The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-10-31
MONEOR-MERR|MAC FIGHT
Some History Revived by an Old
Swede.
WORDEN HELD BY COATTAA
Hams Anderson Tells of the Famous Naval
Battle-Prevented the Admiral From Ex-
posing Himself to Sharpshooters.
From the New York Press.

himself to be, since the death of Adj
miral Worden, the sole survivor of the.
Monitor Merrimac fight. Often has the
hale Old Swetiie told the story how, af
ter Wcrden was injured in the fight, he
prevented the commander from going.
out on the deck of the Monitor where
the sharpshooters of the Merrlmac
would be sure Ito pick him off.
In all ofits bearings the Monitor Mer-
rimac fight is the peculiar glory Of
New York. 1t was here that Ericsson
lived. 1t was up the, river, near New
York. that Worden was born, and there
HIS body now lies. over in Brooklyn,
at Greenpoint, the Monitor was built,
and one of the men employed upon it
wa Anderson's own son-in-law. Near
ly an of the machinery of the Monitor
was made in New York 1t was New
York capital that brought the Monitor
into being. 1t was from this port that
the Monitor steamed away, to reach
Hampton Roads net one minute too.
soon.
Anderson speaks with pride of being a
countryman of Ericsson-indeed, nearly
all the enlisted men of the Monitor were
Swedish Americans. Anderson came to,
America in 1916, and ten years later en-
tered the navy. The last ship on which
he served previous to the fight at Hamp-
ton Roads was the Congress, and this
frigate was one of those destroyed by
the Merrimac before the arrival of the
Monitor. Anderson had received an
honorable discharge from The Congress,
and, despite Z he desire of the offilo-Ts of
that ship, that he should re-enlist fer
the Congress, he came to New York to
volunteer for the little Monitor" as
he affectionately called her. He went to
the naval recruiting rendezvous in Cher
ry street and told the warrant officer
in charge that he wanted to go on the
Monitor When previous service in the
navy was mentioned, all that Ander-
son had to do was to produce his dis
charge papers.
lone day." says Anderson, 'Lieuten-
ant Worden came to the recruiting Of
flee and had the volunteers for the Mont
tor drawn up in line.
"'what is your name?' he asked.
Hans Anderson 1 replied.
"'You served on the Congress? he
asked
Eyes, sir replied. and started TO
show my discharge.
".Never mind he said, don't need
to see that. 1 will make you quarter
master at once
when we left New York on the
Monitor the Battery and Castle Gar
den were crowded with people cheering
and waving flags. We had a stormy
passage, and, the craft being new to
every one on her. there was much diff
ficulty in getting her safely to Hamp-
ton Roads. Lieutenant Worden, l had
been told, was a strict officer in the
navy but on the way down he didn't
act as if he were a stern man. He talk
ed with us whenever we saw him on
deck, and we all loved him and would
have done anything for him and for the
little Monitor.
Before had left the Congress had
had a glimpse of the Merrimac, and was
the only one on board who had seen
her. When she was sighted l was ask
ed If she was the craft we were to fight.
We reached the Roads in the early
morning of Sunday, March 9. About 8
o'clock the battle opened.
Lieutenant Worden was in TIE pilot
house, on the bow of the Monitor This
house was square, built of iron logs.
and just large enough to hold the wheel
and two men besides the commander.
Sits were left between the logs through
which the commander looked to get his
bearings. The house was connected
with the deck below by a ladder, and a
passage to the ward rooms, the quarters
of the officers. From the ward rooms
the passage led through the berth deck,
where the ammunition was kept. From
that deck another hatchway opened up
to the turret where l was. There were
two 11-inch Dahlgren guns in the turret,
and I was loader and sponger for No.
Q gun. The portfolios, through which
the guns were fired, were only foot or
so from the deck and were closed when
the guns were drawn back for loading
by big cast-iron pendulumns. This was
to prevs MT the MerIjmac from fling her
shells into our turrel. and utterly dis
abling us. At the moment when port
hole was open and the gun hauled back
the hole was big enough for man to
crawl through The turrst was hot and
full of smoke, and we worked the guns
in our underclothes.
"The fight had been going on for an
hour or so when shell from the Mer-
rimac struck the pilot house fair on one
Of the chinks through which Worden
was locking. He was not leaning
against the side of the house or he would
probably have been killed, but he was
so near that he was blinded The muz-
zle of the Merrimac's gun was not more
than ten yards from the house and the
splinters of iron and the powder went
full into his face.
Below ship as well as in the turret,
the air was full of gases and smoke.
Blinded. and think maddened, by the
pain, ne wanted to get into the open
air. thinking that there he could get
some relief. The first knew he was
up in the turret, and trying TO clambor
through the open portfolio of my gun
to get out on the deck. Sizzling him
by the coat tail. said:
- (" 'Captain, you're above me, hut 1
can't let you 60 out there. The sharp