Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-01-07

for tie credit Of our city and the elevation
Of public taste. can hardly be doubted. Its
capital Is the faith its little circle OF fonnd-
ers had. in the enlightened liberality OF the
friends Of good culture. -
But culture Of the eye. and its delightful
pleasures, are BY no means reserved Tor the
gifted and the highly cultivated Every one
can learn, il he will. to appreciate the
graceful and the picturesque. by use oil bis
faculties and of the means of improvement
now 30 generally accessible, and so come TO
experience the truth. with which culture IN
art begins and ends. that "a thing OF beauty
is 9 joy forever"
We are sorry to print no more. OF lee
ture 50 practical, interesting and useful. so
fine in thought and expression. 1t was
listened to with close and gratifed alton
ton; and all who were privileged to hearit
must share our wish. that it might be given
in full to far wider circle. The course OF
Art lectures thus opens wei The second
lecture will be given a We ( from next
Monday evening, by Profess Torrey, on
Leonardo Da VincL
RecoIIecti0ns OF the Irou-Clads, Monitor and
Mefrlmhch.
BY LIE GRAND B. CANNON. LATE COL. AND A.
DC, U. 5. ARMY.
lat the REQUEST Of Hon. g. v. Fox late Assistant
Secretary OF the Navy, these recollections were
hastily prepared from memory, and without being
able 10 refer TO notes taken Immediately after the
events related.l
The last Of December. 1861. secret com
munication was made to Major-Gen. Wool.
commanding the Department OF Virginia,
with head-q uarters at Fort Monroe. by a
mechanic working in the Portsmouth Navy
Yard, through person who had come into
our lines, by flag Of truce, giving general
description of an ironclad fitting out by the
rebels, the vessel being the old U. 5. frigate
..Merrimack. The informer stated that
she had been rszed. her spars removed. and
was being covered with an iron-plated
roofing.
About four OF five weeks after (some-
where about the 10th or 18th of February (.
the same mechanic managed to communl-
cate again with Gen. Wool, giving detail
ed description of the vessel. This last com
munication stated tina. her armor was COM
pleted. that she was out of dock. and that
she was pierced for ten guns (iour on each
broadside and one bow and stern rite-gun) {;
that a. soon as she had received her crew
and the tide served. she would go out and
attack the Cumberland and Congress
living off Newport News and blockading the
mouth OF the James Rver) that Gen.
Magruder. in command Of the Rebel forces
on the PeninsulA. with headquarters at
Yorktown, would simultaneously attack
Gen. Mansfeld's command at Newport
News.
Gen Wool. relying on the loyalty OF the
informer, and the accuracy of his state
ments. and being deficient in field artillery,
Immediately sent tho writer. az bearer OF
dispatches" with this information 10 the
Secretary of War. and earnestly urged that
he be furnished with two more field bat
terrier.
The bearer found Secretary Stanton pros
trated by severe illness. and at his bedside
read the despatch. and explained TO him the
situation and condition of our command.
The Secretary was 20 deeply impressed by
this despatch that he sent the bearer with
| Assi-tant-Secretary Watson to the President
The President deemed the information Of
sufficient Importance TO detaIn the bearer 10
meet Cabinet Council. to be held within
an hour at that council all the Cabinet
were present, Including the Secretary and
Assistant Secretary Of tho Navy.
The Government, therefore, was not taken
| by surprise when the Merrimack appeared.
though they were alsrmingly startled by her
first day success. and greatly exaggerated
| her ability a. cruiser, a. she had proved
herself that day invincible sgains; wooden
vessels and their armament.
The command at Fort Monroe being IN
winter quarters was naturally more inter
ested in active operations OF the Navy in
the waters Of Virginia. and in the presence
OF vessels Of war representing European
nations. Flags Of truce were frequent
between Norfolk and Fort Monroe. and
| foreign officers were permitted 10 pass and
repsss between the hostile forces. The Off
GERS of two French coryette-. at anchor of
the Fort. ayailed themselves Of this priv
lege very often and our staff officers on their
return from such visits made efforts to obtain
| information as to the condition of affairs at
Norfolk. but without any measures of sue
cuss. On Friday. March eth. our dag OF
truce brought over three or four OF these
French officers. The next morning, Satur-
day. our signal officer report 10 head-quar-
tiers noted that the French coryettes were
"steaming up. and a. no notice had been
sent the day previous that they were going
to sea Ito entitle them to a Salute) the fact
CAIlAtL u SuSpi1AuD AhAA NNt -'AtAA iAhAA va
coming out, and that the Frenchmen, know
ing it. were prepared 10 move. a. they were
at anchor in the line of ire
Gen. Mansfield. commanding at Newport
News. was telegraphed to keep sharp
lookout.
About noon, the Merrimack was sighted
coming out Of the Elizabeth River. ana
steaming up the james River TO Newport
News. The Minnesota and Roanoke. screws.
and the st. Lawrence. sailing frlgste, got
Immediately under weigh. but both the
former took the ground about two miles
from Newport News. and could only engage
the Merrimack at long range. The two lat
ter vessels. after the loss of the Cumberla nd
and Congress. returned to their anchorage
below the Fort. the Minnesota remaining
hard aground.
Anticipating an attack by Gen Magruder
on Newport News. Gen. Wool ordered up
the troops at Camp Hamilton to the sup
port of Gen Mansfield. Rebel forces APP
peared and threatened an attack. but re-
tired on the appearance of the supports.
Capt. Catesby r. Jones, in his article in
the Southern Magazine, December. 1874,
gives the reasons why Magruder failed to
make the attack with the land forces, show
ing. conclusively. that the information re-
eeived by Gen. Wool, in February, and
sent to the War 0hce, was accurate In all
particulars
The Cumberland was at anchor about
| 900 feet from the shore. under the guns of
a battery on the Bluii at Newport News.
(This battery mounted or & guns. two of
which were o-inch rifles, and the others
s-inch Rodmans.) The Congress was at
anchor about the same distance below the
Cumberland.
The Merrmack. in passing up, fred
broad-ide into the Congress, and continued
on to attack the Cumberland. After firing
q few shots, she ran into her. striking her
near the bow with her iron ram, and forcing
in her planking and timbers below the water
line, from the effect of which she commenc-
cd sinking rapidly but although COM
msnded to surrender her heroic commander,
Morris. refused. and kept up an active FIRE
until the last. firing his guns till she went
down with her flag flying at the peak. The
Congress had in the meanwhile slipped her
cable and drifted ashore when the Merri-
mack. taking raking position, attacked
her with terrible effect. sweeping her decks
and setting her on FIRE. Her commander,
Lieut.. Smith. was killed. and to continue
80 hopeless fight Was simply madness.
Her flag was struck, aud prizs-crew
thrown on board from Rebel gun boat.
1t is proper to explain. here. that the bat
terry ON the Bluff kept up continuous fire
on the Merrimack. and from its elevation
about 80 feet above the water-and at the
short range. the fire was almost perpendi-
cnlar to the sloping roof of the Merrimack.
but the effect of this batterv's shot was not
damaging Gen. Mansfield also detailed
a force o! infantry to the beach. who kept
up sharp fire on the ports of the Merri-
mack. A section OF artillery was also en-
gagged in the fight, and, on the Congress
being boarded by prize crew. opened on
the priz, with raking fire of grape,
which obliged the prize-crew to abandon
her Then il was that the Nerrimack re-
opened FIRE On the Congress, circumstance
which has led to ~ little controversy. but
which finds its Justification in the precedent
Of Nelson. ct Copenhagen. The Merrimack,
after the loss of the Cumberland, opened
FIRE on the shore battery and camp at New
port News. without much effect, although
one Of her shells demolished Gen. Mans6eld's
L II n, l..