The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-05-12

am going TO talk TO you tonight
about the greatest naval engagement
of any waf-the battle between tho
eterrirnao and the Monitor. in lamp
ton Roads. Va. on the eth day OF
EIarch. 1862.
! havo heard 1t said: "A man IS never
20 much n liar as when he is talking
ubout himself or hia enemies" and
am convinced IL IS truo 30 far as
Northern historians are concerned
when writing about tho battles OF the
Civ!l War. because they so grossly mis-
represent the facts. and in describing
,he battle between the Merrimao and
Monitor tha only truth they tell is
that they fought.
don't claim TO. be either a histo-
rian or an orator. but l happened 10
Ie an eyewitness TO tho entire affair.
and kno. what ! saw and can tell It
without prejudice or prevarication.
and 1 IN going TO do II now for the
Information of the veterans of the
South who didn't witness 1t and for
their descendants. that they may know
tie truth.
In speaking about II on one occasion.
one of ny daughters said: Papa. you
are wrong. The Monitor whipped the
Merrimac. because our school history
tElson's) says So
l was not only sDTOTlseh, DGt very
tndienant, that she should be taught
such an Internal lie. Later round
that the Century Dictionary and Cy
clopedia describes 81 as "a drawn bat
tie. which was equivalent 10 a victory
for the Monitor" sui later ! learned
mat Woodrow Wilson. in his History
of tho American People" says: These
two novel craft. the Monitor and the
Virginia the Merrimao). mado TRIAL OF
b bc- . m i'm tvfa Sr,e
ed"
Bear in mind that the Monitor was
dsigned and constructed 10 destroy the
Merrimac. II IL was a drawn battle.
how could It he victory for tho Mon
itor. particularly as II failed 10 accom-
plish its special object?
You are from Missouri. aren't you?
Well. I'll procede to show you" that
the grand old Merrimac was never
whipped nor even dri"sn An inch from
her chosen course, and that every YES
sci which tho Mcrrimac didn't destroy
was either driven hard aground in wa
ter too shallow for her to reach or had
escaped TO the protection OF the guns
at Fortress Monroe, and the Mcrrimac.
with her flags flying and her bow to
the enemy, was always the very last
to leave the field.
IN order to explain to You how
happened to b. an eyewitness 10 this
extraordinary engagement I will give
you just n bit of my carly military
career. On the 25th day of April 1861
tho Beauregard Rifles. OF which COM
rHny was an original member, was
organized at Lynchburg. Va, and on
the 10th day OF May following started
TO Richmond % be equipped with rifles
and sent ia the front. When we arr
rived at Richmond we were Informed
that the government had neither riffs
nor muskets. 10 give VIC. and we were
sent to Norfolk, thence to sewell's
Point. about eight miles distant TO
temporarily take charge Of a field bat
terry Of Parrot guns, and in time be-
came an artillery company under the
name of Moorman's Battery. after cur
captain. NJ. \. McSrfnan. and we were
at this place when the battle was
fought.
Something over 400 years ago few
vessels of storln-tossed adventures
from the Old World. after months of
,privation and suffering. approached
the shores OF tho New World and dis
covered an opening through which
they passed; and entered a broad bay
into which flowed several large rivers
the James and others. Here they
rested. and. warmed by the genial sun
shine and tine tonic breezes from the
Atlantic Ocean, wera restored to
health Naturally they named their
haven Point Comfort. by which name
II Is known to this day.
In 1909 "A fort was erected hero by
Captain ,Iohn Ratclif. who named It
Fort Albernounc. In 1912 the name
In 1878 1t was partially destroyed by
Nut k cufc l.,,t