The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1885-07-01

channel, but when assured thal
they could be safely passed and thai
every moment increased the danger
be gave orders to haul the fires, and
thus the noble Merrimac was finally
lost to US.
1t is difficult at this late date tC
interpret the motives that inhuenc
ed the Navy Department and the
CommandaIt at Norfolk. Indecis-
ion seemed everywhere to exist
and some of the best officers in tbs
Navy were apparently quite dazec
at the course which events were
taking. Commodore McCauley a
one time was master ofthe situation
and with promptness and decision
might have saved all the ships
guns and stores, even if he judged il
advisable to abandon the navy yard
The Commodore probably though'
that by retaining the Merrimae and
her battery he would have strong
force to repel any attack that might
be made from the outside. The old
Commodore, who had fought gal
lantly for his country in former
DAYS was completely acquitted o
anything like 1isloyalty by the otfi
GERS who were sent down to take the
Merrimac away from Norfolk, but il
is unfortunate that be did not show
more decision Of character when the
crisis came upon him
Every officer connected with the
Norfolk navy Yard came in for a
share of censure, which is not to be
wondered at when it is now known
that every ship and gun could have
been saved. The broadsides of the
Germantown, which was all ready
for sea ard only waiting a crew, cl
the Plymouth in the same condition
would, with few men on board
have secured the navy yard against
attack, overawed Norfolk and Ports
mouth, and. prevented the channel
from being obstructed.
Even when the yard was aban-
doned and the buildings set fire to,
the work was done 10 panic IN
which the coolest persons seem to
have lost their heads. The destruc-
ton took place when the Yard had
been reinforced by a regiment OF
Massachusetts volunteers, under
Col Wadsworth, while the Pawnee,
oftifteen guns, had brought Commo-
dore Paulding from Washington
with instructions to save what be
could aud act as he thought proper.
All the guns in the navy yard had
been spiked. with the exception OF
some two hundred; as well as those
on snipboard, except five heavy guns
on a side on board the Pennsylvania
which sturdy old castle CONN anded
the whole Yard, and fifty ..ood sea-
men on board could have bid def
auee TO 5000 rebels in arms, and
lad Norfolk and Portsmouth under
her guns until every ship was haul
ed out of harms way. After the ar
rival of .As- pawpee had made the
yard doubly secure the shells were
drawn from the Pennsylvania guns
and the guns spiked. The whole
thing looked so hopeless to Commo-
dore Paulding that in view OF the
orders he had received from the De-
partment not to let anything tall
into the hands of the rebels, be de-
termined to destroy everything. In
stead of taking out the Merrimae he
took the Cumberland, which vessel
was of comparatively little use
1t must have been a painful alter
native to that faithful old officer,
Commodore PauldiDg, who abhorred
everything in the shape OF rebellion
to be Obliged to apply the torch to
the historic ships of the Navy and
destroy the other valuable material
the Government had been so many
years sccumulating especially since
struct:on might easily haye been
prevented had not so many days
been lost in deciding what to do.
But the fiat had gone forth, the ma
MIA for destruction had seized upon
everyone, as we see boys go mad
over the burning ofa hayriek which
they have set fire to in wantou sport.
All the ships except the Cumber-
land were filled with combustibles
aud the whole saturated with oil
and turpentine. The shiphouses
and other buildings were prepared
in the same manner and nothing
left to chance so that the rebels
could derive any benefit from what
was left behind. The fine dry dock
that had cost millions to build was
undermined, and a hundred men
ran to and fro with heavy hammers
trying to knock off the trunions OF
the heavy guns, but. with few ex-
eeptions, these attempts were fall
ures. 1t was a beautiful starlight
night night. April 10Th, when al
the preparations were completed.
The people of Norfolk and Ports
mouth were wrapped in siumber,
little dreaming that in few hours
the ships and public works which
were so essential to the community
would be mass of ruins, and hun
dreds of people would be without
employment and without food for
their families. The Pagnee had
towed the Cumberland out of the
reach of the fire, and laid at anchor
to receive on board those who were
to fire the public property. Commo-
dore McCauley had gone to bed that
night, worn out with excitement and
anxiety under the impression that
the force that had arrived at Nor
folk was for the purpose of holding
the yard and relieving him of res
possibility, and when he was called
up at midnight and informed that
the torch would be applied to every
thing he could hardly realize the
situation, and was chagrined and
mortified at the idea of abandoning
his post without an attempt to de-
fend it. At 230 a. m. April 81, a
rocket from the Pawnee gave the sign
and the work of destruction began
with the Merrimac, and in ten min
utes she was a vast sheet flame In
quick succession the trains to the
other ships and buildings were ig-