The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1897-02-11

zzzzZzIlIl from from the Gonfads
SSg45z( crate side, and
3zRlSE his story is both
~ - vivid and accu-
- .--..- III. rate. He SAYS:
ION the morning Of March s, 1869, we
steamed out Of Norfolk harbor to make
our first trial Of strength upon the Fed
eral feet lying in: Hampton Roads. The
day was calm and beautiful, the water
smooth as a mirror, and everything
would have Indicated a quiet pleasure
trip down the bay had it not been that
this, like all other secrets of the Con-
federate government, had been whis-
pered from earsto ear, causing citizens
and: soldiers to crowd the shores on
either side, all anxious to behold the
anticipated battle. Some birds Of ill
omen among them declared that we had
Fcheated the undertaken and the sexton
by entering alive into a huge metallic
burial case. 81. NJ
Is As we neared Hampton Roads and
saw the United States frigates Congress
and Cumberland lying lazily at anchor,
with their boats swinging from their
extended booms and rising and falling
with the ground swell, their rigging
filled with the washed clothes Of their
respective crews and no apparent notice
being taken Of us by either vessel, I was
firmly convinced that the reports which
had reached us that the enemy had
paved the whole channel with torpedoes'
were true, and that they felt SO conf
dent of blowing us out of the water be-
fore we could reach them that they
deemed it a waste of time and trouble
to beat to quarters. There are few of us
who do not wish to rise in the world,
but I frankly confess that the thoughts
of being SO suddenly and forcibly ele-
waited were BY no means agreeable, and
l was still momentarily expecting the
rumbling Of q volcano below me previ.
GUS to its explosion and wondering
where that explosion would land me,
when the heavy booming of the guns
announced that the enemy were awake
and giving us a warm reception.
In q moment or two afterward felt
q kind Of thud like that of a vessel
striking a muddy bottom; then there
was. a crashing Of tim bers, sudden re-
}*versal of the engines, another. start
:ahead, and as we were nearing Newport
News the cry was heard, I'VE have sunk
the Cumberland Looking back, / saw
that vessel rapidly settling in the wa.
ter, and in moment more nothing was
visible but her masts and spars. Retrac-
incy IN rO1rca+ cr,r,,,
]discovered% that the: Congress, in her
effort to escape us, had been run hard
and fast aground. Taking up favor
able position, we began raking her fore
and aft with shot and shell, when, see
ing the utter folly of prolonging the UNI
equal contest, her commander hoisted
| the white flag and hauled down his coll
ors.
| Lieutenant Minor was at once dis
/ patched in the commanders gig ito re-
ceiye his sword, and acouple Of tugs
We're sent alongside of her to remove
her sick, wounded and prisoners But
as they approached her they were fired
upon. both from ship. and shore, and
| Lieutenant Minor was severely wound
ed. Who is responsible for this act / do
not know, but whoever it is is alone
guilty Of the slaughter of the sick and
wounded among his own friends who
were unable to escape from that i'll fat
ed vessel. This act SO enraged Commo-
dore Buchanan that, rushing from the
hurricane deck. he called out to Lieu
! tenant Jones: Sink that d -----d ship!
She is firing on our men after hauling
down her flag He seized a carbine
from the hands of one Of the men and
began discharging it atsthe enemy with
all the recklessness of mailman, and
while thus needlessly exposing himself
he was wounded and landed below = /
Commodore Buchanan asserted in his
official report that the Congress had
struck before he ordered his lieutenant
/ to go aboard Of her and receive the for
| NAL surrender. He also states that the
tugs were fired upon from the Congress,
| On the other hand, Major WalmsIey OF
the Federal army at Newport N Jews says
that he saw a Confed belonging to
the tugs climb aloft On the Congress and
remove her flag, and that a man under
his command shot at him, and heawas
seen to tumble and fall below, flag in
hand. Major w almsley thinks that the
Congress people did not fire upon the
tugs, and that all the shots W ere from
the troops on shore. The firing, he as
serts, was not a wanton act, but was
done to prevent the Confederates from
turning the guns Of the Congress upon
4 the shore bat teries. \ AZ q
Captain hillips continues IN an
hour or two after resuming our fire
/ against the Congress the frigates Min
l@nesota and ST. Lawrence came up and
:Eopened their heavy batteries upon as,
and. as soon as the guns at Fortress
Monroe, Newport News and the Ripraps
Joined in the laundering chorus the ar
4 stillery became So continuon and nm
broken that it resembled the. crash Of
an Alpine avalanche or the roar of Nj
agara more than the cannonade Of bat
tie. With the appro zach Of night both Of
Il the last named vessels hauled Oft toward
4 Fortress Monroe, and we dropped anchor