Evening star., 1923-03-04

Ml day dreams of yesterday, are
relished by granddaddy as
well as youth. The sweetest
things in life arc the air
castle dreams of youth. When even
tide enshrouds the earth and the
lights are agIow, then with the old
Jimmy pipe agoing, seated in the old
armchair by the fireside, slowly our
eyes drop. and with bowed heads we
drift back to those happy hours of
childhood-of our first love-; remi-
niscences of yesterday.
Perhaps on the 8th of this month
Capt. Henry Marmaduke will also
dream Of the by-gones and recall
those stirring days of the memorable
fight betwixt the Merrinac and the
Monitor, for he is the last officer alive
Of the former famous vessel. Prob
ably he, seated in his coy home by
the fireside. will mentally turn back
to that never-to-be forgotten day
when:
Slowly the Confederate vessel Nir-
ginia steamed out of the Norfolk
navy yard (March 8, 1s62) with
crew on board of 3I5 officers and men.
Little did that brave band of men
realize that the forthcoming events
would revolutionize warships in years
to come For up to that time the
naval ships were constructed of wood.
The Virginia, or. as she has since be-
come known, the Merrimac, was the
first warship to be coated with iron.
All school children will recall the his
toric fight in Hampton roads between
the Confederate ship Merrinlac and
the Union vessel Monitor
On board the Merrmac, as she
slowly made her way out OF the
yard. was Midshipman Henry III. Mar
maduke. who now makes his home in
Washington at 1881 1lth street north
west. Today he is the only living Of
flcer Of that famous frigate. Born In
Saline county. Mo-. in 1872, he was
appointed to the United States Naval
Academy, at Annapolis, Md, in 1858.
However. when the civil war bro ~
out his love for the Confederacy rs
too strong and he chose TO resign
from the academy to accept an ap-
pointment in the Confederate navy as
midshipman. He arose to the grade
of Nrst lieutenant in the Confederate
states navy. a grade Which ne heio a'
the close of the war
4 LTHOUGH in his seven'y-n'n'h
n year, Capt. Marmaduke SHOWS
few effects of the rigors through
which he passed during the night oe-
tween the Merrimac and the Monitor
for the mastery OF Hampton ROADS.
Though severely wounded when the
Merrimao was destroying the Union
frigate Congress, Marmaduke re-
mained on board the Confederate
ironclad and commanded a gun in
its tragic fight with the Union ship
Of war. (Today in the Washington
navy yard there is a gun from tho
Merrimac that was commanded oy
Marmaduke at the time ne was
wounded. The gun was silenced oy
having it's muzzle shot of during the
fehtD with the young officer at the
time Of the fight was his gun crew
of fourteen men, two OF whom were
killed at their post of duty.
Marmaduke's first assignment with
the Confederate navy was with the
fleet at New Orleans, where he serv-
ed on the McRae. He was detached
from this vessel and ordered to the
Merrimac, then being fitted out in
the Norfolk navy yard. He was a
participant in the attack upon the
Union feet at the head of the passes
on the Miss ssippi river on October
IL. 1861. and then was transferred
for temporary service with the gun
boat Calhoun.
His services with the ironclad Nir-
ginia, commonly known as the Mer-
rimac, began in 1862. He was in the
fight with the frigates Congress and
Cumberland, and while in action
with the former ship was painfully
wounded but remained aboard the
Merrimao until after the fight.
AS Capt. Mermaduke sits there in
his chair tears dim the eyes OF the
old sea warrior while "reminiscences
of early sea- fights of the civil war
come floating back. When thinking
of that wonderful 9Th day of
March Capt Marmaduke heaves a
sigh of regret. OF desire to live
over those wonderful days? No one
knows but himself
Slowly opening his eyes and gaz-
ing at the writer with look that is
both stern and soft with the love of
memories, he says that Capt. Frank
lin Buchanan was in command Of the