The Shasta courier., 1863-11-14

The day broke at last. and discovered an
enormous assemblage of people awaiting the
coming event IN eager expectation. The
enemy's f.igates Roanoke and Lawrence had
Sought protection under the guns of Fort
Monroe, but the colossal frigate Minnesota
still lay quietly at anchor IN the bay Along
sftsesuf aer, however, was to be seen a curl
Gus, h1lle craft Of no particular form, resem-
bling EieSe q capsized whaler than anything
else. B.y isAd by, the Merrimac steamed cut
into the bay toward her antagonist, amidst
the yociierous cheers of the thousands eallec-
ted on the shores.
Captain Buchanan had sent his gunboats
jamestown and Yorktown ahead, to recon
noiter the strange looking little craft They
approached her with the utmost caution, and
as they gradually drew near, she fred two
shots at them from the enormous guns that
now peeped from the turret on her deck, by
way oi welcome or warning; they received
the compliment in the latter sense, and has
tily retreated. The Merrimac now put on
full steam. and bore down on her little ene-
my with the object of running her beak into
her so to sink her by sheer weight. She
had already got to within thirty yards dis
t;-nce, and was preparing for the fatal thrust
when the Moniter twisted suddenly round,
like fish, and at the same moment discharg
ed one of her heavy guns point blank at the
Merrimac, to let her know that she had now
to encounter a foe as formidable as herself
The Merrimac then slowly ranged alongside
her diminutive antagonist and both opened
fire with ordnance of more destructive char
acter than had ever before been employed in
naval encou. ters: 100 and 120- FOUNDER
Armstrong;, and other equally powerful
guns, diScharging their fire at distance of
$50 yards. But it was to little purpose; the
balls glancing off equally from the iron sides
OF beth ships.
Ihls useless cannonade continued for more
than two hours, when another attempt was
made by the Merrimac to run down her ene-
my but the Monitor again skillfully avoid
ed the intended shock, and managed, more
over to send she'll through one of the port
holes of her antagonist, spreading death and
destruction among the crew. The Merrimac
now continued her fire with redoubled fury
but it was steadily replied to; and the com
mander of the Merrimac, seeing the impossi
bility of seriously damaging his opponent, at
last veered round, and steamed away toward
Norfolk, leaving the Monitor in possession of
the waters which had been the scene of this
unparalleled conflict
The multitude assembled ON the shores,
eagerly watching the progress of the fight,
could not comprehend how it was that the
Merrimac failed to destroy the insignificant
looking craft that had dared to attack her.
But, when they ascertained the real state of
the case, and that the little enemy was also
one ST those wonderful ironclads, capable of
disputing the entrance of the port with the
Merrlmac, they were exceedingly wroth, and
denounced in no measured terms, not only
the Merrimac, but the Naval Secretary, by
whose directions she had been constructed,
for not having built at the same time couple
of such ships, in order to insure the opening
of the harbor