The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-08-27
Early Incidents
OF the Civil War.
THE STORY OF THE FR1GATE
CUMBERLAND.
nv CAPTAIN JOHN o. JOHNSON OF
LIBERTY, ME.
[Continued.

II
LIBERTY, ME.
Continued
1t was Ne desire to cOnclllate Virgin
ia. and no the fear of the rebel troops,
that led to this hesitating conduct on
the part of Commodore McCauley ana
his refusal to permit Lieut.. Selfrldge
to 90 down and guard the mouth OF the
Elizabeth river. Indeed, he was pecu-
larlv circumstanced. He was surround
ed on every hand by officers high in
rank in the navy, most of them looked
mo to as the best officers in the service;
and all or nearly all of them rebels at
heart. But this fact was unknown to
the commandant and was not mis-
trusted by him until later. The only
loyal officers at this station at thaC
time were the cOmmandant, commo-
dores, or captains las there was no rank
of commodore in our navy the senior
officer in command of squadron had
that honorary title) Morrison and Fen
dergrast, Lieutenants Selfrldge and Mur-
raw, and Lieutenant OF Marines Hay
wood. But they all knew that Govern
Or Letcher of Virginia, had forolddeh
the pilots of Virginia taking any OF the
r.. s. ships out of the river. The steam
1clgdUG M6IIludN lay AAooASo. wv "o
dock abreast of the Cumberland and on
account of the threatening condition OF
affairs in and around Norfolk and the
navy yard, the Secretary OF the Navy
woke up and sent Commander James
Alden (who was appointed to the navy
from Bath, Mainel to Norfolk Win
instructions to take the Merrlmac out.
She was in good condition, with every
thing on board except her battery. lie
had strict orders to the commandant
from the Secretary of the Navy to turn
the Merrimac over to him and let hlI
make the attempt to take her cut.
Commander Alden offered $1,000 and
position as pilot in the U. 5. Navy tor
life to any man who would take the
ship out 10 Fortress Monroe; but SO
great was the excitement at Norfolk
that no person could he found who
dared to make the attempt, and Com
mander Alden concluded to make the
attempt with the aid of Lleutenants
Selfridge and Murray, two loyal heart,
ed officers from the Cumberland, and
thirty men volunteers from that ship.
Chief Engineer sherwood OF the navy
was ordered to get up steam on the
Merrimac and on Thursday, April IL,
1861. he reported to the commandant
of the yard that steam was up ana the
ship ready to move, with her engines
working finely and everything IN ms
department in splendid condition. But
when Commander Alden called on
Commodore McCauley, and told him
the ship was ready to depart, and only
awaited his perm ssion to do so, the
commodore hesitated, and it is clearly
another instance of, "He who heSltateS
is lost" for had the commandant given
his permission for her to depart prompt
" the chances were hundred to one
in favor of her reaching the outer
waters at Fortress Monroe in safety.
Had this been done, a part OF the his
tory of the War of the Rebellion would
read differently, and some OF the thrill
ling events of that war would never
have taken place. There would have
been no rebel ram Merrimac, and no
fight between the ram and the Monitor.
The gallant old Cumberland would not
have been sunk, taking to the bottom
with her hundreds of the dead and dy-
ing Of her brave crew.
The permission to steam out OF the
yard was withheld by the commandant,
who said he was at loss what to DO
about letting her go and thought that
he might require her services for the
upItUCt VI Uut ydIti liz tooiAt PeAo MI
battery on board and she would be Il
formidable means of defence in case of
an attack on the yard. He thought,
too, that the distractions at the mouth
of the river were of such a nature that
she could not pass them. Was it not
strange that officers high in rank IN the
navy should sit idly by and permit this
blockade of the river to go on under
their very noises, and see this large
fleet of ships caught i'll a trap like
parcel of rats?
In reply to the commandant, Com
mander Alden told him ti!at at his re-
quest Lieutenants Seifridge and Muir
ray OF the Cumberland had made
soundings of the channel that morning
before daylight and found an open
space wide enough to take the ship
through. This seemed to make some
impression upon the commodore; and
then, upon Alden's appealing to him IN
the strongest terms to let him have the
ship, reminding him OF the peremptory
orders from the Secretary OF the Navy
to take the ship out ii possible, Com
modore McCauley turned to Captains
Marston and Pendergrast, who were
present, and asked their advice in rela-
ton to the matter.
w IltH IL NdS uCCluCu olloV nv t'o
take the ship and make an effort to get
her out, Commander Alden, finding
that there were no guns on board the
ship, asked the commandant for two
field pieces and was referred to Com
mander Tucker, the ordinance officer Of
the yard. He was told by that officer
that he could have the guns, but there
were no men to put them on board
All the Workmen of the yard were in
sympathy with the southern cause and
had left off work that morning. The
only reliable men to be had were the
thirty gallant fellows who had volun-
teered from the Cumberland. Com
mander Alden sent word on board that
he would be ready to start in two
hours time. Fully impressed with the
threatening atmosphere Of treason
with which he was surrounded he
knew that whatever he did toward sa-
wing the ship must be done quickly.
He then went in pursuit of the ex-
ecutive officer of the yard and asked
him to have the ship winded at the
dock with her head down stream and
to have her fasts singled. The First
Lieut.. of the yard told him he would
have to see Commander Robb in rela-
ton to that matter, and when he found
that officer he was informed by him
that he could not have the ship and
that the fires had been drawn by order