New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-05
LINCOLN IN WAR.
SALMON P. CHASE'S DESCRIPTION OF HIS
CAMPAIGN.


oropov has never I think been more than alluded
90 IN, his biographers 1t could not, however, DE
hotter given TO the public than in the simple ana
,rranbic words of Mr. Chase he described inns
interesting expedition in several long ana oon'
secutive letters TO his little daughter al scnool'
That in the midst of the arduouS ana cohsolei-
tiously performed duties of his most Responsible
office he could have found time to write regularly
aud often unanimously TO child suggests
wonderful versatility and kindness that am onlS
now beginning TO appreciate. lie ua'eS MS N''o'
from the Revenue cutter Manu. OIL foIuess
Monroe, May Z, 1852" ana al'er sonle Pei'on"i
talk he goes on as follows:
81 am writing from the cabin OF the revenue
steamer Miami. Just outside of two Steam-rahS-
norts loaded with troops, embarked for proposed
a,tack nm Norfolk. We the President, Mt Stan-
ton General Viele and myself, compose our party
and ,ye left Washington on Monday evening just
hofo-o dusk Our stanch little vessel bore lis
,anidlv and pleasantly down the river I'LL we
were some ten or fifteen miles below AieAahul!a'
when the night which had come on WIN uIl@-
zlinn rain. became so thick and dark lha1 our
nilot could not discern the right course we
were therefore obliged 10 cast anchor ana wall
for clearer sky. BY O'Clock on Tuesday we
were again on our way We passed Aqua al Day
break, and at noon found ourselves tossing on
the waters of the Chesapeake. III would nave
amused YOU 10 see our luncheon. The President
gave it up, and declaring himself too uncomfort-
able to cat, stretched himself at length on a
locker. The rest of us persisted in eating, but
Che plates slipped this way and that, the glasses
tumbled over and rolled about, and the whole
table seemed as topsy-turvey as If some splritu-
nlistio medium were holding a seance. The
steamer had now all sails set, and, with the help
Of wind and steam was moving handsomely ior-
ward at the rate of about twelve knots an hour.
But the night began soon TO fall; the wind died
away: from some cause the fires in the furnace
burned out and progress became too sluggish
for our eager wishes Just then to fret us the more,
the Metamora, with dispatches, shot across our
track and keelSing stragh, through shoal'
which we were compelled to avoid, shot out of
sight However, between and we reached our
destination Mr. Stanton at once sent message
10 General Wool notifying him of our arrival, and
soon the General with some members of his staff
came on board. II was 10 o'clock. After
q short conference il was determined that the
President. Mr. Stanton General Wool, General
Viele and myself should visit Commodore Colds
borough and talk to him of the things TO be done.
As it was not easy to get alongside OF the Mime
sofa in the night with the revenue cutter we
took tug and were soon within hailing distance.
Ship ahOy" Flagship ahOyp was shouted.
What do you want p came back over the waters.
General Wool wants to go on board was the
answer Come round on the port side said
the voice from the ship; and round on the port
side we went and there were narrow steps up
the lofty side and guiding ropes either hand
hardly visible in the darkness
The ascent looked to us very high and rather
fearful. Etiquette required the President TO go
up first, and up lie went Etiquette required
the Secretary of the Treasury to go next and
followed and il dr1 not seem half so bad as II
looked. i cannot stop to describe to you the
noble ship Minnesota to tell you more of the
Commodore's greeting, except that it was chaTac-
tersticaly cordial Nor shall ! tell you of the
conference, which related entirely to military
or naval movements in connection with the dreaded
Merrimac The next morning yesterday we were
all up early and as our breakfast was ordered
at O. Mr. Stanton proposed that should
visit the Vanderbilt The boat of the Miami
was therefore lowered, and we put off for the
great ship She was all ready for her encounter
with the Merrmac enormously strengthened about
the bow with heavy thinkers so TO be little
else for many feet-say fifty from her prOw--than
mass Of solid timber From the Vanderbilt we
sailed round the Monitor and the Stevens, and
then back to breakfast But | must omit from
this letter IAN account of visit TO the Monitor,
the Stevens and the Rip-Raps, of Commodore
GoldsbOroughs coming, and the discussion which
followed; Of the appearance of the Merflmac and
Of her disappearance; of the review and the visit
to ruined Hampton; how il was determined TO
attempt the reduction of the batteries at Sewelps
Point the next morning; how we-that is Mr..
Lincoln, Mr.. Stanton and Invent 10 the Rip-RapS
how the feet moved to the attack; how the roar
of the first cannon broke upon Sabbath silence;
how the great guns of the Rip-Raps joined IN
the fray, throwing enormous shells more than
three miles at discharge; how the Merrimac
came down and out; and how the Monitor moved
I'D and quietly waited for her; how the big
wooden ships got out of the way that the Mime
sofa and the Vanderbilt might have fair sweep
at her TO run her down; how she would not come
up where they could go, and low the Merrimac
finally retreated to a point where the Monitor
alone could follow her; of return to the
shore and OF the embarkation of the troops: ali
this, and much more l must leave untold this
morning. for since | wrote the first half of this
letter night is past and the sun of the Sth Of
May has risen splendidly over Fortress Monroe"
Again Mr.. Chase writes this Sth OF
May;
My letter closed abruptly this morning with a
mere synopsis Of events. / will now give you
little better idea Of what took place yesterday.
But first a word about the review Of the
day before. The appearance of the Merrimac
and the possibility Of conflict with her had
led to a revocation of the order which had been
given for one. But her retirement induced
General Wool TO propose that we should ride
out TO camp and see what was to be seen. The
President and / rode. while Mr. Stanton and his
notwithstanding, Mr.. Tucker, went in
carriage. We rode through the camp-General
Wool giving orders as we passed along 10 form
the regiments and make ready-we going on mean
while TO the village Of Hampton. which was
burned last summer by the order of the inSurgent
General Magruder | never saw such ruin,
bare, blackened and crumblinG walls on every
side; the courthouse about two hundred years
old but of remarkable beauty for that period the
al l.,fI.