The Republican journal., 1908-11-12
A., -,
~ Hampton Roads.
.aon Of the Story of the cumber-
antiI'''',, land and the Merrimac.

If the Story of the Cumber-
r0ntin''' land and the Merrimac.
IoHN 0. JOHNSON OF LIBERTY.
81 raa Manassas, built at New
The '' .s much more formidable
0tes'7' -. Merrimac. In the fight at
sG iii'. ~ about a month after the
Ne7 IN the Monitor and the Mer-
fg5I pew Manassas went the whole
dnat ~ bo Mississippi from New Or
ehg % r,rts Clark and Jackson, and
e3r' " riyer was full of Union gun
tt'as' ,,,oc up against a strong current
bat going down with the tide in
% she did not succeed IN ram
b. rs Of our ships, and when
riH4 ,l,.r she could not go back
3N .rrong current and so they
e In the fight of the rebel
MI ~ ,,4,p with seven small wooden
,-. r. Abermarle Sound May o.
. .- made every effort to ram
81 .a. but did not succeed, and
't ....r fer about an hour turned
Eoanoke river, terribly
81 r would have been sunk had
'' 4. had the proper officer IN
.. t.. stead of letting US go at
Farragut would have
..f had instructions to do in
from Admiral Lee, com
~ North Atlantic Squadron, he
t.r Ms in a line of battle and
.s. IL manner that he had us
-I ather, with the ram be-
IN. ram retired up the Ro-
.a such a crippled condition
..e e0wed herself again, and
...- -u qnd sunk by Lieut.. Cush-
.r.sng October. 1t was the
.,Y .. rebel ram Tennessee at
...u NHie Bay. She didno ram
,--.- III, other hand she was so
--. smaller vessels of Far
.. .la. she was compelled to
-... without doing our fleet much
ran the injury done our
7rHor onto her, and her sur
=: .....5. .ad to the rebel rams.
,..qau to the Merrimac. She was
.-as. tbo formidable monster she
,,,a. H. be, and it was not pos
rr 10 perform such deeds as
..-.. r.on and his cabinet, during
.,..sg -hogght her capable of, and
s-..gl- 4 water would prevent her
-a pr. .rrher up the Potomac than
g..- -u-,oms which she could not
s,-r. IL, "A feet draught Of water
f.. Az -o miles below the city OF
..-.-.. Neither could she have
raeln city under contribution,
fl. asg0 that she could not have
oa-. .eea Her hull was but IL
,a.- alter and the few ports in
as.7at. were but l IL feet above
-H. n g-a.r words, 3 feet above the
-s t- wa,g it was perfectly smooth.
fad .t heavy iron plating on her
gat tr4g, could be nothing buoyant
uae- sa3 ~ use a somewhat profane
-sssor wlen she put her nose into
r.s-a ,t sea off Cape Henry she
.e-ee.r have risen to the top of it
h ou.d have continued to go hell
q. ~u She brought up at the bottom
a4ms.ur That | have taken in re-
lrra criminal negligence of those
4t.rt IL uuI navy in leaving those
l-a1- + gates in an exposed posi-
i'll. ,a.uas yaWOrthiness of the Mer-
u 3@.-1e. the name she was
w the Confederacy) is well
10 b., ummodore Tatnall of the
-Ha. -aHJ who had command OF
G".n when she was destroyed
#o..- May II, 1862, and it is prop
1a'. Nal nu other vessel in the his
+ - rid created such commo-
OIL ST .rt time, and no other bat
al RI. tory Of the world was so
.asgHug ia its results as that be-
e. m Monitor and the Merrimac;
itfa. ba-f.t was not at all decisive in
oaa4cl4r
s'gs "u4 preferred against Com
4~- la. tur the destruction of the
5nm-e w Jefferson Davis, President
'2r -o-- crate States, and he was
5' II naval court martial and ac-
'0rI IL proper to state, in order
ID .fr p alter may be more clearly I'M
A.'- hat the Merrimac when she
"a The Cumberland was under the COM
al 1' Commodore Buchanan of the
'lTl7rate navy, who was wounded in
ID, Engagement and had to be relieved,
" Commodore Tatnall was appointed
.' pace herewith give an abstract
portion Of the plea of Commodore
''s4 giYen in his own defense before
u Members Of that court martial,
-,a Is about as follows:
5 Sasi OH the 18th of last March l was
, w.. 10 the defense of the waters of
sS-1a and to hoist my flag on the
, ,,,T Virginia (Merrimac) l could
~ s'.s} De supposed to be insensible to
,ra E'i u reputation to which became
5 5,'sV from the extraordinary and ex-