The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1863-03-13
From the Atlantic for March.
The Last Cruise of the Monitor.

BY SURGEON wEEKS, WHO WAS on BOARD.
An actor in the scenes of that wild nigh
when the Monitor went down Graves permis
sion to relate the story of her last cruise.
Her work is now over. She lies hun
dred tathoms deep under the stormy water:
of Cape Hatteras. But "the little cheese
box on raft has made herself a name
which will not soon be forgotten bv the
American people.
Every child knows her early story,-it is
one OF the thousand romances of the war;
how, as our ships lay at anchor in Hampton
Roads, and the army of the Potomac covered
the Peninsula, one shining March day.
. Far away to the South uprose
a little feather OF snow-whte smoke
Ana we knew that the iron ship of our foes
Was steadily steering its course
To try the force
Of our ribs of oak
Iron conquered oak the balls from the
Congress and Cumberland ratified from the
sides OF the Rebel ship like hail; she passed
on resiStless, and
Down went the Cumberland. all a wrack."
The Congress struck her flag, and the band
OF men on the Peninsula waited their turn
for the iron monster belched out fire and
shel! to both sea and land. Evening cut
short her work, and she returned to Norfolk,
leaving terror ard confusion behind her.
The morning saw her return but now be-
tween her expected prey, the Minnesota and
herself, lay low, black raft, to the lockers
on from the Merrimack no more formidable
than the masts of the sunken Cumberland
or the useless guns of the Congress, near
whose shattered hulks the Monitor kent
guard, the avenger of their loss.
As the naughty monster approached the
scene OF her triumph, the shock of an unex-
ampIed cannoaade checked her career That
little black tnrret poured out a fire so tre-
mendous. SO continuous, that the iubant
crew of the Merrimack faltered, surprised,
terrified. The revolving tower was marvel
to them. One on board of her at the time
has since told me. that, though at first en-
tirely confident of victory, CONSERVATION final
ly took hold of all.
"D-n it" said one, "the thing is full of
guns"
An hour the contest ragged, and then the
iron scales of the invincibe began TO crumble
under repeated blows Numbered from that
strange revolving terror \ sIauchtering.
destroying shot smashing through the port.
great seam battered in the side, crippled
and defeated. the Merrimack turned Prov
and steamed away.
This was the end of he- career, as really
rs when, a few weeks later, early morning
saw her wrapped in sud len fame and smoke.
and the people of Norfolk heard in their
beds the report which was her death-knel.
So fear ended for time. and the Monitor
saw little service, until at Fort Darling she
dismounted every gun, save one, when all
her comrades failed to reach the mark
Then, a little worn by hard fighting, she
went to Washington for some slight repairs,
but specially to have better arrangements
made for ventilation, as those on board suf-
fered from the confined air during the ac-
ior
The first of September fresh alarm came,
when she went down to Hampton Roads to
meet the new Merrimack, said to be coming
out, and stationed herself at the mouth OF
the James River, between the buried Cum
berland and Congress, whose mastS still rose
above water. monument Of Rebel outrage
and Union heroism. Here she remained
expectant for more than two months, all on
board desiring action, but thinking the new
year must come in before anything could be
done.
The last week in December found her w.
ing under the guns of Fortress Monroe, and
busily fitting for sea. Her own guns had
been put in perfect working order, and shone
like silver, one bearing The name of Worden,
the other that Of Ericsson. Her engineer,
Mr.. Campbell, was in the act of giving some
final touches to the machinery, when his leg
was caught between the piston-rod and frame
of one Of the oscillating engines. with such
force as to bend the rod. which was an inch
and a quarter in diamteer and about eight
inches long. and break its cast-ron frame.
tive-eighths of an inch in thickness The
most remarkable fact in this case is, that
the limb, though ahmed and bruised, re-
mained unbroken,-our men in this iron
craft seeming themselves to be iron.
The surgeon who examined the limb, as
tonished at the narrow escape, thought at
first that it might, by energetic Treatment, be
cured in few days; and as the engineer,
who had been with the vessel from her
launching, was extremely anxious to remain
on board. he was disposed at first to yield to
his wishes, but afterwards, rejecting that
confined air and sea-sickness would have a
bad effect. concluded to transfer him to the
hospital, the engineer remarking, as he was
carried of, -" Well, this may be Providen-
tial."
/ 1t was ProviIentia indeed
( His place was filed, and the preparations
went on briskly. Tne turret and sight holes
were calked, and every possible entrance for
water made secure, only the smallest holes
being left in the turret-top, and the blower
stacks, through which the ship was ventilated.
On the afternoon of Dec 90 1862, she put on