Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1886-06-24

performed their whole duly. we let
an eve-witness Of that memorable en-
gagemeht tell.
The morning Was as still as that OF
a Sabbath. The two Federal frigates,
the Cumberland and Congress, lay
with their boats at the boom and
wash clothes in the rigging. Did
they see the long, dark hull? Had
they made her ont These were the
questions we discussed as we steamed
across the flats to thu south Of the
frigates with the two gallant little
gunboats we'll on our starboard beam,
heading up for the enemy. Our
doubts were solved by the heavy
boom OF a gun from beyond Sewells
Point. The reverberation rolled across
the sunlit waters and died away, but
still the clothes hung in the rigging
still the boats lay at the booms.
Another gun 81 minutes past one
broke the air and tug started from
Newport News, while at the same
time two others left Old Point, taking
the channel inside Hampton bar.
Steadily, with a grim and ominous ST.
lence the Virginia glides through the
water, steadily and with defiant val
or the Beaufort and Raleish fol-
lowed where she led. At ,niI;
utes 10 2 o'clock a rifle gun frd one
Of these little boats rang OUT then
white puff from her tonsort.
Still the clothes in the rigging
still the boats at the boom
Was it confidence? 1t could not be
ignorance. Did it not mean torpe-
does, submarine batteries, or internal
machines The gunboats have fired
again, and 10, here away to the east
ward were the Roanoke and Minneso-
Ia, rising like ponderous castles above
the placid water, the first under steam,
the second in tow. Other putfs of
smoke, other sharp reports from the
gunboats, but the Virginia goes on
steadily, silently to her work. Now
the inshCre irigtte, the Cumberland,
fires: now the Virginia is close aboard
now SeweII's Point battery opens
the Minnesota snow the Roanokes
nov the air trembles with the cam
nonade. Now the Virginia delivers
both OF her hroadsiies now she runs
full against the Cumberlands star
board bow: now the smoke clears
away, and she appears heading up
James River. This at - minutes to
,, The Congress now let's fall her
toretopsail, and then the main, and 50
with tug alongside, starts down the
north channel where the Minnesota
has grounded and presently runs
plank ashore. Meanwhile, the Nir-
GINA opens tire upon the fort slowly
she steams back, and the Cumberland,
now sunk to her white streak, opens
upon her again. \ gallant man
fought that shiy' Gun after gun he
tired, lower and lower INK the ship,
his last discharge comes from her p.v-
OF gun; the ship lur-hrs to starb,arl
-uow to port her !itG streams out
wildly, and now the Imbe.iani goes
down on her beam eai, At once
monument and epitaph to the gallant
man who commanded her. The Var
glnia stops. Is she aground? and the
gunboats Raleigh and Beautort-gal-
lAut Parker aud Alexander there they
are On the quarters of The Congress,
LAmmerlnG away and creeping up
close. AMI closer all the while. Vt.
ten minutes TO four the Congress
struck. Parker hauled down the en-
sign, run ny hl> own ba,tIe-tlag in It's
place, there the heroic TAYLOR who
fought the Fanny at Roanoke Island
and Elizabeth city, got his wound -
there the gallant young Hutter fell,
all shot by the da>tardS who fired
from the ship and shore when the
white tag was Tying at the main and
ml&en masts OF the Congress
Here, too, and in the same way,
Flag Officer Buchanan, and Flag
Lieut.. L. i. Minor. We're wounded.
Now the Jane, River gunboats, whose
dark smoke had been seen against
the blue distance ever since 8 o'clock,
came dashing along past the shore
batteries, Tucker, the courtly and chi
valrous, leading the van with the
jamestown, Lieut. Commanding Bar
ney, close aboard, and the little Teas
er, Lieut. Webb. in her make like
bow-ieSged bulldog in charge of the
long. lean s'ag.hound 1t was gal
liant dash, and once past the batteries,
the two heavy vessels took position in
the line Of battle. while the Teaser
dashed AT the Minnesota, looking no
larger than a cock-boat, and right
well She maintained the honor Of her
,'4tr and tho aDrrorr5atsra.s - bar