New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-07

George Morris called cut through the trumpet:
"Never! I'll sink hrstw and sink she did, in very
fire nmtiI The water washed tier feet. Ills men
except the wounded and those caught below. jumped
into the water, ard NEST of them reached the shore
| by the aid of boats winch nut oil. under heavy
ire from he Merrlmacs small cOnsoIts
| In the meantime tbs Congress was discovered TO
be on fire. but the places were reached and The fire
eXtingnished, except III one dangerous place near
! the after magazine, which burned persistently.
| making n dense oak smoke which added much 10
the difficulties under which we were laboring The
Cumberland sank in deep water, so that only her
topgallant ma>ts were seen as she rested on the
bottom and seeing her fate. the Congress slipped
her chains and set her tOpsas and jb and with the
help of tug ran upon the Hats OH Newport News
Point Here she heclcd Gyer and few of her guns
could lie worked. Some OF the large vessels from
Hampton Roads bad started mp to orr assistance.
but they at soon got aground IN the edge OF the
intricate channel.
Meanwhile the Merrimac had been slowly turning
with her bow down stream. and while taat was
being done demolished our -chasers aud Killed
most OF the of the guns which had so suffered
by the first discharge from her. The small steamers
which panied her also concentrated their fire
upon the Congress, and about this time we lost.
from their the, two officers, both elderly men, one
was an acting master, named Moore. who had long
commanded ships in the merchant service. lie was
struck by small red bolt between the shoulders,
| the missile going right through him. The other
was the old coast pilot. Mr.. Rhodes who was
mortally wounded by fragment of shell. Previous
to this our young commanding officer, Joseph II.
Smith. had been instantly killed by shell.
1t IS almost impossible to describe our condition
Strange to say, those Jared best whose duty kept
them unon tho upper or spar-deck Once Whole
line OF powder-pasSers was swept away, upon the
berth deck, aud the exploding shells searched the
vessel everywhere. A man who had been seriously
wounded was killed by she'll on the lower or orlDp
deck. The ward room and steerage bulkheads were
all Knocked down, and clothing, books glass,
china chairs. bedding and a thousand different
things piled in heap while the dense smoke
almost stillcd one. and added to other troubles the
consciousness that fire might reacn the magazine
and all go mp together
Seeing the h0pelessness OF any assistance or OF
further resistance. our acting commander ordered
the flag to he struck, and soon after were
boarded by boat from the Merrlmac. which
carried of flag and some other trophies and then
che of the small steamers came alongside of us.
The commander of this vessel said that we must get
ont of the ship at once as he had orders to burn
her. and some of our people went on board; but
while this was going on, General Mansfield sent
| regiment down TO the Point. and their sharp
steamer. General Mansfield, in his official report.
calls this recapture. and so il was to some
extent; hut the Merrimac, finding the condition of
things. now fired red hot shot into the ship, with
plenty OF she'll from her other guns. ana then with
drew. Going down the channel again they
| attacked the Minnesota, which had got hard
| aground in coming up To assistance. FOrtu-
nately the state OF tide did not allow the Merrimac
to approach Der very CLOSELY and the small vessels
| were soon driven of by the MinnesOtas heavy
| guns. Night was by this time near, and the whole
Rebel 0oilla drew of, and proceeded up the Nor
| folk channel
No one on board the Congress could tell when she
would blow up, for no one could breathe IN the
vicinity of the fire: but the wounded were by
| great eXcrtion got upon deck and the only two
boats which could float were got into the water.
With these and with extreme labor, suffering and
| peril the wounded aud unwounded men were at
last conveyed on shore-a distance OF six or eight
| hundred yards. The boats were so riddled as 10
require stuting with shirts and pieces OF blanket,
and even then were half full of ice-cod water.
About dark the last trip was mace, aud then Tie
fine old ship, deserted by all but the dead-lylng
mostly they fel,-burned until about midnight,
terrible and curious sight, and then she blew uD.
scattering into a thousand fragments. and causing
a report which was heard for many miles. After
this perfect silence reigned for the rest of the night
The wounded and the weary were kindly received by
the soldiers on shore, and slowed away IN log
hospitals qnartermasters store-sheds and in tents
Sunday the 9th of March. dawned fair, mild aud
springke. as had been the preceding day. The
rising peered redly through the haze when
hung over the broad placid waters-but the hail
ness was dispersed by his rays, as If TO afford
us an uninterrupted view Of a scene such as the
world had never afforded.
The camp al Newport News was early astir, and
the regiments drawn up, under arms, as they were
TO remain most OF the day. The SURVIVORS OF me me
earthwOrks commanding the approach TO the camp
on the west side, manning howitzers and siege
guns for IL expected that the Merriinac wonld
return that morning to shell the camp. while
General Magruder. with large force from York
town, would attack by land, and thus force
surrender.
About o'clock the Merrimao was seen cor ing
down again, and turning up into the James RIVER
channel as she had done the day before sac opened
fire upon the Minnesota (which ship was still hard
agrouDd) with her forward guns. She had hniled
| tho Minnesota once twice when from under the
bows of the trigae there glided out, ike gladiator
into the arena, strange raftike fOating object.
almost flush with the water and bearing upon her
deck a black turTet
this strange thing was, or bow 1t came there At
last people began to remeub the Ericsson battery
which had been building in New-loIk, and then
they knew il must be the Monitor.
But how did she get here She was not here
yesterday. Can O llttle thing like that compete
with the monster which yesterday destroyed TWO
ful
1t was tue Monitor, indeed and although too
late prevent terrible disaster, she was IN the
very nick of time 10 prevent much more serious
damage. Even now one may shudder 10 think OF
the consequences if the MerrImac had cleaned out
Hampton Roads assembled the Potomac, and
enabled the Patrick Henry and the Thomas Jehcr
son to proceed TO sea, bearing to England ana
Frauce-anXous both for such news-the welcome
report that our blockade was broken.
As the little, low, black cOntrvancc steamed ont
from under the shadow OF tho Minnesota she
seemed SO small that we feared she would Only
constitute additional p:ry for the Leviathan And
those on board the Merrlmac were a5 much sur
prised as we were to see TINS pigmy dclDriatey
engagement with her, manenyrlng. IN inc neal
time for tho purpose Of finding vulnerable points
and exchanging with her the heaylest Hl,ot inen ~
use without apparent damage TO elther coMbatant'
They were too far on for us TO see more than the
general points of the action, but after time the
Merrimac seemed to give up the attempt TO lhJnIo
the Monitor by her fire, and Dnte more turned her
attention TO the Minnesota hullng Inc a,tcr again
and exploding by shell the boiler Of "a steam ting
lying alongside the .rgate. In the meantinc the
Mnnesota's battery once more bore, and bhe must
have hit the MerrnaC with her eight ana ien-lnch
shot nearly fifty times, but they glanced OIL from
her slOping roof without apparent damage. I}y
this time, II appeared TO us at the camp, The
Monitor able TO inteIpose again between the
MerTimac and the Minnesota, hring her TWO DeaEy
eleven inch guns both together, or IN rapid sue
cesson. Then eusued rapid firing which cnveOpod
the two iTOnclads in cloud of smoke and the
Merrmac appeared to be aground The next
thing observed WAS the Merrlmac sedInng
down the channel and the Monitor apparently
II "A attained
place where there was room, the big irOnClad
turned and came full speed at tho Monitor. The
little craft by movement of the helm avoided the
pact and only received glancing blow, and Just
at that moment planted solid shot OF $50 pounds
weight upon her forward casemate 1T IS probable
that this shot would have penetrated the armOr If
the gun had been charged with the amount of