No tidings from Wallace. Methinks his thought must have been," Would to God that night, or Buell, would come!"

Grant was the general in command at Shiloh; but he did not give an order that moved a division, a brigade, or a regiment that day.

This battle was fought by the Army of the Tennessee, composed of the hardy, intelligent, determined sons of the great West, who, when their country was in peril dropped the avocations of peace, leaving behind all that was near and dear to them, the pleasures of home, the comforts that plenty brings, the companionship of their families and dear ones, and volunteered to become soldiers, with all the privations, hardships, and dangers that step implies. That army has a record such as the world has never seen. Fighting the victorious battle of Wilson's Creek in Missouri at the very beginning of the war, it fought at its very close the battle of Bentonville in North Carolina, with more than a hundred between, and every one a victory. After the many battles, from the Mississippi to the Atlantic, from the Ohio to the Gulf, when the smoke of the conflict cleared away, the battlefield was theirs; they buried, not only their own dead, but also those of the enemy.

THE MERRIMAC AND THE MONITOR.

BY ISRAEL N. STILES.

[Read April 5, 1885.]

THE great battle between the two iron-clads — the Monitor" and the "Merrimac " -was fought in Hampton Roads Sunday, March 9, 1862. It was witnessed by the Union troops at Newport News, and by the Confederates across the bay at Ragged Island. Several accounts of this great contest have been lately printed, written by actual participants in the fight. My own narrative will be confined to such incidents as came under my own observation from on shore at Newport News.

I was at that time an officer of the Twentieth Indiana Volunteer Infantry. On the 8th of March, at about one o'clock P. M., the long-roll sounded, and the cry ran through the camp, "The 'Merrimac' is coming." She was now about five or six miles away, and looked very like a house submerged to the eaves, borne onward by a flood. We had been expecting her for some weeks. Our position was strongly fortified; we had heavy guns commanding our front; and we thought we were ready to receive her becomingly should she come within our range. Near by and at anchor were two of our largest sailing frigates, the "Congress" and " Cumberland," carrying fifty and thirty guns respectively. They also were ready, prepared as well as wooden ships could be to contend with an iron-clad. A few miles away were also the Union frigates "Minnesota," "Roanoke," and "St. Lawrence," and several gun-boats.

The "Merrimac " moved very slowly, accompanied by the "Beaufort" and "Raleigh," two small boats carrying

one gun each. Not until she fired her first gun was there any outward sign of life on board, or of any armament, although she bore a crew of three hundred, and carried ten heavy guns. She had practically no visible deck; her crew were somewhere under her roof, but out of sight; her gun-ports were covered by hinged lids, which were raised only when her guns were brought forward for firing, and closed when they were withdrawn. She moved directly for the "Cumberland," which had cleared for action when the enemy was first sighted, and for the last half-hour had been ready with every man at his post. On her way she passed the "Congress" on her starboard side, and within easy range. The latter greeted her with a terrific broadside, to which the "Merrimac " responded, but kept on her course. Soon she came within range of the shore batteries, which opened upon her, and a minute or two later the thirty guns of the "Cumberland" were doing their duty. Many of the shots struck her, but they rebounded from her sides like marbles thrown by boys against a brick wall. Approaching the "Cumberland," she fired her bow gun, and struck her at full speed on her port bow, delivering another shot at the same time. The blow opened an immense hole in the frigate, and the force of it was so great that the "Merrimac's" iron prow, or beak, was wrenched off as she withdrew, and was left sticking in the side of the ship. The two shots which had been delivered from her bow gun had been terribly destructive. One entered the "Cumberland's" port, killing or wounding every man at one of her guns; the other raked her gun-deck from one end to the other. Withdrawing from the frigate, the "Merrimac " steamed slowly up the river, and turning, chose her own position, from which she delivered broadside after broadside into the now sinking ship, and then, changing her position, raked her fore and aft with shell and grape.

Meantime the shore batteries had kept up their fire, while the "Congress" had been towed up into position,

and with her thirty guns pounded away at the iron monster. It was plain to us on shore that all combined were not a match for her. This must have been plain to the officers and men of the "Cumberland" as well; yet with their ship sinking under them, they continued the fight with a courage and desperation which is recorded of no other naval battle. It was stated at the time that while her bow guns were under water, those in the after part of the ship were made to do double duty. Her commander was called upon to surrender; he refused, and his men cheered him. Still she sank, and the men were ordered to save themselves by swimming ashore. The water closed over her with her flag still flying. In the month of August following, as I came down the James River on my return from Libby Prison, we passed near the place where she sank. Her topmast was still visible, and at its head still waved the old flag.

While the "Merrimac" was occupied with the “Cumberland," three Confederate steamers the "Patrick Henry," "Jamestown," and "Teaser" - had come down. the James River, and with the two gun-boats "Beaufort" and "Raleigh" had already engaged the "Congress." On our side, the screw frigate "Minnesota" had worked her way from the fort, but had grounded a mile and a half away. The "Roanoke," which was disabled by a broken shaft, was towed up by a couple of tugs, but from her great draught failed to get into position; and the "St. Lawrence" was unable to use her fifty guns, for like reasons. For half an hour or more the "Merrimac" alternated her attentions between the "Congress" and the " Minnesota." Owing to her great draught of water, she could not get near enough to the latter to do much damage, although the other gun-boats worried her exceedingly. She chose her own position with regard to the "Congress," and the utter destruction of the frigate became only a question of time. She had repeatedly been set on fire; her decks were covered with the dead and wounded; and the

loss of life (including that of her commander) had been very great. She was run ashore, head on, and not long after hoisted the white flag. Two tugs were sent by the enemy alongside the "Congress" to take possession and to remove the prisoners, but a sharp fire of artillery and small arms from the shore drove them off. General Mansfield had directed the Twentieth Indiana to deploy along the beach and behind a sand ridge; and a couple of field-guns under command of Lieutenant Sanger were also wheeled into position to prevent the enemy from hauling away their prize. Captain Reed, of the Twentieth, who had been as good a lawyer as he was now a good soldier, raised a question of military law: "Since the ship has surrendered, has not the enemy the right to take possession of her?" The question was answered by General Mansfield (Judge Mansfield in this instance), in one of the shortest and most conclusive opinions on record. "I know the d-d ship has surrendered," said he, "but we have n't." That settled it. During the fireing which was kept up by the infantry, Commander Buchanan, of the "Merrimac," received a wound which disabled him from further participation in the fight. Being unable to take possession of the frigate, the ironclad again opened fire upon her, this time with incendiary shot, and the ship was soon on fire in several places.

It was now nearly dark, and the "Merrimac " hauled off, and anchored under the guns at Sewell's Point. She had received no substantial injury, and had demonstrated her ability to sink any wooden ship which might dare cope with her. Indeed, it looked that night as if the entire fleet would be wholly at her mercy on the morrow. The crew of the "Congress," such as were able, had escaped, and during the early hours of the evening the wounded had been brought ashore. They and those of the "Cumberland" filled the little hospital. Officers and men gathered around those brave fellows and listened with