Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-02-28
THE RAM MERRIMAC.
Der Meeting With the Monitor, or Efrltsson's
Battery, March 9Th.
STORY OF THE ENGAGEMENT.
10th the Marine Monsters Deliver Broad
sides at Ten Yards Distancs--Ths
Monitor Withdrew.
concluded from Last sanday.l

The Monitor Cor Ericsson) had been
built in 100 days especially to meet the
Merr,mac. She arrived at Fortress Mon
roe al Q +. NJ. of March 9Th. Secretary
welles had autographed Commodore
Pauldng at the New York yard March
9Th: let the Monitor come direct TO
Washington, anchoring below AleIan-
dria." Similar orders had been sent TO
Captain John Marston, United States
navy. at Fortress Monroe. Marston took
upon himself the responsibility OF DISC
beying and kept the Monitor IN Hampton
Roads. Had Secretary Welless order
been obeyed the Merrimac on the
eth would have captured not only
the Minnesota. st. Lawrence. ana
Roanoke, but every vessel that remained
inside Of Fort Monroe. In the engage
ment of the sth the Merrimac had lost her
prov in striking the Cumberland, two or
her GUNS had been disabled so az 10 be
useless bv shot from the Cumberland. and
her smoke-stack and steam-pipe bad been
40 riddled that it was difficult to keep up
sufficient steam. In this plight she was TO
meet her antagonist. At daylight on the
9th we discovered that the frigates koa,
poke and st. Lawrence had been foated
and moved 10 Old Point. but the Mime
sofa was vet aground in the same position.
Mar her we discovered an object like a
raft, floating low in the water, with smoke
stack and turret amidships.
TIE FIGHT.
Closer inspection decided us that IL was
Rricsson's Battery the Monitor. Having
sent our wounded ashore we moved out
into the Roads. to resume the engagement
ats A. Nj. The Merrimac being in adj
vance our wooden vessels in the rear, TO
take part If occasion should offer. Lien
tenant Jones. then in command OF the
Nerrimao. saws of this engagement:
ave stood before the Minnesota and
opened fire. Our pilots were to have
placed VA within half mile of her. but at
no time were we nearer than mile. At
one third OF a miles distance the monitor
opened upon us. We rapidly approached
each other. and at times were only ship's
length apart. Once we fred broadside
AT her only few yards distant. She and
her turret were under perfect control.
Once she took position where we
could not bring gun TO bear upon
her. Another movement, which gave us
great anxiety. was an attempt TO run
afonl of our rudder and propeller, which
could easily have been disabled. Her guns
were seen only at the moment OF dis,
charge-tbis done. her turret reyolved
shutting them out of view. We had no
solid shot. and our she'll had no effect
upon her. With all our caution we ran
aground. and remained so for quarter OF
an hour. Finding we could make no i'm
preston with our shell, we determined If
uossihle TO run her down"
OF this attempt Lieutenant Wood. OF the
Merrlmac, says:
For on hour we mannuvred for posi-
ton. Now 90 ahead Now stop! Now
asterni The Merrimac was as unweildy
as a Noah's ark. At lass an opportunity
offered but before we had sufficient head
wav the Monitor sheered off. and our dis
abled ram gave elancing blow, which did
no apparent harm"
Within q few moments after this COLI
sion the Monitor made her fret with
drawal from the action. The Merrimac
now resumed her fire at the Minnesota.
doing her serious injury and blowing up
the boiler Of a tug alongside. The Moni-
ter returned 10 the action, and taking
position with her bow against the Merrl-
mac. fired twice at this distance. The i'm
pact of these shots forced the side of the
Merrimac in two OF three inches. and the
conclusion knocked down all the men at the
sitter pivot gun many Of whom bled from
the nose or ears. THE action had now
continued some three hours" says Lieu
tenant Jones, " without apparent injury
10 the monitor" We were therefore
surprised to see her run off into shoal
Water. where our great draught would not
hermit rs 10 follow This second with
drawnl was most probably coincident with
the following fact, given by Lieutenant :.
Dana Greene, the executive oficer of the
Monitor, page 725-727. Battles and Lead
ers of the civil War" volume /. Lieu
tenant Greene says:
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
"Soon after noon shell from the Merri-
macs gun, the muZzle of which was not
ten Yards distant, struck the forward side
of the pilot-house (Of the MONITOR direct
Nv IN the light-hole. and exploded. Cap
tain Worden was standing Immediately be-
hind this spot and received IN his face the
force of the blow. which partially stunned
him. and filing his eyes with powder,
utterly blinded him. Worden, blinded as
he was, believed the pilot-house to be Sc
verely injured if not destroyed. He.
therefore, gave the orders To put the helm
to starboard AID sheer Of Thus the
monitor temporarily retired from the
action to ascertain the extent of the In
iuries she had received"
Lieutenant Greene. then succeeding to
the command. continues his account. In
the confusion of the moment the Monitor
had been moving without direction"
Exactly how much time elapsed from the
moment that Worden was wounded until l
hsd reached the pilot-hOuse and com.
pletod the examination of the injury at
that point, and determined what course to
pursue, it is impossible TO state; but 1t
could hardly have exceeded twenty min
utes."
Lieutenant Greene admits that beng
summoned 10 Worden, he found him
standing at the foot of the ladder leading
TO the pilot-house, end that he assisted in
leading him 10 sofa in the cabin, and
then assumed the command" If he had
contented himself with his statement, lit
is impossible to state the time" and bad
not attempted TO qualify 1t with hardly
exceeded twenty minutes" he would have
been more accurate.
THE MONITOR WITHDREW.
As an officer of the Beaufort, and In
close proximity to the engagement, though
not in the melee, for none Of our wooden
gunboats took active part in this days
fight, am justified in making the state
ment that the Monitor retired from the
field on this her second withdrawal from
three quarters TO an hour. | shall not
pretend to say that this Is absolutely sccu-
rate, for / did not take the actual time.
but | do say ii was sufficiently long to
Justify the opinion then formed that she
had withdrawn from the action for the
day.
There can be no question at this day on
the point-which Of the two vessels first
withdrew from the action. The official
nec-srt of Captain Van Brunt, of the Min
=xsota, discloses the retirement of the
monitor, and Lieutenant Greene. her ex-
ecutiye, admits that she withdrew twice
from the engagement-once TO hoist shot
into the turret, and again when Worden
was wounded--pages 725, 727, Battles and
Leaders OF the Civil War, Volume l.
Lieutenant Catesby Jones. of the Merri-
mac, concludes his statement of the en-
gsgement Of March 9th in these words:
We tor some time awaited the return
OF the Monitor TO the Roads. The loss of
our prov and anchor, consumption of
coal, water, ETC., had lghtened us so that
the lower part of the forward end of the
shield was awash. After consultation, it
was decided that we should proceed to
the navy-ysrd, that the vessel might be
brought down in the water and CON-
plered. The pilots said If We did not so
then We could not passthe bar until noon
Of the next day. We therefore at IL NJ
quit the Roads and stood for Norfolk.
Had there been any sign OF the Monitors
willingness TO renew the contest We would
have remained TO fight her. We left her
in the shoal water TO which she had with
drawn and which she did not leave until
after we had crossed the bar on our way to