The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-08-14
BAT TIE, !. SHIPS 1 II
Then ANDNONI.
Brief History Of The Virginia
Merrinlac and How She Fought
for the South.
SOME OTHER NAVAL FACTS IT'S
IA Modern Dixie That is Sug-
gested The Great Work OF
The Alabama.
a

IN 1Alt1D
Tho wise Light Dragons, Virginia. in
which ii was second Lieutenant not hay
Il ing the complement Of men Y o muster
in The Confederate service was ordered
to be disbanded on the----day Of May,
81 1861. . ssl,
company Of Infantry wa vas s 3 organized
v at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in
q Norfolk county, Virginia, j uly3 q Isl, 1861 },
Il named h. ackson Greys'' and u was elect
D ed captain.
1t was mustered into the Confederate
service on July 18th, 1861 at the custom
4 house, Norfolk, va, and afterwards sent
y Is tort Nelson Portsmouth Harbor..
8 where 1T was drilled lin both small arms
and heavy artillery. The buoy Of LAM an n
bert's Point was the target for our ar.
stillery practice. AK 5Ss
In December, 1861, the company wa "; s
ordered from Fort Nelson to garrison the lf,.
masked batteries at Sewell and Doyle, s
Points. The battery at Doyle Point
mounted four guns, but was never sur-
masked The other battery mounting two
rIfled 32-pounders was in the sand hill
at the extreme end Of Sewell's Point
This hill has recently been levelled 3; TO
u make room for the pavilion at nat point
Y SeweIls Points the site OF the James res
b town Ter- centennial Exposition, on Ialnp-
lion Roads. Va Y, s
The Fort was made by digging out Q
space5in the sand hill, which was plank
n Cd IN and braced on either side with
heavy timbers. The top was made OF
heavy tinibers covered with several lay
ers Sof railroad iron: the two embrasures
Il allowed the guns to range over the cila an
mel or Hampton Roads In the direction
Z Of Fortress Monroe. 54 Ill e
THE armament was two ~ Toalloeri
q rifled guns with strong wrought-iron
w bands shrunk around them at the breech.
.Al Though NO we're bombardod every day
from 10 NJ to 1 O'clock r. NJ. by the Saw
,:c, gun on the Rp-Raps. We were not
+ allowed to reply, which was very annoy
u ing 10 us The Sawyer shells were COW.
cred with lead Most Of them buried
# in The sand without exploding and when
dug out were as bright as siiver. the
only damage which ever occurred. from
81 The shells. up TO March Sth. lsb', was lhe
killing OF two soldiers by an explosion,
caused by attc,SpfinE TO 5unscrcw the cap
Stof shell. ;Sftor waiting and Watching
for months our opportunity came at last,
when we Joined in the great naval pallle
which revoutioniZed marine warfare s
iEremember, on March Sth, 1867, when
the Virginia accompanied by the gum
boats .Beaufort'' and Raleigh" steamed
around Crancy Island. passed in front
Of our battery and turned IN the chan
mel south Of the middle ground, head-
II ing for the mouth of the James River.
The two gunboats stopped at the mouth
4 OF The Elizabeth River TO watch the
movements OF the Federal vessels anchor
cd Off Old Point. l saw the battle opened
by the Virginia" delivering her broad
side into tho Congress, as she passed
+ by to engage the Eumberland. NOW
& our battery went into action, between 2
and 3 clock p. NJ, with the minnesota"
as she was heading for newport Nevs
TO aid the ships in the James, The sec
4 pnd shot we fired struck her mainmast;
md She opened a broadsdc which fell
AT least half d mile short OF our fort; but
she was soon out of our range and
aground Next the Roanoke passed
within our range and we gave her one
shot through her foremast and cut away
shroud on each side of her fore rig
NJ gings Later the Est. Lawrence started
by and our shot struck her under the
fore foot Our guns having longer
range, we could strike these ships when
M OF their hroadsdes fell short Of our
fort; but a Shell from the Sawyer gun
on the Rip-raps entered the embrasure
II lE OF our rlGnl gun ana exploded on inc
breech, wounding First LIEUTENANT Vim
c. Wallace ana PriYates a, b. Cooper
+ and Wm, II Warden. Cooper was MAIN
ed for life and Warden died from me
effects of his wound, The "Ronnoke,
ard ''st Lawrence after receiving on,
fire. terrified at the havoc the virginia.
Ss Nas playing Off Newport News returned
II 10 their anchorage under The guns o.
Fortress Monroe.
Meanwhile the Virginia had sunk tn'
.Cnp,beriapdn, whose crew fought IN
a her last gun was SUBMERGED, and The Am
8 ericanl flag sim flnated from The uhtruu
u ing mast head; the James River fleet liat
appeared on tho scene and Il great bat
BeG lid RACED bet wecn the shorr battcilr
and tie Congress-; and our Cnnfcderat
fleet ,Gnow composed of the Hvirgjuls''
8..Pairick Henry, jamestown" TEAS
err "I3eauforl''. and Raleigh
Tile sight of this great marine bath
q MAS grand anti awful. Tho larnin
smoke WAS floating oyer against The re
evening sks,stiie white puffs from il,
IS biazing nitizzies OF he cannon, lyhic
tiiundefed oser / he Waler, fingered for
# while in tie shroads and rigging OF III
great crafts 0f war bsfpfn drifting o,
on The rnazes Of the evening, must M
pause TO write OF the misnndersiandiil
Iii about Tile white flags now floating ,op,
1 the 'Gnngress'': but therefor, die II
not shot and jNpendidry shell from Il
ports pf the virginia. crushed Ia
her sides. her sailors Jumped INTO Il
* Sea and swain for the shors. and h
III null biazed from every port Row mig
covered Tire face M The waters. the On
xederate aeet had anchored abteasl