The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-08-04
the lower end 81 chesapeaka baY and 4

the lower END OF chesapeake bay n the
mouth Of James river. The Confederacy
occupied the southern shore with batteries,
tho North the northern shores with forts
and batteries and var vessels at anchor.
When the Merrimac steamed into the
Roads five Union vessels lay just across
the main channel, tho 3O-gun sloop Cum
bertrand and the 50-gun frigate Congress at
Newport News, and six miles east, Off
Fortress Monroe, the 40-gun frigates Min
nesota and Roanoke and tho 5G-gun.frigate
st, Lawrence. They We're wooden ships,
like all navies in those days, and on March
I, in anticipation of the Merrimac's raid,
an order had been dispatched from Wash
ington for these vessels to make all haste
into the Potomac river for safety.
This order hadn't reached it's destination
at noon of the Sth, and on board the Cum
berland and Congress the sailors washed
clothes We're drying in tho rigging and
their boats We're swinging from the booms
when the ram hove in sight, Things
changed in a twinkling, however, when a
pillar of black smoke was seen rising out
OF Elizabeth river and a strange craft
steamed from under the Confederate bat
teries and headed for Newport News. A
swift sailing Union picket boat ran out to
ASSSAilioi0Sit ttltu i a. lev SlOpS W With
friends inshore that the stranger came not
in peace but for war, The Congress and
Cumberland and the shore batteries, ag-
gregating 100 guns, opened on the ram ut
t~hrce-fourths of q mile distance. Commo-
dore Buchanan, an old navy officer, was
aboard the Merrimac and decided to make
short work of it and strike the Cumberland
at once. While moving up to her prey the
NJ, ", M ,>ors,I Az, T~x~ o,.>n ii -. s---J
from her a full broadside. At the same
time the pivot gun of the ram was fired at
her intended victim, and one guns crew Of
the Cumberland was swept away. Then
the ram. struck with her powerful beak
almost at right angles, close to The Cum
berland's fo~rerigging, making u hole that
a horse and cart" might pass through.
The forward rifle gun Of the ram at the
instant of collision delivered a shot that
killed ten men at one gun on the Cumber-
land. Then the Merrimac backed away,
leaving her iron beak broken off in the
sides OF the luckless frigate, and quickly
turned upon the Congress with a raking,
stern fire.
The Cumberland continued in action
nearly an hour When hailed to strike
colors her commander, Lieut.. Morris,
ohouoSb, 4>CNcI, L IL Slllh dlOuSSlOG.' SQ6
was leaking badly all of this time and her
crew was driven by the rising water to
the upper decks and there continued firing
from the deck guns. A sailor on the roof
of the ram was cut in two by a shell from
the Cumberland just as she went down..
She sank in fifty-four feet of water and her
flag hoated from her topmast above the
waves. The crew saved themselves by
jumping and swimming ashore.
The Congress tried to avoid the fate of
her consort and escape, but she grounded
and the Merrimac ran up to within 200
yards and riddled her with shells. Her
commander, Lieut.. J. F. Smith, was killed,
her scuppers ran blood, her crew was being
slaughtered with no chance to retaliate,
and her officers displayed the white flag.
The lieutenant in charge made a.fofmal
surrender and went on board a Confederate
gunboat, but the Union troops on shore
continued to fire upon the Confederates,'
the Congress colors were not struck, and
Commodore Buchanan directed that hot
shot be poured into her. While she was
b~urningrher crew jumped into the water,
and two southern officers lost their lives in