The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-03-11

protruding from one of the ports of the tur-
ret. and, in second after, Green, who was
deliberately sighting the piece, pulled the
lock-string. sit did our hearts gcod," said an
old tar who had escaped the carnage on
board the Congress, and who, with many of
his shipmates, and was an eyewitness OF the
fght-"it did our heart good to see its flash
and to hear the noise it made, and to know
that the little water-tank was paying the rebs
the full interest of the debt we owed Them"
The COnfederates were not slow, however,
in responding, both with great guns and mus
ketry-the latter aimed at the lookout-holes
in the pilot. house, with the view, no doubt,
of disabling the commanding officer and
helmsman: and the battle was thus fairly
begun, each vessel, as she passed, close
aboard of her antagonist, delivering her hre
and receiving tremendous flre In return.
1t was an anxious moment with both Union
and Confederate commanders; the one appre-
hensiye that his turret, which had been hit
twice, might be so deranged as to cease re-
voving; the other dreading, as he heard the
huge missiles of his enemy rafting against
the sides of his vessel, lest her armor should
be pierced. As the iron-cads drew clear OF
each other, however, it became apparent that
neither was injured in the least and as, with
confidence redoubled, Worden turned short
round to renew the engagement, he found
his adversary by no means dsinclined to well
come him to close quarters. So at it again
they went, side by side, and again the solid
bolts glanced harmlessy from the roof and
tower aud turret For two hours the battle
ragged in this manner, the vessels almost
touching each other, when the Monitor, find
ing her supply of shot in the turret ex-
hausted, hauled out of the action and ran
into shOal water, where she remained while
it was being repleuished. This was tedious
operation, as each shot weighed one hundred
and sixty-ei9ht pounds, and had to be hoisted
from below by hand, and occupied about
20 minutes. during all which time the Confed-
crates, both af1oat and ashore, believing that
victory was theirs, were loudly and wildly
cheering.
Giving no heed, however, to their noisy vo-
alterations, Worden coolly waited until his
battery was reported sfready for action,'.
when, observing that the Merrimac was bear
ing down upon the Minnesota and had
opened upon her with terrible effect, sending
one shell through the boiler of a tug dashed
alongside of her, and another fore and aft of
her berthdeck, knocking four rooms into one
and setting fire to the ship, be stood boldly
across the bows; and the Merrimacs found,
TO their chagrin, the despised Yankee chess
box intact, and once more intelposed be-
tween the Confederate monster and its prey.
Judging the occasion favorable, Leuten.
ant Jones the commanding officer of the Mer-
rimac, determined to ram his saucy oppo-
nent, and ordering four bells to be rung,
dashed ahead at full speed, with the hope of
hitting her amidships; but, by skiful move
ment of his helm, Worden avoided the direct
blow, and the Monitor, being struck oblique.
ly, bounded away from her enemy without
| receiving the slightest injury.
The cOnf Of af tho vaSeaIe I,riaf hut I,o-
fore they separated Green had planted shot
full and fair in the roof of the Merrimac,
| which stripped off the iron freely and for
moment it was thought by the officers and
crew of the ADMINISTRATIONS spectators,
as we may well conceive, of this novel CON-
bat, upon whose issue the fate of their own
ship depended-that the leyiathan had re-
| ceived her quietds; for she tnrned her head
| quickly toward Norfolk, while Worden, close
at her heels, steered across her stern and en-
| deavored to cripple her screw.
The excitement now among the lookers-on
| at Newport News and Fortress Monroe no
language can describe. ''She is whipded
she is whippedp' they cry. But suddenly
| their voices are hushed, and each man holds
his breath; for here the Merrimac comes
once more-a goodly sight to see, with all
her banners Administering straight for the
"little, submerged propeller Again the
vessels Craze each other in passing, again the
eleven-inch gun plays upon the Merrimac,
while shot, shell, and canister in return are
| concentrated upon the pilot-house and turret
of the Monitor. Thus the fight continued
| for another hour without any obvious advan-
| tage to either combatant, when smell, strik-
| ing the pilot-house of the Monitor, fractured
one of the great iron logs-nine by twelve
| inches-of which it was composed, and, fill
ing Worden's face and eyes with powder, ut
terly blinded and in degree stunned him.
| Deprived of sight forever, as he supposed,
and writhing in agony this brave officer lost
not se|fpossession fer an Instant. His force
of character and high pressional training
nobly sustained him; and, like Regulus amid
the fortunes of the Carthaginians, his thoughts
were not of himself, but for his country. Be-
| lieving his vessel seriously iDjured-tor the
top of the pilot house had been partially lifted
| off by the concussion-he ordered the helms
man to sheer off into snoal water, and then,
feeling faint, CROPPED his way to the foot OF
the ladder leading to the berth-deck, and sent
| for Lieut.. Greene. 81 found him. SAYS
Greene, in letter written just after the &C
ton. cleaning against the ladder, as noble
| specimen of man as every breathed; his
| face black with iron and powder, and his sight
| apparently gone. He told me in calm, quiet
| voice that the pilot house was damaged, and
| that must take command. l led him TO his
! cabin and laid him down upon a sofa, and
then fastened to take my place beside the
helmslnan, while the gun-captains continued
| to fight the guns under the supervision of
Chief Engineer Sinners, who was revolving
| the turret."
Finding the injury to the vessel less severe
| than his commander had supposed, Lieuten-
| ant Greene ordered her head to be again
! turned towards the Merrimac, which was
now, for second time, keeping up deadly
fire on the Minnesota. As the Monitor
turned, however, 80 did the Merrimac, and,
to the surprise to all not on board of her, she
steamed at full speed for Norfolk. Yet ex-
pecting her each minute to turn upon her
| persuer, the Unionists were silent until they
saw her wholly leaving the battlefield and
seeking shelter under the Confederate bat
leries, thus, by all the laws of war, ackn owl
edging herself vanquished. Then a shout of
exultation arose, from sailor and soldier alike,
extending from Fortress Monroe to Newport
| News, which shook the very heavens above.
| Right had, once more in the worlds history,
| triumphed over wrong! And the dead of the
| Congress and Cumberland, whose bodies
| were lying stark and stiff upoe the banks of
the James or in its bed, had not died in vain !;
| for to the injuries inflicted upon the Merri-
mac by their well-directed boadrsides, on the
bloody 9Th of March, was due, in some meas
ure, it has credibly asserted, the great victory
of the following day.
The political significance of this victory can
hardly be Cyer-estimated. 1t produced an
immediate and marked effect upon our diplo-
matte relations with England and Europe,
whose rulers, restored TO their senses by this
'last Yankee notion," began now to look
| uponthe United States as formidable naval
power.
What the wounds of the Merrimac really
were we shall probably never know; but that
they were serious none can doubt. For
| Lieutenant Catesby Jones was an officer OF
acknowledged capacity, bravery and expe-
rience, who must have well understood that
fealty TO the cause witch he had exposed
required him to retain the offensive as long
as it was possible to do so. He would, there
fore. never have retired from the fight while
hope remained to him for winning it,
AS the little Monitor, very properly, gave
| up the pursuit of the foe-for, with the vast
interests depending upon her safety, her role
was purely detensiYe-and, with the nroud