The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1908-11-05

lose their heads. Ana IL was reign VI
terror for time, which should not have
existed, and need not if the flag officer
of the fleet had been on the alert, as ne
should have been. And it was the arriv-
al of the Monitor on the night of the 9Th,
and her fight with the Merrimac on the
9th, that restored confidence, and reason
again asserted herself.
do not propose to give description
of the fight between the Monitor and the
Merrimac, but will only say that after
fighting for five hours, and neither ap-
bearing to be the victor, the Monitor
kept off toward Fortress Monroe and the
Merrimac did not dare to follow, but bore
up for Crany Island, from which move
ment on her part it was assumed that she
had got the worst of it in the hght' ana
it was heralded over the land as great
victory for US; and indeed it come IN good
time. What the result of the fight would
have been had it taken place before 'the
ram had sunk the Cumberland and left
her ram in that sunken ship is hard to
conjecture. 1t has been said that the
ram received more injury from the lew
broadsides that the Cumberland was
enabled to fire at her in the short time
she was alongside that vessel while she
was sinking than she did in the four
hours fight with the Monitor. This fact
is known. The Merrimac went into the
drv dock at Norfolk for repairs on the
10Th. and on the 18th came out, her
officers reporting that she was as good as
new. She came out and showed herself
three times and the Monitor did not care
to make an attack on her, so she return
! ed to Crany Island and there lay till she
was destroyed May 18th, after our land
forces had captured Norfolk. The Con-
federates claimed that she could not come
out at that time on account OF the low
course of tides They tried to Ighten
her to 20 feet draft, but when they
got her lightened to q l-2 feet they
found that it brought her hull below the
plating to view, and in that condition our
fleet could destroy her with ease, and her
nilots refused to make the attempt to
get her into the James river. When cut
off from all supplies by our capture OF
Norfolk, rather than have her fall INTO
our hands they set her on fire and lett
her.
4. Thus ended the life [of the great bug
hear that had given the nation such a
fright as it never had before, and 1t IS
| hoped will never have again. And the
worst feature of the affair was that 1T
need not have been, and should not have
been. and if the grand old salamander
Farragut, or Admiral Porter, had been IN
command of that squadron it would not
have been. The requisites OF great ad-
miraI are his ability to perceive quickly,
and to act promptly. The two greatest
admirals in the history Of the world had
these requisite traits of character, winch
appeared to be wholly lacking in the Hon.
Secretary of the Navy and also in Com
modore Goldsborough, then in command
of the North Atlantic Squadron; also IN
Cantains Warren and Won Brund. The
former was in command of the Roanoke,
and the latter of the Minnesota, Admiral
Gculdsborough's flagship which had
grounded on it's way to the relief OF the
Congress and the Cumberland. The Ro-
anoke had also grounded, but soon got OFT
and retired to Fortress Monroe. This
was a singular thing for the officer IN
| command of the Squadron to do. Com
modore Goldsborough was absent and
Capt. Warren being the senior officer
present the command Of the squadron de-
volved upon him; and yet l have search
ed the records of the Navy Department
in vain to find one single order emanatlng
from him on that day, but as soon as ne
could he retired out of the reach OF all
communications with the fleet, realizing
perhaps that,
"He who fights and runs away,
Lives to fight another day.
There is no evidence to show that Cap
| tain Warren was not a brave man, but
there is an abundance of evidence to
show that he was a blunderer, and
it is an important fact that his name
never appeared in any important event
after that date. The first charge
against those in command is this: Neg
| lecting to take the proper soundings to
ascertain the amount of water that could
be carried in all parts Of Hampton Roads,
though they had the Coast Survey at
their command and part of the time the
Chief of the survey was on board the
| flagship. They knew that the Merrlmac
was soon to appear; they also knew, or
should have known, what the draught
of water of the Merrimac was, and with
the aid of the Coast Survey, the chief OF
| which having his headquarters for the
time being on board the flagship, and by
them, every spot and place OF deep or
shoal water should have been known to
them. And yet the Merrimac, whose
draught was "a feet, found her way to
Newport News while the Minnesota, the
St. Lawrence and the Roanoke, none Of
+Lo,o b.v;nor a drauuht IF over % feet