Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1898-01-19

ADMIRAL woRDEN. to Hampden Roads,
Just before he reached there on
March 8, 1862, the Confederate ram
Merrimac had come down from Nor
folk and sunk two Union vessels, the
Congress and Cumberland. Worden
anchored alongside of the Minnesota,
then aground. Early on the morning
of March 8 the Merrimac reappeared
and prepared to attack the Minnesota.
When the ram was within a mile Of the
ship the Monitor steamed out She was
received by a broadside, but all the
shots glanced off. The Monitor on the
contrary made every shot tell, although
firing deliberately at intervals of seven
minutes. The duel continued over two
hours, when the Merrimac tried to ram
the Monitor. Worden avoided the blow
by maneuvering so that II glanced off.
The Monitor had orders not to use
more than 15-pound charges in her IL
inch guns, as the latter were considered
too weak for more. Her shot, there
fore, failed to pierce the heavy armor
of the Merrimac. AT II 80 a. m. shell
exploded on the pilot house of the Mon
itor while Worden was looking through
the slit. The powder and flame made
him blind and helpless. Lieut.. Greene,
the second in command, continued the
action, but the Merrimac soon with
drew to Norfolk. 1t was a drawn bat
tie, but the Merrimac was prevented
from destroying the Union fleet, and
other cities, as had been expected.
Twice Congress voted Lieut.. Worden
votes of thanks, and he was promoted
to the rank of commander.
Recovering somewhat from the eff
fects of his injuries, Capt. Worden was
placed in charge of the construction
of ironclads in New York harbor and re-
manned there until Oct. s, 1862, when
he took command of the newly COM
pleted monitor Montauk and joined the
squadron operating on the coast of
South Carolina and Georgia. Here he
had the satisfaction of destroying a ia
nous blockade runner that had been
turned into Confederate cruiser under
the name of Nashville. The Nashville
was lying in the Ogeechee river, and
she was protected by fort (McAllister)
and a formidable line of torpedoes
across the river. Late in the afternoon
of Feb. 81, 1868, Capt. Worden saw
that the Nashville had steam up and
was in trouble, and after making a fur
Their examination, learned that she had
grounded in the mud about 1000 yards
above the fort. An attack might have
been made that night, but Capt. Wor-
den saw that from the run of the tide
that the Nashville would be still
aground at daylight, and so 'piped
down" for the night. But with the first
peep of dawn he was after her.
Running his ship directly under the
guns of the Confederate fort he opened
fire on the Nashville, and wholly 'g-
| nored the fire he received from the fort
| in return. Four shots from the Mon
tauks guns We're fired to get in range,
and then the huge round shells. huge
for that day. began to drop into the
| Nashville's hull. The first shot that
struck her pierced the deck near the
| foremost at 1927 o'clock. and twenty
| minutes later 1--WE discovered small
whitish- gray smoke coming out of her
| fore-hatch." The Nashville was on fire.
Six minutes later hot flames We're
bursting from the ragged deck. A fog
| came to shut out the view Of the gun
/ ners. but the fire was continued, "Wor-
| denis mathematics taking the place of
| eyesight." When the fog lifted again
no more firing was necessary. Fourteen
Shots from the Montauk had fired her
| beyond salvation, and at 9:35 she blew
up. Meantime the fort had rained solid
shot from six to ten inches in diameter
| on the ironclad, but with no more effect
! than hail has on a tin roof.