Evening star., 1895-05-25
STANTON IN THE WAR
Incidents Showing the Great secre-
tary's VIII Power.
TOLD BY His CONFIDENTIAL CLERK
How His Was the-Master Spirit in
Critical Moments.
REL Ms TO LINCOLN
Written for The Evening Star.

Written for The Evening Star
General Grant once said Of Secretary
Stanton that he never questioned his own
authority to command, and that he felt no
hesitation in assuming the functSSn of the
executive, or in acting without advising
with him. In his campaign for the capture
of Norfolk, the Secretary of War, although
accompanied by the President, was, in
fact. the controlling spirit, the master will.
He went to Fortress Monroe to make things
move, and they did move
He commanded the army and the navy
in the capture of Norfolk and caused the
Merrimac to commit suicide.
1t was the battle between the Merrimac
and the Monitor in Hampton Roads, in
March, 1862, that revolutionized battles on
the seas throughout the world.
The Merrimac became suddenly the ter
ror of Washington and New York, and the
Monitor became the terror of Richmond
Looking back at this revolution, in COM
parison with the resources and power of
the navy at Richmond and the resources
and power of the navy at Washington, 1
think the navy at Richmond was far in ad-
vance of the federal navy. The Merrimac
as an iron-clad gunboat was the first to
give battle to warships and to sink them.
blockading fleet We're hurled against her
Ike hailstones upon tin roof. She sank
two men-of-war and paralyzed the rest.
So great was the CONSERVATION after this
battle, at Washington and New York. that
a fleet of eleven warships, ironclads, rams
and gunboatS was collected in Hampton
Roads and kept with steam up for nearly
TWO months, watching this rebel terror
day and night. ard then only with the
hope of running her down should she come
out a second time to give battle.
The navies of the world stood in amaze
ment at the monster, and wondered where
she came from.
After this battle every sea had floating
steel monsters of war.
Planning the Capture of Norfolk.
While this formidable war fleet was
watching for the coming Of the Merrimac,
Gen. Wool with his army at Fortress Mon
roe seems only to have been watching this
war feet in Hampton Roads. The army
the navy and the two cities mentioned, had
been paralyZed The Secretary of the Navy
had advised Mr.. Stanton that there was
only one way to capture Norfolk, and that
was by sending Gen. Burnside, then at
Roanoke Island, 10000 men, to attack Nor
folk from that side; and that the capture
of that place would equal in Importance
the capture of New Orleans. During most
of this time Gen. Mcclellan, with an army
great in numbers, equipment and in COM
manders, was reporting to Mr.. Stanton
lels at Yorktown. If Gen. Mcclellan had
only known how much these reports griev-
ed Mr.. Stanton and the president he never
would have sent them. They kept Mr..
Stanton in one endless round of despair.
During this waiting and watching and con-
structing siege-paralleis, Yorktown was
evacuated and theTgreat siege-works We're
rendered useless. 1t was the story of Man
aSSaS repeated. n
It Is a singular coincidence that on the
very day Yorktown was evacuated, and
before he knew it, Mr. Stanton telegraph
ed Gen. Wool to put his force in condi-
ton for a sudden movement.
Before this Mr.. Stanton had determined
to go down to Hampton Roads to see if
something could not be done to capture
Norfolk, and he induced Mr. Chase to go
with him lin the revenue cutter Miami.
In military movements indecision is awayS
fatal, and 1t was Mr.. Stanton's decisive
character that gave him Norfolk and
Portsmouth on the fifth day after he left
Washington. Mr.. Stanton had also ask
ed the President to go with him, and on
Monday. May g. 1862, Secretary Chase's
revenue cutter Miami. at the close of the
day, took on board the distinguished party
and started for the capture of Norfolk.
The niSht was dark and it was raining,
and before reaching Acqua, down the
Potomac, the pilot lost his way and had
to cast anchor. The thickness of the night
having cleared on the Chesapeake at
the break of day, the steamer rolled and
tossed. At luncheon that day the Presi-
glasses tumbled and rolled about the table.
Reaching Fortress Monroe at night, Mr..
Stanton at once sent for Gen. Wool, and,
although the flagship Minnesota was miles
was determined to go out and see Commo-
dore Goldsborough that night On near
ing the great ship voice from the
little tug rang out the familiar hail, ship
ahoy,' .iagship-ahoyr What do you want?
came over the waters Gen. Wool wishes
to go aboard was the answer. Reaching
the side of the ship and feeling the guide
ropes and the steps on the wall, the Presi-
dent first ascended to the deck, then fol-
lowed Secretary Chase, Mr.. Stanton, Gen.
Wool and Gen. Viele. Mr.. Stanton was
short and heavy and the President and
Mr. Chase were tall, both over six feet,
pounds. They were very unfit for climbing
vertical walls, and the ascent and descent
were dangerous. On Tuesday the distin-
guished party visited the Vanderbilt, the
Monitor and the Stevens. At dinner with
Gen. Wool and Commodore Goldsborough
it was determined to open the battle with
the navy the next morning. Promptly
when morning came the Galena and two
gunboats ascended the James toward Rich
moad and were soon engaged with bat
teries. From the Rip Raps the President
and his party watched the feet of ships,
the Monitor and the Stevens, get into po-
siticn, and moving round, commence the
cannonade against the works on SewelPs
Point In this the great guns on the Rip
TAPS JOlneu
The Last of the Merrimac.
1t was during this cannonade that the
Merrimac came out, as was believed, to
give battle. All eyes, all hopes, all fears
were upon her. The cannonade ceased, the
Monitor and the Stevens waited her COM
irg, and the Minnesota and the Vanderbilt
moved away to positions from which they
could get great speed to rush onward and
run down the Merrimac. Seeing this she
retreated to her position behind the Point.
This was the last seen of the great terror.
She would not fight with the certainty of
being run down.
AS Sewelrs Point was the only place
where it was said troops could be landed
for march upon Norfolk, and as the Mer-
rimac stood grim and defiant guarding that
landing it was determined to hunt another
landing, which, having been found by Mr..
Chase the order was given for the march
by Mr.. Stanton. From this new landing
the troops started for Norfolk, and that
day Norfolk was captured. That night the
commander of the Merrmac set her on
fire and blew her UP in one burst of flame.
OF the fleet the Vanderbilt was constructed
especially to run down the Merrimac. She
had side wheels, each weighing over 100
tens, and forty feet in diameter, for great
force and speed. Her PROV and halfway
re und her sides were reinforced by timbers
projecting six feet in thickness and iron.