The evening world., 1911-12-20
The Story
OF Our Country
bv Albert Payson Terhune

Copyright, 1911. by TIL. Pres Publishing Co. The. S- York wan II
No. s6-A Duel That Changed Naual History Part ~.
1E1AHE two naval monsters faced each other-the Merrimac, wthNl
her slopns metal roof; tie Monitor, with its single tvrrst Sob4
bling uncertainty above the waves. From the United stAts4
- feet Of wooden ships (Which must inevitably be Destroyed
should the Merrimac wn) hundreds Of men sased spenhound o s1
combatans represented a new era in sa fighting. Rude salleys. oar pro-
PEELED. had once been deemed the ideal warships. Then had come the
bulky, silded sailcran. more like floating forts than like ships These
he'd given place to the swift, murderous frigate. first propelled by sail.
then by steam. And now, in a moment. the finest wooden ship anoat had
been proved as helpless as a load of kindlins wood against the GRO.
tesquely shaped ironcad. The wooden warship was forever doomed. In
Its place had come metal monsters. the first ancestors Of the modern
drsdnousht.
nc. Our Sus, s % n sS morn ,, than %. , msr. 'i p,s.ssu ln' sr.s., in n, ss ' :ssss: of Of
s s%c esn, n sss'S nsr "As1 Ty. 's blockade S,a Wa in D s.%oS t ss esy. e. > BY s SSs.. s~%
,sSs'"s ss ss ' ,ss s:, To nsFS ss c q, m %s1 t,sns s.s.s n..s S scatter. ito s's :. f sos q.
adm. squadron a"r .aos. n ~. ss.a. to :. sssa : Fl . supply Of tn.
=: ::. s:::' s ss:. ne; ;:,: =:;s ; 4: &; r =: ;s:s !: !: ; ::;:s ~. s:; ;:!s: !. r: g:
which had Just, arrives from the prosssn yard. Tn. wooden nip. had 70:
could ~ II, It it : %ass s%sn 70 q {" n s.%ass they @"s =: ss,T s:,,%:s .ss
submission. Blu. in the little Monitor the Me"imao had found a fr ds~'ns
The Monitor drew near to he larger foe The Merrlmae oDsnss /. s..u.
sss,.sss: ss : s' as Msnt1r i. M Msns.eS q. i s,. st ans S. Z r%noa s aa A. =, r sm.
n'. At . .sn to tn. ". ..ms one instant: str /" 'a u. xs ssss' s h Sst '1 Tsso .ins'1 sat ss As int, :' .sso.
IN: /. ss sss Hs that " the n latter s ~I,sa ss ss im% !" r ss' d s, as sa as.Sssa a ao. .' her s Z
m.r ad easier prey. tn Minne.s.a b u before 'Se so%d inn,st N :r.,
The "ch.s.tsox on a ratt' could nt b shaken OF. She eircled around Aef
s sSs; b ssnns AWAY. S~sy nssnn se rSs s ssas ss' a4e s' so sa% s.r 'i 81. sou ls'S %srss
craze Ter armorsa decks tn. Monitor could snosu. a in shallow water w ul1
h Monitor was hardt TO nit and haruer to hurt Ae Aerhhacs oWN nHoe
her. an easy taget Yt thu Monitors solid shots were only powerful enough
to bend and dent n Merrtmacs arnor n to strain M
I@..\ crush some of her tmbers. 90" i4atrA
III SOVs (From the beginning OF warfare projecuka have baVy
III 0uarters t~t sn~, Al, IN. arr,or onpo.ed n them, he sayaxep
medieval sword could scarcely hack tn medaevai helmet he hrstm u'ke'
bullet vas oten nauened aganst M breastplate Of the period. 30 Il was
with n srmr plate and the eun OF those hrst ironclad'. Such pro'ectien
q our navy to-day uses would la ripped through the himsy rmo or either
Of them like q knife through wrapping paper)
In n effort to run down the Monitor he Merrimsc injured her " ron beak'
At last with many Of her. plates smashed ad her gallant little foea apparently
a. rood a. now, the Me1maca abandoned the fght and badly battered ned bscx
q her moorings at Norfolk t
The ~ "a never renewed. Nor, strangely enough, vas either OF te y"
iron monsters used again In n important ngagemen either aganst zach othet
or asa,n,th lesser shtpa A fsw months afterwad tn Confederate. ahandontnH
Norfolk. blow u Tn Merrimac, n he Monte vas sun n a gale Of yCepc
Hateras. p
Their sensational duel resulted lot only in tho saving of the Union Meet mo
Lin STRENGTHENING he blockade u II sounded thu wooden man-o wars dssh-
knl ad opened M way &c the molernar mored battkshps.