, 1862-04-26
Tbk Trihume.


Se1nf-omctal Account OF the Sinking
Of the Cumberland and Congress by
the MeFFlmac-~tSen.M ManA6efdsa De-
.crlptton Of ftt.-Unpnbllahed Incl
Newport Ntvs Correspondence N. 7. Tribunc.1
! was permitted to-day the privilege Of
long conversation with the veteran Mansfield
about the attack by the Merrimac and her
conso1ts. Bis account Off, which carefully
placed IN my memory, will have the interest,
though noc the value, Of an official report;
and it is due to the Importance OF the affair
Fcecltlon IN part Of well known facts.
The General said: 1.-THE Commanders Of
the Cumberland and the Congress, then at
anchor in the stream, notified me in the fore
noon that the Merrl.nac was approaching. I
OF course Instantly made preparations to re-
dong to welcome her ahoa+- At 9. P. n the
1ron-clad monster passed tile Congress, giving
her two shots as she went By, which went
through and through her. She then made a
large detour, got headway, and dashed straight
at the CumbeIlands starboard bow,
The scene Of all this action was within
mile Of my batteries. now directed Col
Nauman, my Chief Of Artillery, to open on
the Merrimac with four columbiads aud
James's 42roundcT. This fire was kept up On
n:r without intsEnaission M IS long IS she was
Flth1n range She was hit constantly, but
her mall vas so perfect that my shot made no
Impression on her. I also had three 6-ipch
siege howitzcrs hauled down by hand from my
land batteries, and brought To bear on hcrfrom
the bank Of the river. added to these the
fire Of two Of Howara's Light Battery rlfcd
guns. Though the shots from al Of these
pieces rained on her, they bounded from her
plating like Lailstones.
'tAs soon as the Cumberland went down
with her formidable batteries, three steamers,
supposed to be the Yorktown Jamestown and
q dan-n +ja% ,lar f.,14L :
steam. turned all my guns on them. Bat
they were so far of {the riyer here is four
miles Eide} and their speed #as SO great, that
! gould neither stop them nor disable them.
While the Cumberland WAS sinking, the Con-
g1ess slipped her cable, dropped her forcsai1,
shore, just above Signal Point. Many Of her
creT escaped to the beach in boats Before
these could be rowed back, the Merrimac
ranged up to the frigate's stern aud poured in
a rakfns tirr, Her flag WAS struck immediate
" Two Of the three rebel steamers then rln
alongside Of the Congress and made fast to her
on on each Quarter, apparently wlt'! the purpose
ordered Col Brown Of the 20th Indiana to send
bis Tiflc companies 4 and Z, down to the
reach, and drive these steamers away. I also
sent down two rlHed guns under Capt. How-
ard, -and rined Dahlgrcn howitzer manned
By Muster StuyVcsant and fourteen sailors of
the Cumberland. From raking position on
tho beach, covered by sand-hills and trees,
these guns played effectively on the steamers
at about 900 yards, The Indiana ritlc;uen,
throwing themselves upon their breasts,
worked forward in the sand, loading and firing
with deadly aim as they craTled. The two
steamers quickly let SO their hold on the
Congress and moved cut Of range having un-
doubtedly received great loss and da1nage
filled with men; hut the gunner5 and rilcuacn
again beat them of
1.-The Merri1nac, finding her prize retaken,
now approached and fred three hot
shot INTO her, and then withdrew to tho
other side Of the river. The Congress was
her escaped over her bows, and before dark
the wounded were taken out 1t was not un-
til O'clock in the morning that the burning
iHzate's magazine exploded. Before this, At
Intervals during the night, her ST shotted
guns vent Oft One. Of them sent d ball
sunk her. Throughout the day my whole
force WAS under arms, and my officers and
men we're engaged in the batteries aud on the
beach Wherever we had show of chance
ut ill, thing not covered with twelve inches or
six inches OF iron, our brave men whipped the
rehels, and drove them of. Strange to say,
not one Of my command was killed, aud hut
ono was woundcd-a private Of the 9TH New
Fork, who lost a leg.
1T would hare been utterly impossible, Sir,
to haye ayerted the. fate Of the two war-ships
Tho superiority Of the Mcrrimac over both,
was as decided as iron is decidedly stronger
than wood''
The Cumberland was @sbunted' on her star
board bow as ehe lay at anchor. The Mcr1i1uac
did not reeol1, and was not permitted By her
engineer to recoil from the shock. The Cum
btrlaDd was driven back by it till brought up
by the full strain of her cable. Ihe4,, the Mer-
rllnac still pressing upon aud goring iaato her
,e7M her iT"n horn, the frigate hecled over to
larboard, and, It is supposed, received the ia
tal, crushing wound into which the sen rushed.
LIT nautical mcu nlakr nnte Of this