The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-04-22
Anderson gntegItgeueer.
Merrimac and Monitor.

Commander 81. Ashton Ramsay, of
Franklin Buchanan Camp, NC. v, Of
Baltimore, was chief engineer of the
Confederate ram Merrimac in her two
fights in Hampton Roads, under Ad-
miral Buchanan and Commodore Tat
nall, respectively.
In speaking of the achievements Of
Admiral Buchanan and of the Merri-
mac, Col. Ramsay idtyesterday:
without wishing to say anything
that would diminish the glory Of the
gallant Worden, who commanded the
Monitor, it must be particularly noted
that Buchanan first led the way and
showed that the Monitor was. or ought
to have been, invincible against any
thing the Confederates could bring
against her. AS she was armored
with nine inches Of iron against the
Merrimac's four inches, had eleven
inch guns against the Merrimac's six
and seven-inch guns, and arriving in
Hampton Roads the night after the
Merrims.c had sunk the Cumberland,
burned che Congress and made a wreck
of the Minnesota, could she have done
less than fought the Merrimac, when
the latter vessel was known to be in
ferior to her in every respect? And
yet that gallant Virginian, Captain
Catesby r. Jones, fought the Monitor
the next day, not under the protection
of any fort or battery, but ir the mid
die Of Hampton Roads, for FIVE long
hours and finally compelled her to
retire, but, to the praise Of her gallant
commander, not until after he had
been i~ncapacited by the battering in
Of the pilot house.
"Capt. Jones, soon after engaging
the Monitor, discovered that his shot
on the turret was having no appreci-
able effect, and with his usual fore
sight he directed his lieutenants to
concentrate their fire on the mob of
iron projecting from the deck, which
he soon recognized as her coming
tower. In this fight with the Monitor
the Merrimac had but four effective
guns which could fire solid shot. Two
Of her guns had been disabled the day
before by having their muzzles shot
away, and four others were chambered
guns intended to fire hot shot into the
wooden vessels, and solid shot, the
only proiectile that would have been
at all effective, could not be 6redfro
them.
"In the engagement between these
two vessels, strange to say, the MerEi-
mac did not lose a man or have any
one wounded, nor receive any further
injury than the indentation and frac-
ture Of the outer course of iron in a
few places. Owing to her great draught
of water she got aground, and for a
considerable time the Monitor, draw
ing 80 much less water, could play
around us, changing her position, and
we could not bring a gun to bear on
her. It was at this time she drew up
on us, but presently we got off the
shoal and struck her a glaneing blow
with our bow, at the same time deliver
ing the fatal shot that stove in the
coming tower and damaged Commo-
dore Worden's eyes. Then it was
that the Monitor withdrew under the
protection Of the guns Of Fortress
Monroe, leaving the Merrimac master
of the Roads, a position she retained
for two months. covering the James
and Elizabeth rivers during the evacu-
alton Of Norfolk, but finally had to be
destroyed by her own people.
"Havipg been ordered to proceed
up the James River, after receiving a
signal notifying us that Gen. Huger
had withdrawn his army, stores, ETC.,
from Norfolk, We ligbtened the ship
to . point that exposed her wooden
sides, under cover Of the night, in
order to pass over the bar in the river.
The pilots said they could take us
over the bar, and we lightened the
ship by throwing overheard u coal
and the iron on the bow and stern.
We thus raised the ship, and made
her an easy prey for the large United
States squadron which was just out
side the Roads. The pilots then de-
clared that, owing to the wind having
prevailed for several days from a GER
tain direction, the water had been
blown off the bar.
Commodore Tatnall, in his report Of
this transaction, scathed the pilots
and strongly intimated that they took
this position because they did not
want the vessel to be brought into
action, and in this way would force
him to surrender or desert the ship.
Under this condition Of affairs there
was nothing to do but TO run her
ashore and destroy her. This was
done most effectually, for after she
was blown up not a 7estige of the ship
was le;t above water. The officers
and crew marched away and fought
the Monitor again at Drewry's Bluff,
when that vessel, in company with
the others, attempted to ascend the
T- DD poJ Co.