The National tribune., 1907-08-15

in several places. 1t looked very much
| as If the Minnesota were doomed to de-
structi5n that night. The st. Lawrence
was gotten off the shoal. and by the
aid of "a tugboat brought to within a
| half mile, Of the Minnesota. where she
again grounded, but used her guns to
good eRecto in driving Off the vicious
little gpnSoats BY this time it was I
o'clock rim the evening, night was COM
ing onn. the tide was running out. and
the pilbts refused 20 answer for the
Merrimac, unless she was Immediately
taken back over the bar. which was
done, and she anchored at Sewelrs
Point with, the intention of completing
her work Of destruction as soon as day
light and high water came in the
morning.
i io- The Nnvy's Worst Dny.
j March 8. 1862, was the most d!sas-
trous and least creditable of any day
in the history of the American Navy.
We had lost two magnificent sailing
frigates with their crews and guns. Out
of 434 men on the Congress 130 were
killed or drowned. including her
commander. a large number wounded
and 80 taken prisoners. The Cum
berland had crew Of 376. of
whom 120 were killed or drowned.
and a large number of those who
escaped to the shore were wounded.
We had lost also more than 100 splendid
ship guns. The loss on the Merrimac
and her consOrts was only 81 killed or
lwounded. Tho she had been pounded
for hours by any number of great guns.
she was materially uninjured. Every
thing outside of her armor had been
shot away; Flagstaff. stanchions. railings.
| dav!tS, steam pipes, SmokeStack, and
boats had disappeared under the ter
rifle storm of missiles which rebounded
otherwise harmlessly from her iron
roof.
| The Panic in Hampton Roads.
| There was the widest panic among
the shipping which had been collected
around Fort Monroe. and 1t extended
even to the commanders of the land
| forces. The terrific work which the
Merrimac had done in the few hours
was only an earnest of what she would
do next day when she would have still
less to encounter than she had the day
| before. Nightfall showed everything
af1Oat that could get away scuttling for
| the open sea. The commanders of the
| frigates were holding councils as to the
probable destruction of their vessels in
the morning If no help came, and on
the land the forces at Newport News
were preparing to retreat to avoid be-
ing cut off from Fort Monroe, which
was to be held to the last extremity,
no matter what happened.
There was panic elsewhere. The
news of the Merrimac's terrible
achievements was flashed along the
seaboard. and from Baltimore to Bos-
| ton there was shiver of terror as to
what the monster would do when she
emerged from the Roads and came into
the open sea and proceeded to lay one
seaport after another under contribu-
| ton. The President called a special
! fsrrrr rNf (Nnt
| ing to Secretary Welles. even Secretary
Stanton was shaken with direst appre-
| tensions. Some time was lost in mu-
tual ordinations between the Secre-
taries of Navy and War, and Stanton
expressed lively fear that the Merri-
mac wouldf asceUd the Potomac and
shell Washington. Secretary .Welles
said that, the Merrimac could not be in
more places than one at one time, and
he felt confident that the Navy would
gather fself together and take care of
her. Stanton refused to be comforted
and ordered some hulks loaded with
stones to be sent down. the river and
sunk in the narrowest part of the cham
nel where it passes over Occoquan bar.
1t was also suggested that the splendid
| frigate st. Lawrence should be sunk
| across the channel to prevent egress of
the Merrimac.
The Monitor Enters Upon the Scene.
At 4 O'clock of the Afternoon of March
the Monitor had rounded Cape Henry
and entered, at last. the smooth waters
Of tie Chesapeake, where she heard in
the lHstance the. heavy booming. of the
j guns. Here the WORKOUT crew had
hoped to find rest after their long. per-
lilouS, exhausting battle with the waves
IF the sea and the sitting gases of their
,ramped little ship. The baleful glare
Of the burning Cumberland was the
beacon which was to light them thru
greater. Derils and hardships to the pin
nacle of lasting glory. The pilot of one
of the vessels scurrying to the open sea
Informed them of the direful happen
inSs of the day, and man of less bold
| temper than Lieut.. Worden would have
felt amply justified in seeking a safe
refuge for his new and untried vessel
and his exhausted crew. His course
was. however. in striking contrast 20
that of his brother officers on-the ships
| n the Pay, as well as to that of the
commanders in the Army of the Poto-
mac. This was one of those times
which are the touchstone of true hero
ism, and Worden was found pure gold.
1t is only rarely, afloat or on land, that
men of the mettle of Worden are found,
ana his course that night and the next
morning placed him in the class with
Hancock. Sheridan, Lyon, Sherman aHi
Thomas. all men whose courage rose
higher the greater the danger. and who
had that exalted intrepidity which
From the nettle Danger plucked the
flower Safety"
To the Rexcue of the Minnesota.
Tho some of the officers and many
of the men on the Monitor were So
prostrated that they had intended to
take to their beds as soon as they en-
tered smooth water. and looked forward
10 weeks of disa ablcment, yet the thun-
der Of the guns and the sulphur in the
air put new life and resolution into
hem. They keyed up the turret. cleared
the ship for action. and at o'clock
reached Fort Monroe. where they had
presented to them a spectacle of terri.
BILE Specification, which is thus described
by Gen. R. T.. Coston, G. S. A.:
THE moon in her second quarter was
just rising over the waters, but hel
| ;ilvery light was soon paled by the con-
hagration Of the Congress- whose glars
was reflected in the river. The burning
frigate. four miles away, seemed much
nearer. AS the flames crept up the rig.
ging. every mast. spar. and rope gilt
tered against the dark sky with daz.
zling lines of fire. The hull was plank
visible. and upon its dark surface the
mouth of each portfolio seemed tine
mouth of fiery furnace. For hours
the flames rapad with hardly n narcap-