precision and severe effect. The guns of the Congress are almost entirely disabled, and her gallant commanding officer, young Lieut. Joseph B. Smith, has fallen at his post. Her decks are strewn with the dead and the dying, the ship is on fire in several places, and not a gun can be brought to bear upon the assailants. In this state of things, and with no effectual relief at hand, the senior surviving officer, Lieutenant Pendergrast, feels it his duty to save further useless destruction of life by hauling down his colors. This is done about four o'clock, P. M. The Congress continues to burn until about eight in the evening, then she blows up. When word comes to the Navy Department that the Congress hauled down her colors, the brave old Commodore Smith immediately says in deep emotion: "Then Joe is dead." His boy went down with this ship. The Virginia, with her consorts, the Yorktown and Jamestown, now turn their attention to the Minnesota. This vessel has come out from Old Point to assist the Cumberland and Congress, but she also runs aground about three miles below Newport News. In this condition she cannot bring all her guns to bear; but nevertheless, she is regarded as a more formidable antagonist than the Cumberland or Congress. The Virginia is of too deep a draught to get within effective range, but her consorts approach and fire with damaging effect. Soon, however, the frigate gets one of her guns to bear on them. The practice is telling. They haul off crippled and head towards Norfolk, with the Virginia, at nightfall. All efforts to get the Minnesota afloat during the night and into a safe position are totally unavailing. The morning is looked for with deep anxiety, as it will, in all probability, bring a renewed attack from the formidable assailants. At nine o'clock the same night, the newly finished ironclad Monitor arrives at Fortress Monroe from New-York, under command of Lieut. John L. Worden. Her appearance is not anticipated. It may be that her existence is unknown to the Confederates. About midnight she takes position by the side of the Minnesota. As anticipated, next morning, at six o'clock, the Virginia, with her consorts, comes out from Norfolk. She opens fire on the Minnesota. She does not see the little Monitor lying behind the frigate. Soon the Monitor appears. She is an object of curiosity, if not of ridicule. She lies so low, and is so small, that surely she will not attempt to cope with the Virginia. The commander of that vessel, which would have been more than a match for the finest ship in the English or French navy, observes what confronts him. It is an insignificant looking little nondescript. It resembles a raft with a cheese-box on it. No such man-of-war was ever before seen. It advances to meet the Virginia. Was there ever such impudence! A mingled feeling of curiosity and contempt runs through the officers of that vessel. The very waves seems to laugh at the odd and audacious craft. But it is soon found that the Virginia has a foe not to be despised; one entirely worthy of her highest prowess. Promptly obeying the signal to at BATTLE OF THE IRONCLADS. 171 tack, the Monitor runs down past the Minnesota, to lay herself close alongside the Virginia, between that formidable vessel and the Minnesota. It is the contest of David and Goliath over again. The Virginia is accompanied by the Yorktown and Jamestown. The two latter are crowded with troops, come to board and capture the Minnesota. It is a gala day in Norfolk. Everybody is in high glee over the expected victory and prizes. Will the expectation be fulfilled? A shot from the Monitor arrests the advance of the Yorktown, but the Virginia continues to approach. She is within a hundred yards of the daring little antagonist. At this distance the engagement begins. It lasts several hours. It is a furious cannonade. It is hot and close. The vessels fight within from fifty to two hundred yards of each other. The Monitor carries but two guns, against the Virginia's eight. The revolving turret enables the Monitor to be ready for the "occasion sudden." It is blow for blow. This tends to equalize the conditions of the duel. The Virginia finds the Monitor impenetrable to shot and shell. She therefore attempts to run her down. She fails in this. The Monitor avoids the blows of her enemy. She still deals point-blank shots at short range against her ponderous antagonist. At length the Virginia stabs the Monitor in the side. She thrusts in vain. No damage results. The Monitor spins round like a top. She soon obtains her bearing again, and sends one of her formidable missiles into her huge opponent. By this time the officers of the Monitor have acquired complete confidence in her impregnability. They no longer fire at random or hastily. The Monitor works round the Virginia, repeatedly probing her sides. She seeks for weak points, and reserves her fire with coolness, until she has the right spot. Now she steadies for a telling blow. She takes the exact range. Crash! crash! crash! three shots are dealt in this deliberate way. Ho! ho! the Virginia will take no prize to-day! She is overmatched. She now resorts to retreat. She is swifter than the Monitor. She will try the Minnesota again. She turns to renew the attack on that vessel. The Monitor will not permit this. She comes up and takes position between the two ships. She again makes the Virginia feel her prowess. Where are the consorts of the latter? They may go back with their boarders. It is now high noon. The four hours' conflict is over. The Virginia is seriously damaged. Like a wounded giant, she moves off for Sewell's Point, at full speed. The Monitor follows for some distance, but she is outstripped in the race. She abandons the pursuit and returns to the Minnesota. Viva! viva! little Monitor! The story of this conflict is the romance of the war, where mechanism and genius gave so much invincibility to the Northern cause. The Confederates were under the impression that the thrust of the Virginia's ram had inflicted serious damage upon the Monitor; but this was not the case. She sustained no injury; while, on the other hand, one Confederate authority states that the Virginia lost her iron beak in her plunge at the Monitor. The Virginia lost her ram and sprung a leak. The same writer boasts that the Monitor ran off in a crippled condition. The Committee on Naval Affairs, of which the writer has recently been chairman, reported upon this remarkable fight, in order to adjust a claim for prizes. The examination resulted in an able paper from Judge Ballantine, of Tennessee, which sustains one view; and the opposite view is presented in the paper of Mr. John R. Thomas, of Illinois, which asserts that the Monitor had not sensibly disabled the Virginia. Both reports are reconcilable with the facts; for, although the Virginia was disabled in some regards and required some repair, she was not altogether disabled. There can be no question as to the ability and gallantry with which the two armed vessels were fought. But it will always remain an open question as to the extent of damage done the Virginia. The Monitor came out unscathed. The merit of having invented or planned the armor of the formidable Confederate iron-clad is due to Lieut. John M. Brooke, of the Confederate States Navy. The meed of high praise need not be withheld from an improvised and wonderful achievement in naval architecture which could have destroyed a fleet of ordinary wooden vessels, because it was immediately surpassed, as a factor in naval warfare, by the marvelous invention of the Monitor. Both inventions are American. America may well be proud of them. An American boy named Timby invented the revolving turret twenty years before. This was in 1841, when he was only nineteen years old. He caught the idea in crossing the ferry from New-York to Jersey City. In passing Castle William, it occurred to him that a similar structure of iron, on a revolving base, could bring all its guns to bear on any part of the channel. He filed a caveat for his invention in the Patent Office on Jan. 18, 1843. The same year he exhibited a model before President Tyler and his Cabinet. Mr. Jefferson Davis was one of the gentlemen who thought well of the invention. Mr. Timby went to France with his model. He exhibited it to the Emperor Napoleon III. But it remained for the genius of Ericsson to apply the revolving turret in actual warfare. How well he executed the design, the battle just described tells;-that battle of the Triton and the minnow in Hampton Roads, in 1862, in which the minnow won. It would seem, from this miraculous result, that the great northern cities of the sea-board escaped bombardment through the genius of Ericsson and the intrepidity of the gallant Worden and his crew. History records no event so providential in its bearing upon the destiny of this hemisphere. It demonstrated the worthlessness of wooden navies. The governments of Europe began at once to devise plans, in projectiles and armor, and to remodel their ships of war upon the new American patterns. THE PROGRESS OF THE WAR 1862. CONQUESTS ON SOUTH CAROLINA AND GEORGIA COASTS - MISSOURI RELIEVED D -- URING the year 1862, the conquests on the coasts of South Carolina and Georgia were considerably advanced. The most important of these, however, was the recapture of Fort Pulaski. It was one of the two principal fortifications which defended the approaches to Savannah from the sea, by the river. This achievement reflected great honor upon the enterprise and courage of the military and naval forces. Fort Pulaski is on a small island at the mouth of the Savannah River. Outside is Tybee Island. On this island, Gen. Quincy A. Gillmore, commanding the Union forces, erected works with siege guns bearing on the fort. Capt. John Rogers, who was in command of the gunboats, contributed largely to the success of the operations. The bombardment of Pulaski took place on the 10th of April. It lasted eighteen hours, when the commander, Col. Charles H. Olmstead, of the First Georgia volunteers, surrendered. The capture of that fort put a stop to blockade-running at Savannah. An expedition was fitted out against the coast of Florida. The result was the capture of Fernandina, Jacksonville, St. Augustine, and St. Mary's on the east coast, and Cedar Keys on the west. The command of the whole eastern coast of the state was secured. Darien and Brunswick, in Georgia, were also taken possession of without resistance. The spring of 1862 was signalized by several important Union victories in the Western States. In Missouri, General Curtis and Gen. Jefferson C. Davis drove back the Confederate forces under General Price, and took possession of Springfield. These operations took place on the 12th and 13th of February, and on the 18th General Price retreated across the Arkansas line. He was closely pursued by General Curtis, a skillful West Point soldier of rare endowments. On the 19th, Price formed a junction with the forces under Gen. Ben. McCulloch. With this re-enforcement he turned about to face the enemy at Sugar Creek, but soon gave way. On the 26th, Price and McCulloch were driven from a strong position at Cross Hollows. There they left their sick and wounded, after burning their barracks. Fayetteville, in Arkansas, was taken, with a large number of prisoners and military stores. Again the Confederates turned upon their pursuers, but they met with a great defeat at Pea Ridge, in northwestern Arkansas. They were commanded by General Van Dorn, aided by Generals Price, McCulloch, and McIntosh. The Confederates concede that the force under Van Dorn amounted to 20,000 men, while they hold that the Union force under General Curtis was 25,000. On the other hand, the Unionists claim that Curtis commanded only 10,500 men, and that the force of the enemy was twice as great. The battle was fought on the 7th and 8th of March. was one of the first signs of the value of a trained military commander and engineer. It resulted in the rout of the Confederates. They lost 1,000 in prisoners, and many killed and wounded. The Union loss was 212 killed, 926 wounded, and 124 missing. The Confederates retreated behind the Boston Mountain, and were not pursued. The effect of this victory seems to have been to push the seat of war west of the Mississippi, and from the soil of Missouri to that of Arkansas. The general officers under Curtis were Sigel, Jefferson C. Davis, and Asboth. Colonel Osterhaus was in command of a division and rendered important service. It The Union forces under Gen. George H. Thomas gained a signal victory on the 19th of January, over the Confederates under Gen. George B. Crittenden, at Webb's Cross Roads, near Mill Springs, in southeastern Kentucky. Among the Confederate killed was General Zollikoffer. He was |