The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-13
THE GREAT BATTLE
OF THE |R0KCLADS
Some Alleged Errors in the
Communication OF DR.. j. VIII
liam Jones Corrected.
The VIRGINIA NOT scUTTLED
Credit for the Round Tower, o,
Turrct--Number of Vessels
Captured.
inn CHARLES sIIEnIrr M.ptIcE.,

EiDN CHARLES SHERIFF MAUltICE.y
N DIR. j. William Jones, in an excellent
terticle describing the battle between
tths Virginia and the Monitor in Hamp-
ton Roads, in issue of September 10Th.
lsuys:
b Il should hesitate to take. so much
or your valuable space, but that 1
DEAN 1t OF great Importance to give
our youth the real facts concerning
the first great battle between IRON
clads. j. WM. JONES.
"lichmcnd. Va, Sept. Il. 1901"
b 1 agree with DR.. Jones that all his
tory. whether of church, state or war.
should be accurate, 80 that it would
mot mlsIead the youth OF our beloved
South. and 20 that end am induced
to correct some of the inaccuracies In
nr. Jones's article. I think that credit
should be given where credit is dus.
DR. JonesIs article Is u good one; par
giculariy where t: describes the combat
In Hampton Roads.
The first error Is where It states
that the Federal "scutt!ed" the Mer-
Ttnlnc. The fact is that the Merrimac
lay at the wharf In the Gosport navy
yard. tied up and out OF commission.
When the yard Was evacuated the Fed
eral officer in charge, not having the
men, etc. to move her, ordered her TO
be set on fire. Tie order was carried
out and she burned TO the waters
edge and sank at the wharf. She used
mast, spars and sails, as well as steam.
and when L saw her. some days after
the evacuation, there was no yestige
of her mast, etc.. remaining. The
flames had destroyed everything within
its reach. The boilers and engines OF
the Merrimac were very low powered,
and were used mainly as auxiliaries to
her sails.
Credit to Vis Credit Due.
Next, the article gives credit to Cap
tain Ericsson, Swede, for the inyen-
ton Of a turrat, or cheese box" ar
rangement of naval battleship. The
credit of the turret. or round tower, In
naval warfare belongs 10 Cowper Coles
IN Englislman, and was projected
some two years before Ericsson came
to American. The Monitor used for the
first time Q longitudinal shaft with
screw propeller, which invention be-
longs TO Captain Ericsson, and has
been used for many years on the canal
boats which are named after the in-
ventor THE Ericsson Line" They ply
between Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Again, he gives the credit of IRON
cladding ships to Capt. John N. Brooke.
The plan to ironclad wooden Ships was
invented twenty years before the Civil
War by two naval officers resident in
Norfolk. The Idea was carried out in
the United states steamship Princeton.
She had an iron deck, beginning two
or three feet below the water line
and cambering over the ship; with re-
turn below the water line on the OPP
posite side. to protect her machinery
and magazines. She was usedsin battle
in the Mexican War at the lombard
nient of Vera Cruz and the castle of
San Juan De IIlloa. It was on board
of this ship in the Potomac river, that
the "Peacemaker' burst. killing Sec
retarles Gardiner and Upshur. Presi-
dent Tyler married GARDENERS daughter.
and she became the first lady in the
land" and livod In Charles City coun-
4 T. q ana died 'A'n's' !" Fort Richmond
The Princeton had a perpendicular
shaft, that could bo raised or low
cred at WILL and relied largely on
her sails.
The Princeton was under fire at
Vera Cruz about twelve years be-
fore the Civil War, say, about 1S47 OF
1s4s. All the Confederate naval yes
sels both on the Atlantic coast and on
the Mississippi, We're unfortunate In
being too low powered Their boilers
und engines We're mainly taken from
pther steamboats,. m
Had the ladies succeeded In finishing
their ironclad at New Orleans, she
would have been ofllittle or no service,
90 her boilers and engines were not
powerful enough TO have stemmed the
strong current In the river.
The VESSEL Captured.
Another error Is In the number of
vessels captured. DR.. Jones does not
slain enough vessels captured. The
Jamestown captured two briggs and one
schooner They were all loaued with
hay. The Jamestown tackled on to
them, drew down the Stars and Stripes
and ran up the Confederate flag above
the Federal, and steamed With all
three in tow up to- Norfolk,
Quite number Of the prisoners
taken afterward entered the service
Of the Confederate States. e
There are number of men still
living In Manchester who. saw the
hghtSnnd one Of them, Mr., H. 3. HoWle.
who was on the medical staff Of the
Jamestown, was present during the
battle. "a .S
Manchester, Oct. 2, 1907
i -----------A-----
MALVERN HILL.