The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-06-14

i Ss.csBS
/ g. rop1,s6ur1
/ 81 rS 1855 70
/ protection of Fortress Monroe. Taking
4 a position at the stern OF the Congress,
! the Patrick Henry and other wooden
/ ships opened upon her. From the great
(! draft of the Virginia She could not do
/ her much damage, ana 1t was not long
before the Congress displayed white
/ flag, and our firing ceased. Commodore
/ Buchanan sent Lieutenant Minor with
one of the smaller gunboats, to re-
| move the wounded and prisoners and
burn her, and while on this mission a
battery OF artillery appeared on shore
| about 400 yards distant and opened
| fire; and although Lieutenant Fender
grass, commanding the Congress..the
captain having been killed--hsd sur
rendered his ship and given up lis
sword. yet when this battery opened
] he went back for the ostensible pur-
| pose of removing the wounded, and
instead opened lire with musketry upon
the Beaufort, in which fire Lieutenant
| Taylor OF the Beaufort, and inidship-
! man Hutter, of the Raleigh We're
killed, and NIidshipman Newton and
Lieutenant Minor and several men
wounded. Buchanan, disguised with
the treachery of the officers OF the
Congress, ordered the Patrick Henry
to go in and destroy her. In this work
the other wooden ships assisted. The
Patrick Henry. in furtherance Of or
ders found herself in between the fire
1 OF the lower Newport News battery,
on her port quarter, this artillery COM
i pany on her port beam. the Congress
Z on her port bow, and the Minnesota
on her starboard bow--cannon in front,
cannon behind cannon to the right,
and cannon to the left. In this still
alton a shot from the artillery COM
pany entered her port steam chest, and
In a second the whole forward part or
the ship was enveloped in scaldins
steam; but our men stood to their guns,
and gave back shot for shot until cap
tain Barney. of the jamestown, gave
/. US a line and lowed us out OF action.
Every man in the iireroom was scalded
to death: the engineers escaped, put
the fremen and coal-heaVers perlsheu,
and many a man and officer carried
: the effects of scalds, as they stood the
e burning steam in firing their guns
t The Patrick Henry was not long OUT
: of action Disconnecting her engines
n she returned to the fight with one en-
}, CINE, and the Congress then being on
: fire, she gave, with the other Vessels
3 Minnesota. Night coming on, the Con
4 | federate fleet anchored Oft the sewers
o Point battery, the place where the
, jamestown Exposition was lately held.
( We lay all night at our guns, having
: coffee and bareback served to the crew.
The result of this days fight was as
follows: On the United States sioop
!. lCumberland-killed and drowned, II :
on the Congress--killed, 100, wounded,
! pta-
/ cd 90. On tho Confederate side less
| than twenty were killed and wounded,
| and the greater part of the killed were
| IL, tho fireroom of the Patrick Henry.
| Tie Congress presented heautllul
| sight as she burned during the night
AS her guns became heated they We're
| discharged like signal guns of ship
! In distress on a lee shore in gaze.
] Step by step the fire mounted unui
we had topsails. topgallant and royal
! soas .,f fire instead of canvas. 1t was
! beautiful sight. and ended when the
I, fire reached the magazine ana she wa
d blown into atoms
d Now let us take n view OF what
q was going on in the United States
e While we slept at our guns. the wires
: carried the news of this days fight
: 10 both North ana South. AT the North
q all was CONSERVATION. Preparation
5 was made TO sink vessels loaded WIN
: stone in the Potomac to keep TINS IRON
d monster from bombarding the capi.ai
I. commIttces started for Washington
c from all the Northern ciues W ua 49,,
g some plan to protect those cities from
a tho dreaded Virginia. Mcclellan. WITT
# |hjs army at Yorktown, wired the
p,es,dent. "Protcct my base or my
G army is gone CONSERVATION ruicd
II n the North: oxultation in the South;
II ,ra vet both were without fonnda-
l. lion We, sleeping with no idea OF oul
e limportance were only exercised us -
i tho outcome of the morrow. we seN-
l. nected TO destroy the friGate Mihi'e-
y sota aground and helpless, and we
slept as only men can VINO pus' an 49,, :.
&c with powder, had heen at our guns
II frnm ? 10 dark. Sunday morning
: dawned bright and clear.
rrbc Minnesota was still agrouhu
l. mo church bells We're pcaling tortl
) their happy welcome to the sanelutr
n both North and South. In the North
IF shirt of sadness, In the south smlie
N met the conner on every race yet w
le needed IT not Other work beside
misslonarv was for us. and after
a. hastv breakfast we moved out iron
to o,,r nnchorage the Virginia leading
lg ia destroy the Minnesota We had no
he gotten far when from behind the Min
go. nesota came q oueer-loolS---g4 craft. w
knew at once that It was ERICKSON
ship, and We of the wooden fleet IN
y der orders dropped astern, Pretty 500
~ the two ron-clads, for 1T was the Moni
q tor, engaged, and fierce the battl
- ragged, no damage being done on eithe
side. The Virginia ATTEMPTED to ran
She drew % feet and the Monitor onl
i1i IA, and in attempting to make tur
: g she touched the bottom and s!gnalle
ter for assistance, The wooden fleet re
.rh sponded at once, but before they gt
-, within gunshot OF the Monitor IL,
W Virginia backed off While ashore til
as Monitor came alongside, depressed he
he guns that SHE might strike at rigi
ito angles, hut hcr shot bounced off as
nd peas thrown against a wall. This a,
- ton continued for several hours, whe
60 a shell from the Virginia struck IL
Tor pilothouse Of the Monitor Just as ht
ed, cap'atn--eW oordcn--had Ills eye To II