Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-03-15

after ,hot entered that part of the ship. fortu-
nately, however, without reachiag the rnaga-
zine
Thus slowly drifting down with the current and
again steamng up the Merrimsc continued for
an hour TO hre into her opponent. Sevaaltimes
the Congress was on fire, but the flames we're
kept down. Finally the ship was on fire in so
many places and the flames gathering such force
that it was hopeless and suicidal TO keep up the
defense any longer The National flag was sor-
rowfully hauled down and a white flag hoisted at
the peak.
The Yorktown when abreast Of the Con-
gress, dispatched boat for the purpose, as was
supposed, OF taking the officers prisoners The
Indiana rifemen on the beach opened on the
boat. killing and woundng a majority of those
on board. and the boat hastily reireated 10 the
Yorktown.
The Merrimac, the Yorktown, jamestown, and
the small Tug then went off in the direction OF
the Minnesota. which was aground of Pigs Point.
The officers of the Congress. finding themselves
unmOlested, at once turned their attention TO get
ting the crew and the wounded ashore. During
the confusion and excitement after the White dag
was raised, some forty or fifty of the men had
gone the bow. and by swimming in small
boats. which the soldiers had brought off from
the shore. made their escape The large major
ity of the crew. however. behaved admirably,
obeying every command of the officers, and stick
ing by the ship until ordered To leave. The
wounded nearly all mortality, brought up
and carefully handed over the ships side and
lowered by whips into the boats. Twenty two
wounded were thus sent ashore. of whom not
more than four or five have any chance of re-
co, ering.
The flames were gathering such Roadway that
it was impossible to remove the dead, whose re.
mains in every form OF mutilation strewel the
decks. The wounded having been removed. the
crew were permitted to reach the shore by every
means Communication that offered, and the OF
hcers followed. Capt. Smith being the last to
come down the ships side.
BY the time all were ashore il was seven
o'clock in the evening. and the Congress was in
a bright sheet of flame, fore and aft. She CON
tinued to burn until ~ o'clock ut night. her
guns. which were loaded and trained going off
as they became heated. A shell from one struck
n sloop at Newport News and blew her up. AT
IL o'clock the fire reached her magazines and
with "A tremendous conclusion her charred remains
blew up. There some five tons of gunpow-
der in her magazines, and about $40 900 in Pay
master Buchanan's safe.
FIRST ATTACK on THE MINNESOTA.
After sinking the Cumberland and firing the
Congress, the Merrmac, with the Yorktown and
the jamestown, stood of in the direction OF the
steam frigate Minnesotl, which had been for
some hours aground about three miles below
Newport News. This was about five O'Clock on
Saturday evening. The rebel commander OF the
Nerrimac, either fearing the greater strength of
the Minnesota. or wishing. it afterward APP
peared, to capture this splendid ship without
doing serious damage to her, did not attempt to
run the Minnesota down as he had run down the
Cumberland. He stood off about mile distant
aud with the Yorktown and the jamestown threw
shell and shot at the irgate The Minnesota.
though from being aground unable to maneuver
or bring all her guns to bear, was fought splendid
IT, She threw she'll at the Yorktown which
set her on fire, and she was towed off by her
consort, the jamestown. From the re appearance
of the Yorktown next day. the fire must have
been suppressed without serious damage. The
after cabins of the Minnesota were torn away In
order To bring two of her large guns To bear fro m
her stern ports, the position IN which she was
living enabling the rebels TO attack her there with
mpunity She received two serious shot; one,
an eleven inch she'll entered near the waist pass
ed through the chief engineers room. and
ploded in the carpenters room, knocking both
rooms into ruins and woundng several men
Another shot went clear through the chain plate,
and another passed through the mainmaSt Six
OF the crew were killed outright on board the
Minnesota and nineteen wounded. The men.
though fighting at great disadvantage, stuck
manfully To their guns. and exhibited a spirit that
would have enabled them to compete successfully
With any ordinary vessel
About nightfall, the Merrimac satisfied with
her afternoons work of death and destruction,
steamed in under Sewalls Point. The day thus
closed most dSmally for side. and with the
most gloomy apprehensOns of what would occur
the next day.
APPEARANCE OF THE MONITOR.
About nine O'Clock the Ericsson battery. the
Monitor, arrived ia the roads, and upon her per
lormance was felt that the safety OF the position
in great measure depended Never was a
greater hope placed upon apparently more insig
nfeant means. but never was greater hope
more triumphantly fulfilled The Monitor is the
reverse formidable. lying low on the water, with
PLAIN round structure amidShp, small pilot
house forward. diminutve smoke pipe aft, at
miles distance she might be taken for raft, with
an army ambulance amidship. Ii is only when
on board that her compact strength and form
liable means of offensive warfare are discover
able.
THE FIGHT BETWEEN THE MONITOR AND THE MER
RIMAC.
Before daylight on Sunday morning the Moni
tor moved up and took position along side of
the Minnesota, lying between the latter ship and
the Fortress, where she could not he seen by the
rebels, but were ready, with steam up, to slip
out.
Up to noon on Sunday the rebels gave no indi
cation of what were their further designs. The
Merrmac laid M toward Craney Island, in view .
but motionleSs. At one o'clock she observed
Ia motion, and came out, followed by the York
town and jamestown both crowded with troops
The object of the leniency toward the Minnesota
on the previous evening thus became evident Ii
the hone of the rebels 10 hiring the ships
aboard the Minnesota overcome her crew by the
force of numbers, and capture both vessels and
men The design was bold and practicable one
and apparently of easy accomplishment.
As the rebel hotia came out from Seweil's
Point. the Monitor stood out boldly toward them
IL Is doubtful ii the rebels knew what to Nuke Of
the strange looking battery. or if they despsed it,
Even the Yorktown kept on approaching till a
thirteen shell from the Monitor sent her to the
right about The Merrimac and the Monitor
kept on approaching each other, the former wait
lng until she would choose her distance, aud the
latter apparently not knowing what to make OF
her funny looking antagonist The first shot
from the Monitor was fred when about one hun
dren yards distant from the Merrmic, and this
distance was subsequently reduced . fifty yards,
and at no time during the two hours of furious
cannonatinG thot ensuei were the vessels more
than TWO hundred yards anr,rt
Ii Is impossible to reproduce the animated de
scrption given OF ths grand contest between two
vessels of sach formidable offensive and deten
Sye powers. The scene in plain view from
Fortress MonrSs, aud in the main facts all the
SnectatDrs aqren Al first the hpht was very fu