Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-07-03

transport steamer was blown up.
schooner was sunk and another cap'uica'
We had 70 leave without mah'Hs
rsous attack Oh the Minnesota, thouen
we fred al her as we passed on tne oene.
eido OF the middle ground ana a'so
the st. Lawrence. % Inc iat.e, s' g.,
ared AT us. by broadsdes-Dot bad pan
for email calibrss against ironeiaas, u
concentrated. IL was too dark 10 ann
we'll. W.. anchored of our batteries ~
sexell's Point. The squadron followed.
The Congress % continued TO purh,
"sba illuminated the heavens and Varie'
the scene by the firing OF her own suno
and the flight OF her balls thiousn '"o
air" until shortly after midnight. "nen
her magazine exploded, and q column VI
burnIng matter appeared high In the ar,
IN he followed by the stiffness OF ceatn'
Extract from report OF Generai nans
| field, United States army one Vi
pilots CHANGED, about IL L. NJ 10 DC io -.A
| ing in the direction OF the consiSSs,
| yvhen there passed stronge-iooAihs
49,. hrnught out in bold relief by the
| brilliant light Of the burning ship, which
he AT once proclaimed TO be the Monitor.
| we were. therefore, not surprised III ,he
| morning TO see the Monitor at ahcnor
near the Minnesota. The latter snip was
| stiI aground. Some delay occurred from
| scnd,ng our wounded out of the SNIP
we had but one serviceaDle boat p re-.
| Admiral Buchanan was landed at SEVEN
| Point. =. d,a
AtsA. NJ. we got under way, as oiu
.bo patrick Henry, jamestown, ana lea
ser. We stood toward the Minnesota anu
onened fire on her. The pilots were 10
have placed us half mile from her' Du'
we were not at any time nearer 'n a.i,,e,
mile The Monitor 90 commenced III,
when about third OF mile distant
soon approached, and were oiteh "lehl-
!, ebin's length; once while passing We
al a hroadside at her only a few yards
distant. She AMI her turret appeared ~
no under perfect control. Her nght
droueht enabled her to move about US al
Measure. She once took position Tor
ehor, tiroe where we could not bring
qun 70 hear on her. Another OF hei
noovements caused us great anxiety she
made for our rudder and propeller, Dom
of which could have been easily disapIeu'
We could only see her guns Wheh my
were discharged; Immediately aller 'he
turret revolved rapidly, and the gums
were not again seen unul lheJ We
again fired. We wondered how proper
aim could be taken in the very snort tiiie
the guns were in sight. Ihe virginia
boIyever. was a large target, ana gene
rally so near that the Monitor shol GU
mt often miss 1t did not appear 10 Us
tbot orr shells had any effect upon the
Monitor. We had no solid shot. Mul
kerry was fired at the lookout holes' III
spite of all the care Of our pilots we ran
ashore. where we remained over hlIeeH
minutes The Patrick Henry ana James
town. with great risk 10 thenselVes'
started TO our assistance. Inc hohl'Vi
ond Minnesota were in full play on us.
A small rifle gun on board the M,iiheSo'''
or ON the steamer alongside OF her, was
fred with remarkable precision.
when we saw that our fire made no
immersion on the Monitor we deter
mined TO run into her, If possible. We
found IL a very difficult feat to do.
Our great length and draught, In
comnaratiyely narrow channel, with
hut little water to spare, made us
sluggish in our movements ana nara
70 steer and turn. When the oppor-
tunity presented all steam was put ON;
there was not, however, sufflclent ume
70 gather full Roadway before striking.
The blow was given with the broad
wooden stem. the iron prov having been
lost the day before. The Monitor received
the blow i'm such a manner as TO
weaken its effect, and the damage to her
was trifiing Shortly after an alarming
leak in the bows was reported. 1t, how
ever did not long continue
While contendng with the Monitor, we
received the fire Of the Minnesota, Q0)
which we never failed to return whenever
our guns could be brought to bear. We
set her on fire and did her serious injury,
though much less than we then supposed.
Generally, the distance was too great for
effective firing. We blew up steamer
alongside Of her.
The fight had continued over three
hours. To us the Monitor appeared I'M
harmed. We were. therefore surprised
TO see her run off into shoal water, where
our great draught would not permit us TO
follow, and where our shell could not
reach her. The loss of our Prov and an
Choir and consumption Of coal, water, ETC.,
had lightened us so that the lower part
Of the forward end OF the shield was
9waSh.
we for some time awaited the return
of the Monitor to the Roads. After con-
sultaton it was decided that we should
proceed to the navy-yard, in order that
the vessel should be brought down in the
water and completed. The pilots said II
we did not then leave that we could not
pass the bar until noon the next day.
We, therefore. at IL NJ, quit the Roads
and stood for Norfolk. Had there been
anv sign of the Monitors willingness 10
renew the contest, We would have re-
NAMED 10 fight her. We left her in the
shoal water. 10 which she had withdrawn,
and which she did not leave until after
we had crossed the bar on our way to
Norfolk.
The official report says: "Our loss Is
two killed and nineteen wounded. The
stem Is twisted and the ship leaks; we
have lost the PROV starboard anchor.
and all the boats; the armor is somewhat
damaged. the steam-pipe and smoke
stack both riddled, the muzzles Of the
two guns shot away; the colors were
hoisted TO the smOkestack aud several
times cut down from it," None were
killed or wounded In the fight with the
Monitor. The only damage she did was
to the armor. She fired forty-one shots.
We We're enabled to receive most OF them
obliquely. The effect Of a shot striking
oblicuely on the shield was to break all
the iron, and sometimes to displace
several feet of the outside course; the
wooden backing would not be broken
through. When q shot struck directly
at right angles. the wood would also
be broken through, but not displaced
Generally the shot were much scat
tered; in three instances two or more
struck near the same place, in each
case causing more of the iron to be
displaced and the wood to bulge inside
A few struck near the water line. The
shield was never pierced, though 1t was
evident that two shots striking in the
same place would have made large hole
through everything.
The ship was docked, n PROV OF steel
and wrought iron put or, and course
of two-ineh iron on the hun below the