The National tribune., 1893-05-04

main-deck battery. Rsag Fhis windows for
| portfolios, ami the job isiies. were silent spec
I tators, aud never esaestlkse enough to learn
what those guns werea5ahed with.
! Linn is wrong when he says: Most all her
rrew tMinnesotasl had been moved into the
! fort" The Whitchalt dime starbosrd
side in the afternoon5fahe second day, and by
order of Lieut. Grafton took quite u number OF
hour away. and we who were left on hoard
! did not know where they were going. When
| she returned for second load, Grafton was on
| hand again. and forcing the rest of the
crew aboard ot her through the portfolios Of the
! gun-drek. When Capt Van Brunt discovered
what was being dome n.itfw he mounted the
ratline Overlooking the Whitehall and called
| cut: Men. for God ! SAKE roE,c back we will
save the ship" Thafsras enough; they fairly
! climbed over each other in their haste TO get
| back. They had bern led tn believe 1T was The
| Captains eriers for hem to abandon the ship.
In the first days fight several of our heavy
guns were cast overheard with view tn swing
the bow of, hut to no purpose. While this
was being done tho Merrimac laid herself
across our bows and began To rake u. About
this time our Captain ordered the she"t-anchor
hauled up TO the fore yarllarn ard had she
come close enough to insert her Prov III
I side as she did with the Cumberland, il won'd
have been suddenly dropped upon her, while
The fosrtiers stood ready to drop upon her also.
! believe tho weight of that anchor would
have carried it through her roo, but neither
the Merrimac nor any of lie rebel feet took any
Cbancts they only struck at deien,eiess foes,
or where We were entirely unpreparcd.
| have often thought what a blessing 1T was
they had Van Blunt Wortlen. Braine.
Foster. Badger. Or Walters, many others l
could mention.
The Monitor rame alongside our ship about
IL y. m, alter the first days fight. Sba OPENED
the fish. the next morning but not with the
Jamestown; she went direct for the Mcrriniac,
and said iron monster retreated in the after
noon. having been disabled by the Yankee
chcese-box." TIE balance followed in her
wake.
The Monitor never refused to fight her, then
or IT any other time. The first man wounded
in The war OF botrd The Minnesota was Il Mid
shipman. | canuot remember his name. lie
WAS Standing the Eiainmast when that
| sis"s frenn S..wrlis Point struck it; large
piece Of wood splinter driven into his
mouth. between the lip aud gum. infiicing q
very painful wound. lie shed the first blood
open deck bat befure the sun went down
tla>t day Saw both blood aud brains orr
qnarier deck. Harrington, Captain OF one OF
| the puns.>was The first killed
That Is all incorrect ahout the Whteliai ~
ing alongside the Minnesota during the whole
or any part of The action. She would have
been in the way of our port batteries. besides
Increasing our danger. shot that would
havv knocked her into smthereeas would
have likewise ia ured Us even more than Quo
coming direct and piercing side. There
was Il tug or sRai steamer came oil our fighting
side 10 take of some wounded. bnt she did not
stay there long. A shot from the Merrinac
found its way into her steam apparatus, aud she
went 10 Davie Jones's locker" The roof Of
her pilot house. went skywar,. for awhile then
dropped deck between the main and
foreniasi. aud an Dgiy thing it was 10 tumble
overheard. The air full OF spinters and
Other debris for 10 minutes.
Now about the foreign ships. There was
French mau Of war tIere.aand / Was under the
impression the Rinaldo tEngish1 was also
there, she frequently ancrpfed i'll the Roads.
Ana positive, hGweyeH she was there at the
SECOND appearance of the Merrimac III April.
ana that was the time'the jamestown stole the
schooner, and not at the first fight. ] have no
doubt ssnie of the Riiiaid0's crew cheercd ths
rebs. They were British. 1aon t-chcr- know"
and their SYM pathies WIRE ndt with the Yanas.
The Vanderbilt made several attempts to draw
the iron monster into "A fight but SHE would
crafty crawl around Sewell's Point, then
bnster out again after the Vanderbilt had re-
turned TO her moorings.-A. J. HAWKINS, Z.
s. Marines and Captain 9th Nd.