The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-03-17
i37fiana Bow at Newport News.

We were aware of the almost impossi-
bility Of q fight occurring in any part of
the country without some of the Indiana .
boys participating, but hardly looked for
them to turn up in naval battle. 1t seems, |
however, that the officers and crew of the |
frigate Congress, who were not killed, are
indebted to Indianians for their escape. We
copy that portion of the Baltimore Ameri-
| cans account of the battle relating to the
escape of the officers and crew of the Con-
gress; aT 40 ~ uGLL 4
| Thus slowly drifting down with the cur
rent and again steaming up, the Merrimac
continued for an hour to fire into her oppo-
nent. Several times the Congress was on
/ fire. but the flames were kept down. FL
| Aaliy the ship was on fire in so many places,
and the flames gathering such force, It was
hoeeless and suicidal to keep up the defense
any longer The National dag was sorrow
fully hauled down and a white flag hoisted
at the peak.
After it was hoisted, the Merrimac. con-
tiuued to FIRE, perhaps not discovering the
white flag, bat soon after ceased firing.
A small rebel tug that had followed the
Merrimac out of Norfolk, then came along
side the Congress, and a young officer gain
ing the gun deck through portfolio, an
nounced that he came on board to take
command, and ordered the officers on board
the tug.
81 The officers of the Congress refused to go
0 on board, hoping from The nearness to the
shore that they would be able to reach it,
and unwilling to become prisoners whilst
d the least chance of escape remained. Some
of che men, supposed to number about forty,
thinking the tug was one of our vessels
rushed on board. At this moment the mem
bers of an Indiana regiment at Newport
News brought-a Parrot gun down to the
beach and opened fire upon the rebel tug
The tug hastily put off, and the MerrimaC
again opened fire upon che Congress. ThC
FIRE not being returned from the ship, tbs
- Merrimac commenced Smelling the woods
le and camps at Newport News, fortunately
N however, without doing much damage, ONLY
= one or two casualties occurring.
The rebel steamers Yorktown and James
lie town, which up to the time had kept at
j. safe distance up the james river, seeing
q that the Cumberland had been sunk ant
). the Congress silenced, steamed down ant
70 also sheIled the woods at Newport News
W Owing, however, to recent change in tn
to location of the troops, of which the rebel
were not informed, most of these shell
were thrown into unoccupied woods, an
were simply ammunition wasted.
> The Yorkto when abreast of the Con
y gress, dispatched a. boat for the purpose,
- was supposed of taking the officers prison
= ers The Indians rifemen on the beacl
~ opened on the boat, killing or wOunding
y majority of those on board, and the boa
- hastily retreated to the Yorktown.
70 The Merrimac, the Yorktown, jamestown
rs and the small tug then went off in th
- direction Of the Minnesota, which wa
y aground oH Pigs Point The officers 9
70 the Congtc-s finding themselves unmoleste
at once turned their attention to gettin
IN the crew and the wounded ashore. Dnrin
the confusion and excitement after th
1v / white flag was raised some forty or fifty {
n the men had gone over the bow, and b
We swimming or in small boats, which tn
~ soldiers had brought off from the shor.
Ia the crew, however, behaved admirabl,
,se obeying every command of the officers, an
-er sticking by the ship until ordered to leav
il The wounded, nearly all MORALLY, wei
I'M broughtup and carefully handed over u
of ships side and lowered by whips into I'll
,er boats. twenty-five wounded were thu
TO sent ashore, of whom not more than fol
an or FIVE have any chance of recovering
,re The flames were gathering such headwa
an that it was impossible to remove the dea
Ter whose rema ms in every form of mutilatio
he strewed the decks. The wounded havin
40 been removed, the crew were permitted I
,or reach the shore by every means of con
a munication that offered, and the Office
followed, Captain Smith being the last
~ come down the ships side.