The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-15
MONITOR AND. MERRIMAC.s
Corrections OF Errors Of Nc Clay's
History. 81. S

y 81 =
The following are extracts from the ar
Battle by George Tucker Brooke, LII.
D., professor Of Common and Statute
Law, West Virginia University OF which
brief editorial notice already has been
made in this paper: !; s.3...
1, i, Is net 4 intended l t. giye ar
mnc and the flve frigates. It may be
stated briefly that the Merrimac ran In
to the Cum bertrand With such impetus
that it is said that II her engines had
not been reversed before the collision,
she would have gone clean through the
been carried to the bottom by the sink
Ing ruins OF her victim. AS 1t was. with
a great wrench. she drew out Of the
wreck but lost her submerged ram. The
Congress- was then pounded into a. help
less condition, took fire and finally blew
up: the other ships fled the Minnesota
ran aground about q mile away where the
Merrimac could not reach her. That days
battle was at an end. The Merrimac did
not return to Norfolk that night but an
chored off sewell's Point. Two Of the
Merrlrnac's guns were struck on the muz-
zlcs, In the closeup fight. and were
broken OF rly half way up. Midship-
man Marmaduke, who commanded one Of
these guns. was wounded by the shower
az pieces Of iron from the shivered gun
When Lieutenant Catesby ap oRger Jones
took the Alerrimac into battle the next
day with the Monitor, Captain Buchanan
having been wounded In the previous
days battle, she was disabled at least to
the extent OF having two of her guns
broken and by the loss Of that formi-
dable submerged ram which had crashed
into the side Of the Cumberland and sum-
her In a few minutes. Whether the re-
suit Of the fight with the Monitor would
- al n Aray hn Al
mac had not had two Of her. guns brok-
en- and lost her ram III the previous
days fight, this writer does not pretend
to say. When the two iron-clads had
pounded each other for three or four
hours, sometimes 80 close together that
drew out Of the fight Into shallow water,
Into which the Merrlmac could not fol-
low her. and the battle was at an end.
the NIerrimac remaining IN possession OF
the field. The Monitor returned to For
tress Monroe and the Merrimac after
waiting an hour, returned to Nortolk.E
The Monitor persisted off Cape Hat
teras1 and the claim Of her crew for prize
money. on the ground that she had de-
feated the Virginia, was denied by Con-
gress. as tile facts clearly proved that SO
far from this being true she had been
thoroughly defeated by the Virginia.
Jones' School History Of the United States
.. sess. This would seem to be conclusive
Of the question as to which was vctori!
oils In that battle, MIR, Maclay argues
hard to prove that the Merrimao was de-
feated by the Monitor. but he forgets to
remember this Important action Of Con-
gress. u
certain "hlstories,' especially the school
I,historiesn make It appear tia. The Mon!-
tor drove the Merrlmao away, fli.
THE POUNDING OF TIKI AlERRlMAG,
f It Is honor enough for the Monitor to
have stood for three or follT hours the
pounding that she received, without
claiming for her an honor 70 whloh She
rmao '' returned to Norfolk Of course the
writer visited her to see his nidshlpnlal1
comrades who had been III the fight,
According to his recollection her most
Serious ida Inage was tho loss % her prov,
In the FIRST days fight with the lnen-'l,
war, That she was IN the 'leaKy ntu
Used up condition which certain nfrthell1
writer's; who never saw her, hays: hoisa1
}toHreprese,it' Certainly Is not true, She
went into the dry dock at the llayy-yard
to replace her submerged Prov ana ior
ether repairs, It soon became 3yl1dorsi nod
that as soon as she was repat-e1 she
attack the Monitor, orSaHythlngg else that
had the courage I'd stand up against
her,
q "A plan was NOW formed TO capture the
Monitor, That plan was to board her
chock her revolving tprret and throw
canvass over her top the only source
from which the men on ire inside got,
light and air. Several little river tug
boats We're to carry tho boarding par.
ties
These little boats had one gun put oil
each Of tt1ene (there was no room for
more), and wers each IN command Of a.
naval lieutenant who Had Under him Two
tmidstpmen and ia suttloIent crew. This
ii Tia .l7o pslihds. .aolla iron shots from!