Norwich bulletin., 1912-03-11
PUTNAM
Thomas L. Taylor, Messenger on the Monitor, Recalls Famous Battle Providence Elopers Disappointed Charles T. Thayer Made Wire Chief of Three Divisions.

Thomas L. Taylor, GA, colored. and perhaps the only survivor in Connecti- cut of the crew of the world famous ironclad Monitor, when she made her wonderful fight against the aTmored Confederate ram Merrimac, in Hamp ton Roads, after considerable urging l told Saturday, the 50th anniversary oi | the battle, his experiences aboard the l 'cheesebOx on a raft" during the hours that a hail of steel was raining upon i the turret of the ship. MT. Taylor ] seeks no acclaim for the part he took | in the great fight, and would not even consent to neglect his duties of jan l itor for the few minutes that it would
 take to relate the story, agreeing to ] tell it only as h attended to the heater in the basement of the Bradley theater building
 As a ward room boy and officers l messenger, he was taken aboard the Monitor near Fortress Monroe just be- fore the battle. Mr. Taylor was s happy boy of 14 at that time and had recently come up into Virginia from North Carolina, where he was born. T can't recollect all the little details its long time ago." said he Sat urday, but it surely was some fight" T do remember of how we steamed EIbuIQeQ | Minnesota and the Merrimac, prepar- | ing to attack her, and as we came into range of the Confederate craft of how
 a Merrimac officer hailed us and gave l us an order to Heave to and be sunk | Fire and be damnedp was the answer 1 that our bridge lieutenant sent back Then, by golly, there sure was. some | happenings. The Merrimac swung
 around and let us have a broadside, 1 then swung again and let us have an- 1 other. Those shells rained against the | turret of the Monitor like hail. Inside 1 the cheesebox's turret the crash of the shells was terrific, and the gun crews 1 were peppered with a snoWstorm pt l flying splinters, torn loose from the pieces of railroad iron of which the 1 Monitors turret was built. 1 All through the battle l stood on 1 the gun deck out of range of the fly ! ing shells, with my ear screwed close l to a speaking tube passing orders giv- | en me for shot and shell to the maga- l zine men below.
 A fve-second shell for the 15 l inchl' would come the order. and I
 would pass it on. All the time the Mer-
 rimac was hammering us, and we were
 doing the same by them. In the gun room our crew dripped with perspira-
 
 water"
 Were you afraid?'' MT. Taylor was asked
 No" he said q didn't mind it at | all during any part of the fight My only trouble was later. when I enlisted | in the service and got hOmesick after 1 six months aboard without shore leave. ! The battle did not worry me at all 1 We were too busy"
 Fifty years after the great battle he l looks back upon the event as one of special importance in his life, but with no false estimate of the part he played
 in it.
 T was only powder monkey" he
 says.
 Mr. Taylor, after telling about the
 battle, said he not only was with the | vessels crew that vanquished the Mer- rimac, but also had the pleasure
 of being an eyewitness some time lat CT of her blowing up, and still later
 witnessed the raising of the sunken
 vessel.
 MT. Taylor says that he thinks fl possible that he is the only man liv- ing in Connecticut who was aboard, the Monitor during the fight. After the
 war he went to Worcester to live, and Cn March 9, 1878, came to Putnam tC make his home. He is a good citizeT
 and a man whom all who know him like He is just a little mere than 6t
 years old now, but active, and daily able to do well his duties as janit0r oi l the Bradley buildings.