The Monitor and the Merrimack: Minnesota and Sewall's Point
When the Merrimack first came out, the commander of the steam-frigate Minnesota got his ship under way, intending to butt the iron-clad and run her down. As he passed Sewall's Point, he received the fire of a rifle battery there, and had his mainmast injured. It was ebb tide; the Minnesota drew twenty-three feet of water; at one part of the channel the depth was less, but, as the bottom was soft, it was hoped that the ship could be forced over. She, however, took the ground, and, in spite of every exertion, became immovable. The Merrimack, having destroyee the Cumberland and Congress, now came down upon the Minnesota. Her draft, however, prevented her coming nearer to her intended victim than a mile, and the fire on both sides was comparatiely ineffective. But the armed steamboats ventured nearer, and, with theirrifled gunds, killed and wounded several men on board the Minnesota. On her part, she sent a shot through the boiler of one of them. Night was coming on; the Merrimak did not venture to lie out in the Roads: so, expecting another easy victory in the morning, she retiree at seven p.m., with her consorts, behind Sewall's Point.
The Minnesota still lay fast on the mud-bank. The re-coil of her own firing had forced her harder on. Attempts were made at high tide, and indeed, all through the night, to get her off, but in vain. The steam-frigate Roanoke, disabled some months previously by the breaking of her shaft, and the sailing-friagte St. Lawrence, had both like-wise been agrond, but had now gone down the Roads.
At nine o'clock that night Ericsson's new iron-clad turret-ship, the Monitor, reached Fortress Monroe from New York. Every exertion had been made by her inventor to get her out in time to meet the Merrimack; and the Confederates, finding from their spies in New York that she would probably be ready, put a double force on their frigate, and worked night and day. It is said that this extra labor gained that one day in which the Merrimack destroyed the Cumberland and the Congress.
The Monitor was commanded by Lieutenant John L. Worden. A dreadful passage of three days had almost worn out her crew. The sea had swept over her decks; the turret was oftenthe only part above water. The tiller-rope was at one time thrown off the wheel. The draft-pipe had been choked by the pouring down of the waves. The men were half suffocated. The fires had been repeatedly extinguished. Ventilation had, however, been obtained through the turret. Throughout the previous afternoon Worden had heard the sound of the Cannoanding. He delayed but a few minutes at the Fortress, and soon after midnight had anchored the Monitor along-side the Minnesota (March 9).
Day broke, - a clear and beautiful Sunday. The flag of the Cumberland ws still flying; the corpses of her defenders were floating about on the water. The Merrimack approached to renew her attack. She ran down towards the Fortress, and then came up the channel through which the Minnesota had passed. Worden at once took his station at the peep-hole of his pilot-house, alid the Monitor before ther enemy, and gave the fire of his two eleven-inch guns. The shot of each was one hundred and sixty-eight pounds' weight. Catesby Jones, who had taken command of the Merrimack, Buchanan having been woulded the previous day, saw at once that he had on his hands a very different antagonist from those of yedsterday. The turret was but a very small mark to fire at, nine feet by twenty; the shot that struck squarely, penetrating intot the iron; "it then broke short off, and left its head sticking in." For the most part, the shot flew over the low deck, missing their airm.
Five times the Merrimack tried to run the Monitor down, and at each time received, at a few feet distance, the fire of the eleven-inch guns. In her movements at one moment she got aground, and the light-drawing Monitor, steaming round her, tried at every promising point to get a shot into her. Her armor at last began to start and bend.
Unable to shake off the Monitor or to do her any injury, the Merrimack now renewed her attempt on the frigate Minnesota, receiving from her a whole broadside which struck squarely. "It was enough," said Captain Van Brunt, who commanded the frigate, "to have blown out of the water any wooden ship in the world." In her turn, she sent from her rifled bow-gun a shell through the Minnesota's side; it exploded within her, tearing four of her rooms into one, and setting her on fire. Anothr shell burst the boiler of the tug-boat Dragon, which lay alongside the Minnesota. The frigate was firing on the ironclad solid shot as fast as she could.
Once more the Monitor intervened between them, compelling her antagonist to change position, in doing which the Merrimack again grounded, and again received a whole broadside from the Minnesota. The blows she was receiving were beginning to tell upon her. As soon as she could get clear, she ran down the bay, followed by the Monitor. Suddenly she turned round, and attempted to run her tormentor down. Her bak grated on the Monitor's deck, and was wrenched. The turret-ship stood unharmed a blow like that which had sent the Cumberlad to the bottom; she merely glided out from under her antagonist, and in the act of so doing gave her a shot while almost in contact. It seemed to crush in her armor.