The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1862-05-01
From the y. Y. HeraA's Correspondent
Miscellaneous Incidents in the Late Naval
Battle.

/ -hfsCeIAdneOus InCluents IN the Late NdSdf
Battle.
The Merrimac evidently came out in the morn
ing without the expectation of meeting any
obstacle more than on the preceding day, and no
doubt the presence Of the Monitor, when II struck
her view, was sudden and wholly unexpected.
The Monitor was handled with unsurpassed
skill, decision and GOODNESS, for which all praise
should be given her officers. She has come up TO
the expectations that were formed Of her. and has
proved herself ~impregnable to the heaviest shot
at close quarters.
Lieut.. Worden, who handled the Monitor so
skillfully, is in Washington, in the hands of a
surgeon. He was in the pilot house of the Mon
itOr when the Merrimac directed a whole broad
side at it, and received his injuries from the
minute fragments OF powder which were driven
through the lookout holes. Lieut.. Worden was
stunned by the conclusion, and was carried
away. On recovering he asked, . Have | saved
the Minnesota ?' The reply was, 4. Yes, and
whipped the Merrimac.'' To this he answered,
a. Then l don't care what becomes of me" The
injuries of Lieut.. Worden are not supposed TO be
dangerous.
On examining the Monitor after the engagement,
though shell after shell had exploded on her
decks and solid shot struck the tower. yet no
pcrceptible damage had been done TO the vessel,
nor injury to the crew, with the exception already
mentioned. One of the crew of the Monitor was
asked how the boys felt during the engagement.
He replied, d" Oh first rate the shot and she'll
from the Merrinac sounded like hailstones on
our decks"
Captain Van Brunt and the crew of the Min
nesOta deserve great praise for their noble con-
duct in the two days engagements.
The gunbOat Whitehall, Capt W. Baulsin,
participated in both engagements, and fired 200
PARROT 30-pounder shells. The 30-pounder Par
rott guns did great execution on the jamestown,
until a shell from the latter struck the trunion,
the cap square of one of the guns making q
dert OF about one-quarter of an inch but sim
gular to relate, not a man was hurt by the burst
ing of the shell. The Whitehall is completely
riddled. On the doors and bulwarks brains and
blood, bones and hair are scattered around. The
crew of the Whitehall behaved most admirably,
and every shot from the enemy was hailed with
a cheer and the fire returned. Captain Baulsin
says he cannot speak to high in the praise of the
Monitor. He asserts the Merrimac will never
come out again as long as the Monitor is in this
harbor.
On the first day the gunboat Dragon, with her
80 pound Parrott gun ior'ard, silenced the rebel
steamer Yorktown, compelling the rebels to
haul her off in a leaking condition.
The U. S. gunboat Zouave Zone gum was in
the first of the engagement on Saturday, and
continued actively employed against the Merri-
mac until the latter retreated on Sunday noon.
She received three shots from the rebels-one of
them carried away her sternpost and one of the
fans of her propeller. The Zouave in the engage
ment off Newport News lowed the frigate Con-
gress ashore, i'm order that she might not fall a
prize to the rebels. In this perilious duty being
within easy range of the Merrimac, she was the
recipient of a heavy fire from the latter vessel.
The naval storehulk Brandywine has been
lowed from the Point to Baltimore, as a measure
of safety in case the Merrimac should appear
again.
\ French steam-vessel in port had steam up
during the battle, with anchor hove short, ready
to leave at a moments notice.
The frigate Minnesota was ioated off this even
ing, and is now at anchor off the Rip Raps. She is
NOT 60 axfansivalr darnnraA no xras a . first cun-
posed. She will require to be taken into dry
dock.