The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1903-03-25
SINKING OF The MERR|nAG.
The Many Inaccurate Statements
Regarding This Famous Naval
Battle.
Montgomery. Ala, Advertiser.

which have appeared in northern
books, papers and magazines about
the battle between the Monitor and
the Virginia, or "Merrimac, - as she
is generally known. Some of these
have been inspired by hate, and some
by ignorance, while pension money
to those aboard the Monitor has
doubtless had much to do with it.
The greater the deeds performed On
that vessel, the greater the pension
money, mon especially to one whose eyes
were DANCED while in the turret dur.
ing the fight. This latter claim OF
damage done by and to the widely
known officer in question is matter
of record.
One OF the greatest misstatements
about this matter that has recently
appeared was an Associated Press dis
patch from New York which appeared
in great many papers, the Advertiser
included.
The statement in question is found
in the notice of the death Of a certain
| Claude de Lorraine, of whom it is
said he 'twas chief engineer OF the
Monitor when that vessel sank the
Merrimac during the civil war" So
at last the teachings of northern MS
tories, especially school hisories, have
borne fruit-the "Monitor sank the
Merrimac!" Mirabile dictu, wouldn't
there have been "great oodles'' OF
prize money for those aboard the Mon
itor if it had only been known sooner
that the Monitor sank the Merri
mac?'' Oh, but wouldn't there
though? 1t is pitiable to think OF
those poor fellows on the Monitor
going to their graves with nothing
but pension money, whereas they
might have had great chests full OF
prize money as we'll, for sinking"
that terrible Merrimac Virginia.
To read accounts emanating from
certin section, one might fancy that
the Virginia usually known still as
the Merrimac) was destroyed, by the
Monitor, but was such the case? 1t
was after the sinking of the Cumber-
land by the Virginia and the destruc-
| tion of the Congress, which after run
| ming mp two white flags to half-mast
as a token of surrender, after recelv-
ing the terrible fire of the Virginia,
fred upon boats sent to her, and scat
terine CONSERVATION on all sides
among the federals, that the battle
between her and the Monitor took
place. To describe it as an undecided
battle may be correct, but be 1t re-
membere,d by the boys OF the south
that it was the Monitor which hrst
withdrew, in the ending OF that pat
| tie, getting into shallow water where
the Virginia could not follow, and
that the Virginia did not retire until
after the Monitor had done so, and
then slowly, after failing to coax the
Monitor again to combat. There was
some damage done to the guns OF the
Virginia, but the records show that
this was done during her previous
combat with the vessels of the federal
feet. and not with the Monitor. 1t
was wooden vessel of the federal deet
which did that damage. and not the
iron-clad.
| Another fact which one is not apt to
find in northern histories is that after
this combat the Virginia stood forth
for several days challenging the Monl-
tor to another trial OF strength--Whlcn
the latter did not accept, and never
did accept. She seemed to ind the
guns of Fortress Monrce, under which
She took refuge, much E,o-e pleasant
companions than those On Sae VIZ
ginia, so she stayed out there. II the
| Virginia was SO badly injured, why
did not the Monitor follow up the
work when she had such excellent op--
protunities? Those in command found
that it was much easier to claim"
than to demonstrate.
The Virginia at later date was
blown up, but it was done by Confed-
crate hands to prevent her firm becom-
ing trophy of war. No alien hand
took part in her destruction. Anyone
desiring fuller information upon these
matters will find the document In
s1The Confederate States Navy" by
J. T. Scharf, and also something
about the evacuation of Richmond,
and the blowing up of the confederate
vessels, in Admiral Semme's thrilling
book, "Memoirs Of Service Ahoat "
There have really been three sink
ings of the Merrimac. y The hrst was
the sinking of the war vessel of that
name by the federals to keep her from
falling into the hands of the confeder-
ates. These latter gentlemen, who by
the way were very enterprlslng ana
industrious, and have about revolu-
tionized modern naval warfare in Civ
: ing iron-clads, torpedoes in their
present efficiency and submarine boats
to the world, did raise the Merrimac,
remodeled her and gave her the name
Virginia, though the old name is best
known. The second "sinking of the
Merrimac'' was done by them. The
third sinking of the Meerimac was
done at Santiago, Cuba, in recent
years, by Alapama's splendid and
chivalric son, Richmond P. Hobson.
1t is significant Of reunited coun-
try that in the new warship Alabama,
, now in Alabama waters, will be found
combined the form of armor in both
the Virginia and the Monitor. Any
. one observing the picture of the vessel
will see there carried out the idea of
the defensive armor found upon the
Virginia and also the turets of the
Monitor type Of vessel. Each was