, 1862-05-17
Naval Warfare.

The late successes on the side of the Union are
well calculated to inspire the Government sympa-
thizers with new confidence The grandest fea-
ture of the campaign is the engagement that tool,
place between the little iron gun boat Monitor,
and the monster .Merrimack, at Newport News,
in which the former received twenty-three shots
against her sides and top without apparent injury.
We copy the following account from one of the
officers who participated in the engagement:
UNITED STATES STEAMER MONITOR, !
HAMPTON ROADS, March II, 1862 {
MEssRs. EDITORS AS it may be some time
before the official report of Chief Engineer Sim
ers is made public l have thought that the ef-
fects of the shot our vessel in the late engage
ment with the .Nenimac might be interesting to
you. The details of the fight, which lasted three
hours and half, have already been made public.
so that 1 will confne myself to the effect of the
shot upon US.
The MeITimac's projectes were mostly percus-
sion shells, fired from 10 to 11-inch rifed pieces.
Twenty-three shots struck us, including two from
the Minnesota, which, during the engagement
fred over our heads The deepest indentation
on our ferret was 10 inches produced by 100
pound percussion shell, fired at a distance of 20
feet perpendicular with the side. Our deck re-
ceiyed four shot, making slight depressions. One
shot struck US on the angle formed by the deck
and side, tearing up the iron plating about one
third the width of a sheet, starting the bolts and
splintering the wood little. Three or four 9TH
ers struck us Just above the water line, with no
other effect than making indentations of inches
The pilothouse received one shot on one of the
upper cornLrs, nearly batterng it down. A little
lafo IN fba ofi 81, al
thrown from the distance of about Is feet against
the front, at an angle of about 80 degrees, strk-
ing the two upper bars, just at the lookout crack
the main force being on the lower of the two
forcing it in about an inch and opening a crack
Of one-fourth of an inch on the opposite side. She
twice attempted to open a hole in our side with
her RAM as she did the Cumberland, once strk-
ing us fairly on our beam, nearly abreast of the
turret, jarring us somewhat, and leaving a small
dent on our iron side Our hull remains perfect
ly tight, and the turret Notwithstanding the Sc
we're hammerng revolves as accurately and easily
as when we left New York.
We experienced a severe gale on our way down,
conf ing through It safely That and cur trial with
the Me1rimac, proves the Monitor we think, a
success. w. F. KELLER, A. A. Paymaster.
This proves to the Government and the world
at large, that the yNonitor is a success, and she
stands recorded in the worlds history without a
rival, and the attraction of all attractions The
question is settled beyond cavi, that floating bat
teries can be built that will Withstand storm of
iron hail; and that they can be shifted to points
where they may be most available. Thus a rev.
olution in naval warfare has been created; and
the wooden hulls which have multiplied and mag
nifed and rendered the English navy so tormida-
BILE in times past, will now have to be thrown
aside or remodeled, to meet the necessities Of the
tines. This advance step in the science of war
not only creates revolution at home, but will
stand out as a model for the world 1t is to be
hoped that the new war vessels ordered to be built
by Congress have not progressed so far as to rem
der il impossible to fashion them after the new
order Of things that is to characterize the eompo-
sition and structure of vessels intended for naval
warfare in future