeing that
our men we're being killed without the pros
poet Of any relief from the Minnesota, whicl,
vesscl had run aground in attempting to yet
7 up to us from Hampton Roads, and not being
able to get single gun to bear upon the enc.
my, and the ship being On fire In several
places, upon consultation with Commander
VIM. Smith, we deemed It proper to haul
down our colors without any further loss OIL
! officer Of the MerTimac who said hc would
take charge Of the ship: He left shortly
afterwards, and a small toW-boat came
alongside, whose Captain demanded we should
surrender and get ont Of the ship,as he intend
cd to burn her Immediately 4 sharp fri
with muRketrY and artillery was maintainci
ficla our t7oopz On shore upon the ting, hay
| ing the effect Of driving her OFF. The McrH
mac again opened upon Us, although we hat
flag apeak TO show that we we're out Q
action. After having fred several shells int
us, she left us, and engaged the Minnesot
and shore batteries, after which Lieut. Pen
| dersrast states the wounded were taken ashor
In small boats, the ship having been on fir
: from the beginning Of the action from the no
shot fred by the Merrimac-
! He reports the death Of tue following OIL
7 GERS: Licut. Jos. B. Smith, acting master
| Tbos Moore and Vim. Rhodes.
REBEL ACCOUNTS TO I'll
: MERKIMAC.
]; BALTIMORE, March L. The Old Point boz
:. | has arrived We learn through Lieut. HI.
i ward that copy Of the Norfolk Day Book b.
r reached Old Point. It contains highly co
= orcd account OF the Mef1imac's fight, and PAY
I great compliment to the bravery Of the ere
of the Cumberland. 1t admits that some
the shot from that vessel entered the MeFz
mac. One shell killed seventeen men On Il
: AIcrrimac, and wounded Capt Buchanan wh
q subsequently died The Monitor is adntttt
u to be formidable, but says she appeared like
IS black Yankee cheese boz Oh rafr.
The Merrimac on Sunday was under COZ
mand of Catesby Jones. The account
mainly confined to Saturdays fight. sou
slight repairs will be necessary to the Mer
mac. The reason why the Mcrrimac did 2
}. first attack the Congress Was because th
Capt. Buchanan had q brother on board
pay master. .... ..-..
NO FURTHER MOVEMENTS.