Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-12-20

gathered from the field, drove them
back. The boys Of the Thirty-Fifth
have always insisted that not a single
musket shot was heard on the field
after that. Their brigade was the last
to leave the line and the Thirty-Fifth
Ohio came off the field with empty
muskets Chicago Inter Ocean.
The Monitor and the Merrimac.
favorite fiction with Northern writ
ers for the newspapers and school
books is that the Virginia, which they
call the Merrimac, was defeated by the
Monitor in the famous fight in Hamp,
ton Roads, and kept out of her way
afterward Corrections of this persist
ent delusion appear to make no impress
sion.
The critical correspondent, "W. W.
R. replies to this statement as fol
lows:
'NoW, Tatnall did destroy the Merri-
mae, as she drew too much water to
be brought to Richmond, but that he
was eager to engage the Monitor was
shown by his actions on April 8, just
one month after the engagement be-
tween the two vessels. On that day,
with a new smokestack and iron port
shutters (she had none in her engage
ment with the Monitor), the MerrimaG
steamed down within a few miles OF
Fortress Monroe, under whose guns the
Monitor lay, fired shots at her, blew
her whistle, and in every way possible
defed her to come out from under the
guns of that impregnable fort and give
battle. This defiant conduct was con-
tinued for several days, in full view of
several French and English men-Ot-
war, whose yardarms and rigging were
manned in expectation of great fight,
Finally, Tatnall, taking position with
the Merrimac so as to head the Monitor
off in case she came to the rescue, sent
the gunboat Jamestown to the village
of Hampton, a few miles from Fortress
Monroe, and, in full sight of the Mon
itor, captured two vessels loaded with
hay for the United States army and
towed them off, I mean no reflec-
ton on the gallant officer who COM
manded the Monitor when l make this
statement, for, could he have had his
way. the Monitor would have met her
adversary half way. l heard from an
officer some years after the war that
strict orders had come from Washing
ton for the Monitor to remain under
the guns of the fort. And the authori-
ties were wise In twelve months the
United States government had a dozen
Monitors"
The correspondent might have added
that there were other Federal war YES
sells in the Roads besides the Monitor,
and that they hastily weighed anchor
and put to sea, or retired under the
guns of the "impregnable fort' when
the Virginia moved out to challenge
them and the Monitor to another COM
bat. What he says, however, is suffi-
cient. It was not the Confederate ship
that avoided a renewal of the fight
and it is to be presumed that the Fed
eral authorities at Washington would
scarcely have been so careful of the
welfare of the Monitor If they had re-
garded it as a triumphant victory on
the former occasion. The nimble Mon
itor made a gallant fight with her
clumsier, but equally gallant, adver-
sary, and deserves full credit therefor.
1t was certainly not the fault of the
Virginia, however, that she did not
have the opportunity to win further
honors at any time and on any ground
of her own choosing News
and Courier.