The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-10-31
WOMEN SAW SHIP DUEL.
Thousands Witnessed the Fight Be-
tween the Monitor and Merrimac.

A great deal is being said about
Mrs. Pickett-as Miss Sally Corbell
being the only woman who saw
the fight between the Merrimac and
the Monitor.
AS matter of fact, thousands of
| women saw it, and thousands are
alive to-day, who, asyoung girls, were
eye-witnesses to this memorable
fight, to say nothing of those on the
opposite shore within the radius of
Newport News and Old Point, writes
S. T. Campo, of Norfolk, Va, to the
Washington Post.
Said an admiral of the navy:
II well recall the fight between the
Merrimac and the Monitor. I was
little fellow 10 years of age, visiting
my uncle in Norfolk, who lived in a
large brick house with a fiat roof
near the water AS a child I played
at sailoring 1 remember how my
uncle dragged me upstairs to the
roof, on which there was a platform,
where, with his field glasses, he loved
to look out over Hampton Roads. He
jumped me up on this platform and
sprang up after me, and taking me
in his arms adjusted the spy glasses
and told me to look at the ships
afire. I looked long and earnestly.
"Presently he said: What do you
see?' Breathless and eager, 1 re-
piled, 4 see specks, uncle little
specks.' 'Specks!' he roared. Then
adjusting the glass, he demanded,
What do you see now?' oh! uncle,
I see millions and millions of people
on the houses, on the shore and
everywhere!' H-l!' he exclaimed,
you'll make a devil of a sailor
81 see him now, tall and slim, like
the mast of ship, standing feet 4,
his figure outlined against the sky,
his field glass in his hand, looking
out over Hampton Roads. On COM
ing down from the roof my uncle
learned that my aunt and cousins
had harnessed the horses to the car
rage and driven away to Sewalls
Point
The initiative was between the
Merrimac, a sister ship of the Cum
berland, which lay close up to New
port News, guarding the camp at that
place, and the wooden ships of the
United States navy lying in the
Roads. The Turtle, formerly the
frigate Merrinac, now reconstructed
by the Confederates at the Ports
mouth navy yard and named the Vir-
ginia, steamed silently and secretly
out of the navy yard at Portsmouth,
and as she crept along, with scarcely
a ripple on the water, the people on
the wharves and along the river
tfront of the two cities stood wide
eyed in astonishment, none suspect
ing her mission, many ignorant of
the kind Of craft she represented.
Like a tengue of flame the news
spread and in less time than it takes
to tell it the cities were wild with
excitement. Every livery stable was
invaded, every horse and vehicle was
seized, and the road to SeWalls
Point, off which the battle took
place, swarmed with people, men and
women, boys and girls, hurrying with
breathless interest, wondering what
she would do
The Norfolk Light Artillery Blues,
the oldest military organization in
the State, was camped at Sewalls
Point, the men and officers resplend-
ent in their new uniforms glistening
in the sun, doing duty as hosts to
the handsome girls from Norfolk,
who had> come in their carriages,
bringing suspicious looking hampers,
all unmindful of the tragedy await
ing the first shot.
We all know the history of that
fight. The Virginia, having broken
her Prov ramming the Cumberland,
sinking that vessel; the Congress
burned to the waters edge; the Min
,nesota, in flames, backed off and re-
turned to her dock, where her inju-
ries were repaired, steaming out
again in the morning to be confront
ed by the Monitor, which had come
down in the night and lay nosing
around Old Point awaiting her ad-
versary. A few shots were fired, the
Virginia retired to her dock and on
the evacuation of Norfolk by the
Confederates, Commodore Tatnall
took her down the Elizabeth river
and when off Crany Island blew her
up.
To have witnessed the fight, as re-
lated by Mrs. Pickett, when as Sally
Corbell she erode across the country
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