The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-05-19


 Little John Randolph Eggleston is wis iting in this city now and is a nephew of the late Capt. John R. Eggleston, whC was lieutenant on the Merrimae, anc afterwards flag lieutenant to Buchanan and passed away two years ago in Sc vance, where his widow, Mrs. Saraf Dabney Eggleston, now resides.
 Master John R. Eggleston is Il years old and has recently been adopted by the naval veterans and now acts as pow der boy to Commander Wright. The fol lowing interesting letter was written by Captain Eggleston to his young nephew several years ago:
 Raymond, Miss, May IT, 1S3
 My Dear Nephew: I was delighted to get your letter, which was received to- day, and, although it is Sunday, l VIII not put off answering it.
 And you want to know all about the ''Merrimac" or the Virginia" as she was renamed. have published good many accounts about the fight in Hampton Roads Or rather the same account over and over again, in order to get the truth into peoples heads. The subject IS rather tiresome one to me, but can't re- fuse your request to write about 1t once more
 The old United States frigate "Merri- mac was one of the finest vessels Tn the world at the time She was built sometime in the fifties. She was pro- pellor and also was full rigged as sail ship. In 1861 she. together with a num- Der of other United States vessels, was lying dismantled at the Norfolk navy yard When Virginia seeded the feder- als abandoned the navy yard after set ting fire to all the vessels there. The ''Merrimac" was burned only to the waters edge, and on the part of the hull that remained our people built up a superstructure that rendered her so for rnidable. It was really little fort, with sioping sides, and curved with two lay CTS of iron plates, each layer two inches thick. Ten guns peeped out the hole Tn this shield" I had command of two of the guns on the broad side and fired red hot shot, all the other guns firing shells. We were on our trial trip when we went into the fight. The United States Cumberland" (40 guns) and the United States steamship Congress (50 guns), were lying at the mouth of James river, few miles away at Fortress Mon- roe, when the United States ships St. I.awrence'' (sail 50 guns), the Roanoke" (steam, 40 guns), the Minnesota" (steam, 40 guns), besides several small vessels and the formidable shore batteries.
 The 40-gun ships were really more to be dreaded than the 50 guns, for they were much heavier.
 Our attack was on the Cumberland" and Congress" We passed within 30 yards of the latter, exchanging broad sides with her. She fired 25 3O-pound shots into us at one time; they struck our sloping sides and flew up in the air Our four nine-inch shot and shell went Al, rimac' ran directly into the "Cumber- land,' and with our iron prov, knocked a hole in her as big as a door. She sank so quick her men did not have time to haul down her colors. So they claimed that she sank gloriously with flying colors'' The "Merrimac" now turned once more upon the Congress, the latter slipped her cables and tried to escape. but she ran aground. and few shots from our guns made her surrender. But she was already on fire from the hot shot and blew up that night. AS night was coming on, we started across the bay to anchor under the Confederate batteries at Seawelrs Point. When we saw the Minnesota" the "St Lawrence and the Roanoke coming up to attack us. They fired several hundred shots at us as we passed, but did not come near enough to give us a chance really to en- gage them.
 The next morning at daylight. Sunday, March 9, 1862, we looked out on the bay and there we saw the Minnesota fast aground and near her the strangest look ing thing we ever saw afloat, like a raft with a big cheese box on it.
 s'It was the Monitor. We steamed out to renew the fight and the Monitor came boldly forth to meet us. We began the first battle ever fought by ironclads. All the forenoon the Monitor circled around us, so close at times that a person might have jumped from one vessel to the other. All the time the two vessels were pouring their shots into one another without any serious damage being done to either. At last we got a chance to ram the Monitor, but the Cumb erland had torn away her iron brow as she sank, and all the effect the ramming had was to make her give up the fight and escape into shoal water, where we could not follow her. She drew IS feet and we 23 feet. Having cleaned up the whole layout within our reach, we returned to the navy yard and went into dock for repairs. About 10 days later we heard a great firing going on down the bay. We ran down and saw the whole federal fleet, or 10 big ships, with the Monitor at the head, bombarding Sea- wells Point. As soon as they saw US they hurried away like frightened geese and sought shelter under the guns of Fortress Monroe. We never could get another fight out of the Monitor. She was a hacked cock, as long as the Merrimac floated.
 well, I have written you a long let ter, which you will have to get your daddy to read, l am fraid, for I am a