Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-12
MAILED SHIPS AT WORK.
The Fight of the Merrfmnc VIZ
rinia in Hampton Roads.

ginia) In Hampton hoaoh'
A book entitled "Ironclads in Action
by ii. w. Wilson, and with an introduc-
ton by Captain A. T. Mahan, Is Just now
attracting much attention In Eng
land. and no doubt VIII do the
same in this country. II sketches
the history of naval warfare from 1919 70
1885. giving besides some account Oh the
development of the battle-ship idea Inc
following article. taken from the Londoh
Daily News, whose reviewer wrote from
advance sheets. gives good resume OF
the books more important and interesting
chapters:
on the Sth OF March, 1862, the second
wear OF the war between North and South,
a strong Federal fleet lay at anchor III
HAMPTON Roads. II was waiting for the
first appearance OF new KIND or cral
which the Confederates had butt, ana
which was lurking somewhere about NOT
folk Island, on the opposite shore-aDoul
seven miles from the nearest Federal snip
the Congress- The Northerners were all oil
wood-not an inch OF armor In the whoie
squadron. They were stately things.
those vessels OF the old order. And, ac-
cordins to the good old fashion, the sail
ors' clothes were hung out in the rigging
captains. They were rather bored with
waiting for that thing" supposed to be
getting ready at Norfolk Island.
At last little cloud Of smoke 49, seen
rising from the woods which fringed the
Norfolk estuary. II believe that thing Is
coming down at last, sir" said petty
officer on board the Congress, turning
round TO his superior. The two Yankees
could have known nothing OF the cere-
rnony which had just taken place at Nor
folk Island. The men and officers OF the
strange craft, whose smoke only was visi-
BILE to the Federal squadron, had received
the holy communication they were bound
on a desperate errand, one which, as they
must have vaguely felt, was about to re-
volutiOnize sea warfare at blow. And 50
the thing came out.
THE roof OF barn with huge CHM
ney," remarked the Northerners as they
watched her crawling out. A northern
vessel blazed away at the barn." and she
took no notice. The thing steamed on
leisurely. The Cumberland blazed away,
and still the queer craft did not mind 1t
in the least. Then the Congress blazed
away; the shore batteries opened fire, and
then the Yankee shippers were ''petrified
with establishment to see that their shot
rolled off the Confederate crafts side like
peas rom stone wall, Inc lhltB went
pOking and boggling and snuffing about
the northern fleet for a whole hour and
did nothing.
Then all of a sudden one of the thing
shutters" flew open; there was a flash,
and in an eyewink the crew Of the Cum
berand's pivot-gun was knocked TO pieces;
another flash. and in an instant the Con-
gress's deck was changed into a
slaughter-pen with lopped-off legs and
arms and bleeding. blackened bodies scat
tered about by the shells, while blood and
brain actually dripped from the beams"
That was how one OF the CONGRESSES
officers described It. Then the thing"
in her cool. deliberate way, turned upon
the big sailing man-of-war, and with her
iron nose gave her a destructive blow
the first ramming performance in modern
history. Quietly leaving the sinking Cum
bertrand TO her fate, the barnlike craft
turned back to finish the Congress, but
the Congress was on fire. Three other
Federal ships ran aground, and the Mer-
rimac-for that was her name-quietly
steamed off with the tide.
In the history of ironclads there have
been many stirring events since that
spring day Of 1852, but to our thinking
there Is in all that history nothing so
striking. so dramatic, as this fight be-
tween the last ships of the old wooden
pavy and the first ironclad.