The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-12-19
Description ee<~~
OF Engagements Between
Merrir77ac and Monitor

and we know that we have disengaged our
selves from the Cumberland.
The crew on the gun deck cheer and
cheer again. We have crushed in the side
of our adversary as a knife goes through
a cheese. and she is sinking rapidly. Her
crew of gallant heroes fight her to the last
How about Buchanan who has been MAX
ing target of himself? All right! The
men on deck tug away at their guns,
training and rigbting them. Steady! Sol
FIRE. as the officers give the word. Quick
Spongel Load! Firel These are the ex-
CARNATIONS heard all sides as the men
load and fire continuously. 1.-THE muzzle
of my gun has been shot away" mo
matter, do the best you can with her."
keep away from those open ports and
don't lean against the shield. Some men
have been stunned and bleed at the ears.
Take them below to the cockpit. Sims
has the bow rifed gun and Wood the stern
gum which they aim and fire with terrific
effect. Capt Kevil, with his united ar
tillerymen, are doing good service with his
gun. The marines under Capt Thomas
are drawn up just below where Buchanan
stands, ready to board should the order be
passed, and also to fight one of the broad
side guns Was there ever a more fearless
crew and gallant set of officers? The ex-
ertions of the men are superhuman. None
flag. Its fire and cheer. Cheer and fire,
as with unbounded enthusiasm the men
IL
This is a faint picture of what was go
ing on aboard the Merrimac during the
hottest of the fight. During this time we
were a target for the entire fleet and the
shore batteries. In the heat of the fight
we had to look in every direction.
One of our shells blew up a large trans
port steamer and another one sunk tug.
We did most of this damage when we were
winding the snip after ramming the Cum
berland
We had more difficulty in destroying the
Congress than that experienced with the
Cumberland. The havoc wrought by the
Merrimae's shells on that vessel was fear
full The ship ran with blood. Her crew
stood nobly by their guns and continued
to fight until a majority of her officers and
men were killed or wounded, the Merrimac
getting closer and closer all the time as IL
to ram her as we did the Cumberland. The
heroism of her captain and crew was sim
ply sublime
When the Cumberland, after such short
engagement was sent to the bottom, no
one would have criticised Lieut. Smith,
in command, had he surrendered. Did he
do so? No; but instead his crew leaped
into the rigging, gave three defiant cheers
and continued to fight their vessel until
poor Smith was killed with majority of
his crew, his ship on fire in several places,
every guns crew broken up and his ship in
danger every moment of being sent to the
only then did she surrender. White flags
were hosted, and her colors lowered.
gloriously fought ship, manned by gal
liant crew, and how sad to reflect that so
much heroism should have been wasted in
literally a conflict between brother and
brother, instead of being concentrated on
a common enemy This Angelo-Saxon race,
when aroused, is terrible in its wrath.
As the sailors were escaping, swimming
ashore from the Cumberland and Con-
gress, some one suggested to fire on them
with sharp-shell and canister, but Buch-
anan was indignant at the very suggestion.
After the surrender Of the Congress,a num-
Der of officers and men, taking advantage
of the truce, went on deck to get a breath
of fresh air, and take a view of the situa-
ton. In the meantime we had sent a
boat to the Congress to take off the prison.
ers. While in the act of doing this the
two officers in command were shot down
by a fuslade of minnie balls from the
Newport News batteries, notwithstanding
the flag of surrender flying at her mast
head. The batteries then turned their at
tention to our party on the Merrimac's
deck and Admiral Buchanan shot
down. We were then flying flag of truse.
When he was being carried below he gave
orders to clear for action again and to
fire hot shot into the Congress. This was
done and she was soon ablaze.
This caused much delay and though we
turned our attention to the Minnesota and
delivered several broadsides into her, but
it was growing so late that the pilots in
sisted upon our drawing off into deeper
water. So we anchored in the roads, near
Sewalls Point for the night.
During our first days fight we lost two
men in killed and seventeen wounded, two
of our gun muzzles were carried away, but
we never ceased firing them. The damage
to the vessel was wholly immateral. Bar
ring the wounding of intrepid COM
,Aar fa1f wall 6A1 xrrffh
suit. A more gallant commander never
trod the deck of ship. He was without
a peer, and his name must go down to pos
terity coupled with that of Collinwocd,
Stuart, Nelson, Decatur and Farragut Had
not Buchanan been wounded, the next day
he would have forced the Minnesota to sur