Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1877-07-07
Wseklp gntellioentef'
AN HISTORIC BATTLE RECALLED

war. IL WAS he who commanded the
Nerrimac. or Virginia rs she was called
bv the Cuntcderatc>. III her famous light
with the Monitor. and that Is the event
L. which We refer.
On the afternoon of the Sth OF March.
ls63. the ~mproviSed ironcIad Merrnmar,
whose appearance had long been antlcl-
patrI aud dreaded. steamed down the
Elizabeth river toward Newport News.
llrr appearance WAS speedily sIgna.led
Iu thu | MON blockadimg squadron IN that
u~rivhhurhoud. which consisted ol the
riTatc Congress and the Sso"p-Ut-war
Cumberland n Newport News, and III"
trlgatcs Minnesota. Roanoke. and ~.
Lawrence. At Fort Monroe. siN miles
distant. Lieut.. Catesby Jones was III
command Of the Mrrrimac. which had
been made INTO an armured Vesse. 10y
r.zceinr t. the wafer line the old and
famous IriGate Ncrrimac. then lying
abandoned At the Norfolk Navy Yard,
and building NJ on her An .rou easement
t. project her battery. FIJI, shield WAS
in The form OF a root, and the plating.
winch was ct railroad bars. was tour
inches thick. which would be considered
IA ab-urdiv weak ruo nowadays. Her
battery consisted ui eight 9-tm"h DAN.
rrcu guns. and tour 1!-imch rifles ot the
Brooke p~attrrn-a powerful armament
iur that time.
The tIcet II Fort Monroe slipped thril
rlh.r- and advanced toward the mon
SUR. while the Congress and tumbrr'
land stood ready 10 meet her. line three
~n.l> were <oou engaged i'll i hot fight
in. u vessels saw t. their di-may that
they shots had 40 More effect Oh the
terrible Confederate than peas on an
elephants hide, while the Merrimac
pyurrl forth her bruaiSjde> with dis,
a~trugS const4ucuccS TO the wooden
ships. The light was i short one. TIT
Ncrg.m.c soon striking and sinking III,
Cumberland. whose gallant ere" Went
down with hcr. The successful. the!
paid iIrr attention TO the Congress, deal
;ug on 10 her 4 rahing ire ct hot shot
tor the heating u: which Lieut.. Jouc:
had prepared furnace aboard the Mer.
rimac. which was unframed by the
shells OF the wooden trigatc. The Con
gress was soon in flames, and the Mer
r.mac made Tor the other vessels. bu
owing 10 her great drauTht Of water
was unable to get near enough 10 then
- DO them any injury and al : in tn,
evening the Confederate ironcjaa ant
her con>ort> steamed back to \Urtork
Lieut.. Jones. in Al account of the bat
tie which 1t published long after. say:
he was satisfied with the day : work. u,
We. he might have been. and had NJ
doubt OF his ability 10 start o. on til,
morrow and clean out the rest OF til,
MON ;lect. Meantime a panic prevail
ed at Fort Monroe, and the whole coun
try held its breath.
But Lieut.. Jones lid not do any more
cleaning out. At ; O'Clock in the evening
there appeared of Fort Monroe Il
strange looking little craft. which. two
DAYS before. had left New York. Ii was
the Monitor. an experiment in navaI
construction. in which everything was
new and untrIed. turrctS. machinery.
and al. Her guns had only once been
fired, she had gone to SEA from the
stocks, the paint upon her was scarcely
dry, and her officers. except two cngin-
GERS. knew nothing by experience. OF
her working or capabilities. At t O'Clock
on the mornIug Of the 9th Sunday the
watch officer OF the Minnesota e,piei
thu Merriuuac stcaming towards them
Mum : 'iiitS thc fsAS
ovcriaii the water. The Monitor was
al onc signal.ed, and promptly hoisted
anchor. battened down her iroE hatchetS.
2ud prepared tor her maiden fight. The
alcYrimac hove in sight. and at once
ma!- for the Minnesota. which She had
intended To capture and carry of a 4
prize 10 Norfolk, where crowds lined the
wharves. waiting TO see her lowed int
the harbpr IN triumph. But. before tht
Minnesota was reached. the little Moni-
tor came u from under the quarter
and David advanced to meet Goliath.
She ran down To within short range al
the Merrunac, which promptly gave heI
turret three broadsideS, but thev gianc,
ed off without doing harm The MOni.
tor replied with her two e.~even-incE
guns. and, beginning n ; o'clock, til,
navai due proceeded, lasting until nOuu
the Two contestants frequently touching
each other. and sending their shot at 81
close quarters. while, through 4 large
part 0f the fight. they We're only a few
V4rd- apart In the excitement, the
Monitor at first fired wildly, 20 e!cratiug
her guns that most at the missiles werC
wasted. but. later, the guns were de
pressed, and the Shot began to tell.
hlCrta.ly wounded. the Merrinac was
flowed to Norfolk. where She soon sank
Ii the Monitor had known. what was
subsequently proven, that her eleven
inch guns could stand 4 charge OF thirty
pounds Of powder with solid shot. III,
stead vi the small charge she used. tn,
tate OF the Merrimac would have been
decided after 4 lew rounds.
III. .Y,,tr, .,.l- =, l.,,.I r attic
for one OF the 9rIyest dangers OF the
var had been overcome. If the Mer-
rimac had followed up on the 9th the
astonishing success she achieved on the
Sth the whole fleet at Newport News
would have been destroyed or captured
Fort Monroe would have been at her
mercy, the James river would have been
closed to the Union. and our whole At.
lantic seahUard would have been in peril
The little Monitor had begun a new era
in naval warfare, the era OF the last
fifteen years, and the one which is to be
succeeded 10y that of the movable tor,
pedo, which. properly developed. will
neutraliZe the great monitors that now
form the main strength OF all modern
navIes. Lieut.. johnson at once recor,
nized that the impregnable turrct was
lIenCetorth to be the chief feature OF
naval construction, and did not hesitat,
10 So express himself.
The building OF the screw steamer
Princeton was one OF the m~i!estoues o.
progress; the use OF shell guns was :
second the Monitor was a third anu
nowicomes movable torpedoes, who's,
successful application will eventual,
make great naVieS things of the past