Omaha daily bee., 1897-02-27
LAST OF THE MONITOR CREW
Hans Anderson's Recollections Of the Battle
with the Merrimao,
FOLLY OF A FRIGHTENED CAPTAIN
Two Opportunities Lost to Send the
Rebel Ram to the Bottom-
Thrilling Adventures of n
acknowledgements.

In Brooklyn recently and told visitors VINO
crowded around the Monitor booth his rec
objections Of the battle with the Merrlmac
and some incidents OF the first voyage in
Ericsson's ironclad. He is in his I'D year
and is incapacitated for bodily activity, hav-
ing had two broken ribs, a fractured elbow,
an injured ankle and a defective eye to
keep him pretty quiet for some years, but
he is of heavy frame and apparently Wig
orous constitution. He keeps a small gro
Gerry at No. 90 Hall street, in Brooklyn,
where he lives with his family. and, still
sailorlike, bows through the window to the
| good-looking girls of the neighborhood whit
look at and smile at him as they pass.
He says that he remembers, as though 1t
were but yesterday, not only the sea COM
bat, but the departure from New York when
the people ashore, as well as the volunteer
crew in the little Monitor, thought the
probabilities were that none aboard would
ever come back. He had come here from
| Sweden when % years old, in 1S47, and had
! joined the navy in 1856, serving first on the
| 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 at the close OF the
war, his service in the navy extending over
| nine years. On both frigates he had been
4 oh DiuSAit eHN -
Congress just before Christmas, 1861.
THE RIP TO THE ROADS.
Hearing while he was in New York that
the Monitor was almost ready to go to sea,
| Andersen went to the rendezvous in CHERRY
| street and offered himself as one of the
volunteer crew who were to take the new
| ship out. He was accepted. and he remem-
bers distinctly the 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. Tho fears of those on board were
| increased when the Monitor had made only
a short distance by the breaking down OF
her machinery. There was more trouble
further down the coast, when the trouble
| became such that no steam could be MADE
1t was Saturday night when the Monitor
got down off Hampton Roads, and a small
tug steamed out toward her ana asked:
What little thing is that?'
When the answer went out that 1t was
| the United States Monitor, all aboard the
tug cheered, and the tug put back 10 re
| port the arrival of the Monitor TO the
admiral. The Minnesota was aground, and
| the Monitor put in alongside of her, where
she lay until morning. The men aboard
| had had nothing to eat since leaving Brook
Ign, except a bit of salt pork and some
bread, and they could not get any food,
and did not get any, until they were through
with the Merrimac.
1t was in the morning that the Merrimac
was first seen. Andersen was on deck and
looking through a glass, as was the ofticef on
| the deck, down toward Norfolk, when a lot
of black smoke was seen ever a point OF
land. Andersen, on his way up In the frigate
Congress, had seen the Merrimac, and he was
the only one on the Monitor who had. He
told the deck officer, as the boat making
the black smoke came into view, that that
was the Merrimac, and the officer at first
rather secuted the idea, Andersen says. The
officer said: why. she looks like the roof
of a house, Andersen told him that that
was what the Merrimac did look like, as she
was made to ram, and pretty soon the officer
agreed that it must be the rebel ship, anG
he sent Andersen to report to Lieutenant
Worden. The lieutenant came out, and,
after the Merrimac had Unanswered some
and sent a shot at the Monitor, the Monitor
got into shape for action and sent a shot
at her enemy. 1t went high, or, rather, 1t
glanced into the air from the sloping deck
of the Merrimac, Andersen says, and Lieu
tenant Worden ordered the gunners to de-
press the guns and take lower aim. The
second shot, however, Andesen says, was still
too high, and the lieutenant ordered the
gunners to take the elevating screws in their
hands and let the guns come down. The
third shot so aimed went all the way through
the rebel. Just before this, however, one of
the shots from the Merrimac had struck the
Monitor at the pilot-house, and the she'll
exploded just as one OF the protecting bars
of the pilot house broke. Powder flew
everywhere, and Lieutenant Worden's face
was blackened. He started out to the deck
to get some air, on his way going through
the firing turTet. Andersen says that he
grabbed the lieutenant and told him that he
must not go out, as the enemy's sharpshoot-
ers would be sure to pick him off. The
lieutenant consented to remain inside, al
though he was in great pain. .
LOST OPPORTUNITY.
Signals were given to some of the other
ships of the fleet, Andersen says, to come
and take the lieutenant away. This was
done and the Monitor. Andersen relates, was
then in command of a Lieutenant Green,
whom Andersen regards as far from cour-
ageous. Andersen says that although the
Merrimac was done for, that 1t could be seen
as she lay near the northward shore, toward
which she had gone, that there was less OF
her overhang visible above the water, and
that she was sinking, the Monitor, which
was then not far from the roads, turned 10
go away from the scene OF the combat toward
Fortress Monroe. Andersen says that he and
three of his companions in the turret looked
through the p~eephOle and saw what was
going on, and that they Immediately became
indignant at their commanding officer. He
says that he, being an old m~an-of-warsman,
felt that 1t was his duty to speak, and he
told his companions that II they felt as ne
did the commanding officer would be forced
to turn about and go at the Merrimac and
finish her. They agreed with him and wanted
him to be spokesman, He went to the chief
engineer and told him that the men in the
turret wanted him to go to the lieutenant
and have him order the Monitor put about.
The engineer said; You don't want to COM
NIT mutiny, do you" Andersen said that
he did not, but as true as there was a God
above him the men In the turret would force
the Monitor back into action unless the lieu
tenant gave orders to that effect. Andersen
says that the engineer went TO the lieutenant.
who ordered the Monitor turned around and
rang four bells to go ahead at full speed
Then, Andersen says, Green went personally
to the engine room and ordered the speed re-
duced to one bell. The boat was not far
from shore and there was considerable tide
SO much that the Monitor made no Roadway
at all. Meanwhile, he says, the Merrimac
had signaled to the battery on shore to send
assistance to her and he says that the men
In the Monitors turret, looking through the
Merrimac towed down into safety by vessels
sent out from Norfolk.
THE SECOND CHANCE GONE.
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 underclothing.
Through the turret was the only vent from
the Monitor. The sides OF the turret were
SO thick that the men were 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 MerTi-
mac lost her flag, she went down toward
Hog Island, and, after working about there
a little. while the Monitor was waiting 10
see what was going to happen next, she
came toward the union vessel at full speed
with the evident intention OF ramming her.
| Gha uaa hnannH for tha hFnaAgtHa nF tho