The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-27
HEFOUGHTONTHEMONIT
HANs AEDERSEN's RECoLLECTIoNs
OF a FAMOUS BATTLE.

NE Tells the Crowd at the Swedish Hos
pitai Fair what ne saw ana DID o. the
First Voyage OF Ericsson's Ironeiad-
HE May Wounds and CHEEKY Spirit.
Hans Andersen, ono Of the survivors, II not
ths last OF tho fighting crew Of the Monitor,
went To the Swedish Hospital Fair In Brooklyn
yesterday and told visitors who crowded around
Tho Monitor booth his recoilections of the battle
with tho Merrimac, and some Incidents OF tho
first voyage of Ericsson's ironclad. lie 10 In his
73d year. and is incapacitated for bodily
Nctivity, having had two broken ribs, y frRo-
tured elbow. an injured ankle. and a defective
eye to keep him pretty quiet for some years;
but he is OF heavy frame and apparently vlgor-
Gus constitution. He keeps q small grocery at
Oh Hall street, In Brooklyn. where he lives with
his family, and. still sailor-liko, bows through
the window TO the good looking girls Of the
noiRhborhood who look In and smile at him a.
they pass.
He says that he remembers. rs though IL were
but yesterday. not only the sea combat but the
departure from New York when the people
ashore as we'll a. the volunteer crew in the little
Monitor thought the probabilities were that
none aboard would ever come back. He had
rome here from Sweden when 22 years old, In
lS47. and had Joined the navy In 1856, serving
FIRST on tho frigate falmouth and then on the
Congress. He has three honorable discharges
from the navy, one from each of the frigates
and the other received Mt the close Of the war,
his service in the navy extending over nine
years. On both frigates he had been stationed
OF Brazil. and he came up on the Con-
Gress just before Christmas, 1861. Hearing
while he was In New York that the Monitor
was almost ready to go to sea, he went to the
rendezvous in Cherry street and offered himself
as one of the volunteer crew who were to take
fba pavw ahip o,t un yrna accented and ha re.
members distinctly tho trip down the East
River from the navy yard. He says that every
pier all the way around to Castle Garden was
filled with people. who cheered and shouted.
The fears of those on board were increased
when the Monitor had made only q short dis
tance by the breaking down of her machinery.
There was moro trouble further down the coast,
when the trouble became such that no steam
could be made. II was Saturday night when
the Monitor got down off Hampton Roads, and
n small tug steamed out toward her and asked:
what little thing 10 THAR"
When the answer went out that It was the
United States Monitor all aboard the tug
cheered, and the tug put back TO report the ar
nesota was aground. and tho Monitor put in
alongside her, where, she lay until morning.
leaving BrooSiyn n except ptsG a fS% BIT OF salt pork and
some bread, and they could not get any food,
and did not get any. until they were through
Il was in the morning that the ,Merrimac was
fret seen. Andersen was or. deck and looking
deck. down toward Norfolk. When a lot OF black
smoke waa seen over q point of land. Ander.
seen the Merrimse, and he was the only one on
the Monitor who had, He told the deck officer.
view. tS SStt that me was the Merrimae, and the ofioep
At nrst rather scopted the idea, Andersen says;
Of on a S% i sAi Andersen ny to id' h aI1ts that iae tina, i%S I wSs
what the Merrimac did look like. as she was
%ass to ,s, ram and %uI Rro'Ss s , 70. r shs 0f sSin.
and he sent Andersen to report to Lieut.. Wor-
den. Tho Lieutenant came out. and. after tho
at the Monitor, the Monitor got into shape for
action and sent . shot At her elany. 1t went
slOping deck of the Merrimac, Andersen says.
and Lieut.. Worden ordered the Ruunsrs to de.
shot. however. Andersen says. was still too high.
and the Lieutenant ordered the gunners to take
guns come down. The third shot so aimed went
ALI the way through the rebel. Just before this.
i haSs Struck an tho o. Monitor tnS s9G AZ the Iaop PILOT house. and
the shell EXPLODED just a. one OF the prHtecting
s every % " .ns i p,t0 Lis sSIs Y o SGSIs: face eow was bls nsw
ened. He started GU. to the deck to get some
s s'n; on g sis , %1y t HSins he sh nrsSbsd IN The hfnin isa tenant:
and told him that he must not go out, as tho
enemy's sharpshooters would be sure TO pick
him on. The Lieutenant consented To remain
nails were given to some Of the other ships OF
Lieutenant away. This was done. and the Mon
itcr, A andersen relates, was then in command of
from courageous. Andersen says that although
the Merrimac was done for. ana that 1t could DO
s Ssra as When shs Is sRe n had a sns n9 ehae .Ssre 'R %%s ls sSs
OF her overhang visible above water and that
nns was f s,nRi ,H: The Monitor: which VI : = was "a then then
the scene OF the com bat toward Fortress Mon
roe. Andersen says that he and three OF his
companions in the turret looked through the
Deephole and saw what was going on and that
they Immediately became indignant at their
an old man.ot.~aTss man, felt that ii nv was s'i his
duty TO speak and he told his companions that
would be forced to turn about and 90 at the
Merrimac and finish her. They agreed with
went to the chief engineer and told him that
the men In the turret wanted him Ia 90 to
i pns a .SSus. The a sne hs"s s said o5' You sG don Mo @aSs
TO commit mutlny, do youY' Andersen said
a thst he aso did not not but as S. true as there her WAS a
would force the Monitor back into action
unless the Lieutenant gave orders to that
TO the Lieutenant. who ordered the Monitor
turned around and rang four bells to go
Green wont personally to the engine room and
ordered the speed reduced to one bell. The
siderable tide. 50 much that the Monitor made
no headway at all. Meanwhile. he says, the
shore to send assistance to her, and he says that
the men In the Monitors turret, looking through
the peepholo, had the mortincatlon OF seeing
tho Merrimac towed down into safety by ves-
kels sent out from Norfolk.
Andersen asserts that the second shot of the
Monitor took away the Merrimac's black flag.
1t was so hot In the turret that the men could
work only in underclothinR. Through the tMr-
ret was tho only vent from the Monitor. The
sides of the turret were SO thick that the men
we're unable TO hear the reports OF the guns they
fired. The three shots were not fired In rapid
succession. After the second one. In which the
Merrimae lost her nag, she went down toward
Hog lsland. and, after, working about there q
little. while the Monitor WAS waiting to sea
what was going TO happen next, she came toward
the Union vessel At full speed with the evident
intention of ramming her. She was headed for
the broadside of The Monitor. and the Monitor. al
though getting under way.did not seek to change
the relative position OF the two vessels. She
waited until the Merrimac was almost upon her.
and then the helm was swung so hard that the
Monitor swung around 80 as 10 lie almost along
eide the Merrimac, aud took the ram at a sharp
angle Just where her own sides were strongest.
that 10 opposite the turret. Had the blow come
at either end, he says. It would have sunk her.
The Monitors guns had previously been double
shotted, and, as the two ships ground their sides
together, the Monitor fired both guns at once
Ia ,arriad atuav n aand daal nf tha Marripnap