The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1862-03-18

sickenina The officers of the Beaufort. v no ran
alongside of her on Saturday night, and who
boarded her for the purpose of removing the
wounded. and who we're brutally fred upon by the
enemy while engaged in this work of mercy to
their own kith and kin. represented the deck of
the vessel as literally covered with the dead and
diving. One of them assures US that as he went
from fore to aft, his shoes were well nigh buried
in blood and brains. Arms, legs, and heads, were
found scattered in every direction, while here and
there. in the agonies of death, would be found
moor deuled wretchcs with their breasts tern
completely out.
or the crew of the Cumberland, but few sur
yivcd to tell the tale. As she went down her
crew went with her, except some few who we're
taken as prisoners BY US. and few others who
escaped to the shore. Out of the five hundred
aboard of her, it is estimated that not over hum
dred at most escaped, the remainder either being
killed by our shots or drowned as the vessel went
down.
OF course the greater part of those board
the boats were also drowned, as there was not
sufficient time for them to have made their escape.
Added to this, very many in the camps OF the
enemy at Newport News were killed by the shells
which the Virginia threw among them.
On our side the loss was indeed small, and
when We consider the storm of shell to which at
times they were subjected, we but wonder
I
injury. On the Virginia there two killed
and eight wounded. Among the wounded,
regret to mention, Capt. buchanan and 1T. Minor.
These wounds, however, We are happy TO state,
are but slight.
On the Raleigh, Midshipman Hutter was
killed and Captains Tavloe and Alexander
wounded the first mentioned quite severely.
On the Beaufort, Gunner W. Robinson and two
seamen were wounded This was all the damage
! i
Yankee prisoners aboard Of her were struck by
the balls of their friends, one of them killed and
the other severely wounded. The former was
standing in the door Of the wardrobe at the time
the Beaufort Was alongside the Congress, and one
of the shower of balls sent IS the enemy on shore
from their Minnie muSkcts, struck him on the
forehead, penetrating his Ssa.n and killing him
almost instantly.
On the Teaser one man was slightly wounded.
On the Patrick Henry, tour killed
and three wounded.
While the loss of the enemy is couhted by
hundreds, ours, as will be seen from the above.
amounts to only { killed and Il wounded
This loss part, small as it :, not
the work Of the enemy's shot from th>.t vessels
but the result, for the most part, OF the fac Of
muskets from shore.
= During the contest the mannlast Of g'c sticuh
was carried away The fag-statfs Of The Fr9 mia
were also cut down.
The report that the Congress was fred by the
Federals 70 prevent her falling into our hands, is
without shadow of truth She was fired by hot
SHOT from the Virginia for firing into boats
while she hal flag Of truce 1t the time flying
after she had struck her colors ard surrendered to
On the arrival Of the Virginia at the Norfolk
Navy yard her men We're must cred and addressed
by the commanding ohjcvr in terms Of praise for
They responded with hearty cheers, and ex pressed
a desire to again rccnact the scenes through which
they had just passed, "hencvcI opportunity pre-
scented
It-s said that ali Of the batteries on Newport
News were silenced exccI one, and that shot
and shell were thrown with such unerrug aim and
precision among the enemy that great numbers Of
them were killed and wounded.
We learn that the Of the Virginia was
damaged by her collision with the Ericsson, and
that she reached the Navy Yard in a leaky con-
dition, caused by the wreuching of her " nose"
OF the hundreds of balls directed against the
Virginia, and which actually struck her, bat one
made the slightest impression upon her iron side
and that so slight to amount only to an linden
tation The shock Of her collision with the Cum
berland scarcely felt on board and no i'll effect
experienced from the conclusion of her pow
erful armament.
Description file Trsae2s-Sone Of the prnci-
pal vessels engaged in the fight thus described
"The frigate Merrimac (now called the
Virginia. was built at the Charlcstown Navy Yard,
Massachusetts, in 1855. This splendid vessel, re-
garded as the finest Of the seven screw frigates
built in 1S54-'55, was Of 5000 tons burthen,
an armament of 10 heavy guns. At the time the
Northern officers deserted the Gosport Navy Yard,
they fired the Mcrrnac and burnt her to the
70 8 PHpe his Nrvv
Yard has been in our possession the work Of trans
forming the halfburned wreck into an iron-clad
floating battery, has been going steadily forward.
Heavy timbers We're framed on either side of the
vessel at such angle to form roof gun
deck. and by double layer Of railroad iron. placed
erosswiSe and covered with ron plates. this roof
was made completely bomb proof. Light and air
is admitted through grating connecting the up
per edges Of both faces Of the roof The 81 les of
e vessel as FIR down six feet below the water
mark, are likewise heavily plated with iron The
engines and machinery of the ship are also all be-
low the water line She mounts Only ten guns
OF these four tten-inch Columbi are on each
side, with heavy rfed gun ar the bow and stern.
The Merrinac is connlanlcl ~ Com, Franklin
Buchanan. She is thought ia be almost impreg-
nable, and French officers who have visited her !
have pronounced her more formidable engine Of
war than either the Warrior or La Gloire !
The screw frigate Minnesota, driven ashore and
badly crippled by the Virginia is one of the best
vessels in the enemy's navy She was built at the
Washington Navy Yard in 1885. is of 8, 200 tons