River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-06-27
MERRIMAC RAINING THE
CUMBERLAND.

CUMBERLAND.
the work, and undo, his regime of re.
search and investigation most graft.
flying progress was made.
No history of the civil war, and no
history of the war with Spain, could be
complete or just without the stories
of the brilliant exploits and heroic
daring of the navy. During the civil
war, on both sides, genius and cour-
age were displayed which must ever
rebound to the glory of American
arms. The inspirations of tn one
were born of the necessities or the
other. The Monitor was begotten OF
the Merrimac. And from that result
in an hour, the terrible armadas of
Europe incumbered the seas as mere
wooden merchantmen.
There were indeed many features in
the operations of the navies in that
war so unique and important as to
astound and startle the old world. A
glance at contemporaneou European
publications shows how profound a
sensation was created by the combat
between the Monitor and the Merri
mac. England, until then the beast
ed mistress of the seas, and France
and Spain, and all the rest who could,
fastened to build and equip vessels
on the Yankee plan. 1t was the only
war in which ironclads, rams. rifed
ordnance and torpedoes had been en-
MI IN ~. IL
had been kept up extending over thou
sands of miles of coast. In no war of
modern times had naval operations
been so extensively carried on, or with
the achievement of so stupendous re-
suits.
At the outbreak of the war the
union had navy. The south had
none, not even shop in which the
simplest marine engine could be
built Yet so great were the earn
estness, the courage and the ingenuity
of her people that the reyerberation
OF her guns afioat, the prows of her
rams, the wrecks caused by her tor
pedoes made indelible her claim to
have been conspicuous in the reyo-
lutionizing and rebuilding of the
nayies of the world.
The naval war records will give
to history all of these facts, in de-
tail, with copies of official orders is
sued, as well as with statements of
deeds accomplished. The work done
by the navy in our recent war will
also be portrayed officially, and then
we will know all of the reasons which
actuated the admirals and their eff
ficient captains, and the men behind
the guns. We are to be told all about
the wise and swift work done to pre-
pare ammunition and supplies for
the war which we did not want, tried
to avoid, and were compelled to I'M
dertake, because of the inhumanity
of man to man, eliminating in the
destruction of our battleship and the
assassination of our sailors in a sup
posedly friendly harbor, in time of
profound peace with all the world
The naval war records show many
facts concerning which casual read
ers are not informed. particularly an
to the work of the federal army dur
ing the civil war. Grants army was
aided in manner not generally
chronieled by the gunboats at Fort
Donelson, Pittsburgh Landing and
Vicksburg. Mcclellan could not
have saved his army at Harrison's
Landing but for the gunboats. Two
years later, on the same river. Grant
maintained his army on both banks
of the James by aid of gunboats, in
violation of the Napoleonic axiom:
NO army can be maintained on
both sides of a river" But Napoleon
knew nothing of ironclad gunboats.
The naval war records will show
that Grants greatest campaign, re-
sulting in the capture of Vicksburg.
was planned with complete reliance
upon the Mississippi fleet. We are
all proud of our navy; but up to
date we have had more army his
tory than navy history, an unfair
ness which is being corrected none
too soon. SMITH D. FRY.