The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-06-16
Sinking of the Cumberland.

vi tHt cumberland.
The 9Th and 9Th day OF the pres
'ent month have been rendered illus.
'rious In tho annals OF this war OF
al warfare by the conspicuous gal
Iantry OF Southern seamen. displayed
on southern waters The events which
We have TO chronicle need no aid OF
the rhe,irician's art. They stand out
IN their simple grandeur above all or
nament. and rise 10 a dignity which
discards all pompous phrases.
we SHAH attempt. writing current
calomo. to give a candid narrative Of
tha iacts which We observed. and an
impartial statement of those derived
from other sources. -. On tho
morning OF the Sth tho steamer Viz
sinla tMerrimac). Flag Officer Frank
lin Buchanan commanding. left her
'nooriny at tho navy yard here. and
attended by the steam tugs Beaufort
lieutenant Commander Parker and
tho Raleigh. Lieutenant Commander
alexander. steamed down the harbor
II was great sight In see the iron
cad Leviathnn gliding noiselcssly
through tho water Tying the red
rennon OF her commander at the fore
flagstaff. and the gay Confederate en-
Sign aft. - In the wake of the
vessels named came the Port Admiral
with staff OF naval officers Thus
down tho harbor they moved tho
"harvcs thronscd with eager citizens
and on past the batteries. whose para
pets weri dark with soldiers, steamed
the squadron. Through the two barri.
cedcu and then tho Virginia put her
holm hard a-sta.boRrd and took the
south channel.
Tho morning was ms still as Sab.
bath. Tho two ir'gates-the Cunbor-
land and ConBress-lay with their
boats at tho booms and wash.clothes
in the rigging. Did tho sec the long.
dark hull? Had they made her out:
Was II isn rance. apathy or COM
posure7 These questions We dis.
cussed as VIC steamed across tho fats
to the south of tho Virginia. with the
Two gallant little gunboats. Beaufort
and Raleigh, we'll on our stnrboard
beam. heading UP for the enemy.
Steadily. with n grim and om.nous
silence, the Virginia slides through
the water. steadily and with defiant
Nalor the Beaufort and Raleigh fol-
lowed where she led. Ten minutes to
two-still the clothes in the rigging
Of the Federal vessels. still the boats
at their hooms. Waa this confidence?
II could not be ignorance. Did II
mean torpedoee. submarine batteries,
Internal machines? 800
The Virginia goes on steadily to
90 her work. Now the inshore frigate
the Cumberland. fires. now the VIZ
EinIa. close aboard, now Sewells Point
battery, now the Minnesota, now tho
Roanoke. no wthc cir trnnhles with
tho cannonade. Now tho Virginia de-
livers both broadsidcs. now she runs
iull again the Cumberland's star-oard
bow. now tie smoke clears away and
she appears heading up the James
River. This at 80 minutes TO 2.
Tho Congress- now let's fall fore
topsail, and then the main, and So
With tug alongside. starts down the
north channel. where the Minnesota
has Grounded. and presently runs
plump ashore.
Meanwhile the Virginia opens on
tho Yankee fort: slowly she steams
back. and the Cumberland. sunk to
her white streak opens upon her
again. A gallant man fought that
hhip---a man worthy to have man
tanned better cause. Gun after gun
ne fired, lower and lower sunk his
ship: Mis- last discharge comes from
his pivot gun; the ship iurches to
starboard. now TO port: his flag
streams out wildly. and now the Cum
beriand goes down on her beam ends
at once monument and an cpitaoh [
the gallant men who fought her,
The Congress Surrender.
The Virginia stors In che aground :?
And the Confederate gunboats. Raj
eight and Beaufort! Glorious Parker,
Glorious Alexander! hero they are
on tho quarters or the Congress, ham
mcring away, and creeping closer and
closer all the time.
AT 10 minutes to 4 the Congress
struck--Parker. of the Beaufort, haul
ed down the encmy's ensign and ran
up his own battleflag In its place
there the heroic Tayloe. who fought
the Fanny at Roanoke Island and
Elizabeth City. got his wound; there
tho gallant young Hutter fell, shot
by tho dastards who fired from the
ship and the shore when the white
flag. WAS flying at the main and
mizzen OF the Congress. Here, too
and in the Same way. Flag Oficer
Buchanan. OF the Virginia. and Flag
Lieutenant Miner were wounded. .. I.
Now the u. S. S. Roanoke puts up
her helm and declines battle. Now
the Virginia Is laundering away again
The little Teaser. OF the Confederate
James River fleet, Is closer In We
are closer in--sizz comes she'll ahead,
presently another vstcrn, finally a
third with clear sharp whiz just
overhead, to the great delight of the
commodore. who appreciated the COM
pliment OF these good shots. which
were tho last OF siH directed at tho
boat from which the writer of this
story saw the flsht). -
Tho Beaufort runs down to us. and
Parker steps aboard and brings the
great piece of bunting we saw hauled
down from the Congress Just now. He
brought also some thirty prisoners
and some wounded men-mcn wound
ed under the white flag yonder desc
Grated by the Yankees Ono ,of these
lies stretched ont, decently covered
over. gaping out his rfe on the deck
Yankee shot through the head, all
bloody and CHASTITY, killed I'm tho in
human fire of his own people. An