The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-12-19

marines under Captain Thorn are
drawn up just below where Buchanan
stands, ready to board should the or
der be passed, and also to fight out of
the broadside guns. Was there ever
a more fearless crew and gallant set
of officers? The eXertions of the men
are superhuman. None flag. It's fire
and cheer, cheer and fire, as with I'M
bounded enthusiasm the men work
away at their places.
This is a faint picture of what was
going on aboard the Merrimac during
the hottest of the fight. During this
fleet and the shore batteries. In the
heat of the fight we had to look in
every direction. One of our shells blew
up large transport steamer and an
other one sunk a tug. We did most of
this damage when we were winding
the ship after ramming the Cumber-
land.
1--WE had more difficulty in destroy
ing the Congress than that experienced
with the Cumberland. The havoc
wrought by the Merrimac's shells on
that vessel was fearful. The ship ran
with blood. Her crew stood nobly by
their guns and continued to fight until
majority of her officers and men
were killed or wounded, the Merrimac
getting closer and closer all the time.
as if to ram her as we did the Cum
! berland. The heroism of her captain
and crew was simply sublime.
when the Cumberland after such a
short engagement, was sent TO the hot
tom, no one would have criticised Lieu
tenant Smith in command, had he sur
rendered. Did he do so? No, but in
stead his crew leaped into the rigging
I wa IL IL
ued to fight their vessel until poor
Smith was killed with a 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 bottom by the Merri-
macs ram. Then, and only then, did
she surrender White flags were hoist
ed, and her colors lowered. A glori-
ously fought ship, manned by a gall
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
anglo-Saxon race, when aroused, is
terrible in it's wrath.
AS the sailors were escaping, swim
ming ashore from the Cumberland and
congress, someone suggested to fire on
them with sharpnel and canister. but
OSSAAeaAloA Was Indignant at the very
suggestion. After the surrender of the
Congress, a number 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 situation. In the
meantime we had sent a boat to the
Congress to take off the prisoners.
While in the act of doing this the two
officers in command were shot down
by a fusilade of minnie balls from the
Newport News batteries, notwithstand-
ing the flag of surrender flying at her
masthead. The batteries then turned
their attention to our party on the
Merrimac's deck and Admiral Blu
chanan was shot down. We were then
flying a flag of truce. 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, though
we turned our attention to The Mime
sofa and delivered several broadsides
into her, but it was growing so late that
the pilots insisted upon our drawing off
into deepe-- water. So we anchored in