Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1916-03-31
WOODSTOCK, VIRGINIA.
ENGINEER OF MERRIMAC
IS DEAD IN BALTIMORE.
Correspondence OF The Star.

Correspondence OF The Star.
Baltimore, Nd, March U.s.
Col. H. Ashton Ramsay, chief
engineer of the famous Confed-
crate ironclad Merrimac, died
this morning at his apartments
in the ST. Paul. Col. Ramsay
was eighty-one years old. Death
was due to pneumonia, from
which he had suffered less thar
week
Surviving him are his widnr !.
Mrs. Julia w. Ramsay, and his
children. Arthur NJ. Ramsay, of
Texas H. A. Ramsay, OF Mem
pllis, Tenn. Mrs. J. 7. G..
Ssapler and Mrs. Bernard Pey-
ton, of Charles Town, w. Va.
Funeral services will be held
here tomorrow morning and the
remains taken to Norfolk, Va
for interment.
Col. Ramsay was one of the
few survivors of the memorable
battle between the Monitor and
the Merrimac. About three
months ago he gave the follow
ing account of that historic en-
gagement:
I'm the first days fighting ]
was ordered by Capt. Buchanan
to stand near the entrance to the
ships hold. In my capacity as
chief engineer. 1 was responsible
for the reg ulation of the ships
power. In case the signal wires
leading to the engine room were
cut l was supposed to stand near,
take the captains orders and
transmit them by word of mouth
1T is a matter of history that
at the end of this days fighting
the United States ship Cumber-
land had been rammed and sunk
the United States slip Congress
had been burned and the United
States ship Minnesota had been
pursued iuto shallow water and
was aground. 1t was in the at
tack on the Congress that Capt.
Buchanan was wounded.
AS he was being taken below
b his men he ordered that hot
SHOT be hurled into the Congress
until she caught fire. We could
not get close to the Minnesota,
which was aground, on account
of the water we drew. We then
withdrew from the scene for the
night.
The next day the Merrimac
steamed down near the Mime.
sofa, which was aground between
Old Point and Newport News, to
engage in battle again. We did
not see the Monitor at first, as
that little ship was hiding in the
protection OF ard under the side
Of the huge hulk OF the Mime
sofa. In maneuvering to reach
the latter ship we went aground
The Monitor then opened upon
us. We were at a disadvantage,
as we could not bring any guns
to bear upon the enemy. The
Monitor had taken up a position
just out of range of any Of our
guns and was sending shells all
about the Merrimac.
When things were getting
just a little bit too hot for us we
managed to float our ship by ex-
traord:dary exertions in the en-
CINE room. A shell from one of
the eleyen-inch guns of the Mon
itor struck the Merrimac on what
we call the knuckle. This was
near the junction of the iron
plate and the wooden part of the
ship. Only dent was made in
the iron, but the conclusion was
so great that huge splinter was
torn from the inside.
Lieut.. Catesby Jones was
now acting captain on the ship.
as Capt. Buchanan lad been
taken ashore the previous night.
He ordered me to send the ship
ahead and we rammed the Moni.
tor, hitting her a glancing blow.
A shot from the Merrimac shat
tered the two iron logs which
protected Capt. Worden and his
assistant on the Monitor. Capt.
Worden was blinded. This was
the first time that shot fired by
the Merrimac had taken effect.
THE Monitor then steamed
away in the direction OF Old
Point, evidently attempting to
draw the Merrimac under the
guns of the fort. We followed a
short distance and then steamed
back to Norfolk.
Capt. Van Brunt of the Min
necofa ~ his renorf to the NAVY