The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-02-09
WITNESSED
HISTORIC
F|CH 7
corrects False impressions in
Articles for Virginia Maya
zine of History.
By GEORGE FRANKLIN.

BY GEORGE FRANKLIN.
How the Monitor outfought the
Virginia, popularity known as the
Merrimac, in Hampton Roads, in
March, 1862, virtually revolution
izinig warship construction and
unquestionably turning the scales
of the civil war, has been told in
part, and will be completed in
April, by DR.. William Tindall, in
charge of the information bureau
at the District Building. The first
of the two articles has just ap-
peared in the Virginian Magazine
of History and Biography. The
second section will appear in the
April number.
Was An Eyewitness.
81 have read many accounts of
the engagement between the first
two iron clads to meet in conflict
and, having been an eyewitness of
the engagement between the Vir-
ginia, usually referred to as the
Merrimac, and the Monitor, 1 know
wherein they fail to give credit
where credit is really due" said DR..
Tindall today.
'In preparing the two papers I
have consulted every source of in
formation available and as many
of the participants in the battle
as 1 have been able to locate.
What l have striven to do is to set
forth all that occurred during
March and 9, the two days when
the Virginia appeared a floating
prophesy of the supremacy of the
Confederate navy.
According to DR.. Tindall, the
Virginia was brilliantly handled
throughout the two days when, she
operated against the Federal fleet
in Hampton Roads, and particularly
in her engagement with the Mont
tor His description of the Con-
federate ironclad, compiled from a
vast amount of information cover
ing the early history of the ship,
which started its career as the
steam frigate Merrimac when it
was launched at Boston, Mass, in
1855, covers the details of recon
struction after the frigate had been
raised following it's sinking by it's
commander in Portsmouth harbor
q few days before the Virginia as
semhly voted to secede.l
Armor Is Described.
Among other things it explains
and dispels the false idea, generally
accepted that the Confederate iron
clad armor consisted of railroad
rails tied together to protect its
gundecks. According to DIR. Tin
dali, the armor plate was made by
rolling out railroad rails into plates
which were bolted to other plates
similarly made, the two armor
faces being separated by thick
wooden walls. He also shows that
while a powerful fighting machine
capable of sinking any warship of
its time, it was both slow and diff
ficult to handle, taking approx
mately half an hour to turn and
reshape its course. In this respect
1t suffered a heavy handicap COM
pared with the Monitor.
Years have elapsed since the
Monitor and Merrimac engagement
and there is no reason why the
true story of what took place should
not be told" said DIR. Tindall.
Past accounts that l have read
are filled with misstatements, many
/ presume accidental, but others
unquestionably inspired by the
writer SynpdInleS. ne OuLCOHle
of the engagement, however, was
too important to justify misconcep-
tions being entertained and GER
tainly every man taking part in
the fight between the two masters
of the sea deserves that the real
story be told.
Capital Feared Attack.
Fear that the Virginia, or Mer-
rmac, would destroy the Federal
fleet and then steam up the Poto-
mac to Washington was so acute in
Federal circles at the Capital, DR..
Tindall points out, that prepare
tions were made to block the chan
mel of the river by sinking a string
of canal boats which were loaded
with rock and held in readiness to
be towed down and scuttled where
their hulks would block the pas
sage.
DIR. Tindall is conceded to be the