FIGHT OF THE MERRIMAC AND MONITOR. 119 any unplated ship on the globe, and | Norfolk. The Minnesota, despite put a shell from her rifled bow-gun persistent efforts, was not fairly afloat through the Minnesota's side, which until 2 o'clock next morning. tore four of her rooms into one and set her on fire; but the flames were promptly extinguished. The Merrimae's next shot pierced the boiler of the tug-boat Dragon, which was made fast to the port side of the Minnesota, to be ready to assist in tow-bolts struck her pilot-house squarely ing her off; killing or badly wound- in front of the peep-hole through ing 7 of her crew and setting her on which Lt. Worden was watching his fire. By this time, the Minnesota enemy, knocking off some cement was raining iron upon her assailant; into his face with such force as utat least 50 solid shot from her great terly to blind him for some days, and guns having struck the Rebel's side permanently to destroy his left eye. without apparent effect. Now the Three men standing in the turret little Monitor again interposed be- when it was struck were knocked tween the larger combatants, com- down, one of them being Chief Enpelling the Merrimac to change her gineer Alban C. Stimers, who manposition; in doing which she ground- aged the revolving of the turret. The ed; and again a broadside was poured Merrimac had her prow twisted in her upon her at close range from all the collision with the Monitor, her anchor guns of the Minnesota that could be and flag-staff shot away, her smokebrought to bear. The Merrimac was stack and steam-pipe riddled, 2 of her soon afloat once more, and stood crew killed and 8 wounded, includ down the bay, chased by the Monitor; ing her commander, Buchanan. The when suddenly the former turned and Patrick Henry was disabled by a shot ran full speed into her pursuer, giving through one of her boilers, by which 4 her a tremendous shock, but inflicting of her crew were killed and 3 woundno serious damage. The Rebel's prow ed. The other Rebel gunboats reportgrated over the deck of the Moni- ed an aggregate loss of only 6 men. tor; and was badly cut by it; so that she was not inclined to repeat the experiment. The Monitor soon afterward stood down the Roads toward Fortress Monroe; but the Merrimac and her tenders did not see fit to pursue her, nor even to renew the attack on the now exposed Minnesota: on the contrary, they gave up the fight, which they were destined never to renew, and steamed back to In this memorable fight, the turret of the Monitor was struck by Rebel bolts nine times, her side armor eight times, her deck thrice, and her pilothouse twice the last being her only vulnerable point. One of these "A letter from Petersburg, March 10, to the Raleigh Standard, says: "The Merrimac lost her enormous iron beak in the plunge at the Erics The Merrimac was undoubtedly disabled" in this two-days' conflict, or she would not have closed it as she did, or would have renewed it directly afterward. Our total loss by this raid, beside the frigates Cumberland and Congress, with all their armament, tho tug Dragon, and the serious damage inflicted on the Minnesota, can hardly have fallen short of 400 men, includ son, and damaged her machinery, and is leaking a little." It was probably this leak which constrained her to abandon the fight as she did. ing 23 taken from the Congress and carried off by the gunboat Beaufort. Gen. McClellan left Washington on the 1st of April, arriving next day at Fortress Monroe. Of his army, 58,000 men and 100 guns were there before him, and nearly as many more on the way. Gen. Wool's force, holding the Fortress, is not included in these numbers. vance on the morning of the 4th; and, before evening of the next day, Gen. Heintzelman, in front of Yorktown, and Gen. Keyes, before Winn's Mill," on the Warwick, were brought to a halt by the fire of Rebel batteries." Gen. McClellan had been misled with regard to the topography of the country as well as the number of his foes. On his map, the Warwick was traced as heading in or very Gen. J. B. Magruder, at Yorktown, near Skiff's creek, directly up the watched this ominous gathering in Peninsula from its mouth, some six his front at the head of a Rebel force or eight miles west of Yorktown; officially reported by him at 11,000 whereas it actually heads within in all: 6,000 being required to gar- a mile of that post, running diagrison Gloucester Point, Yorktown, onally and crookedly nearly across and Mulberry Island; leaving but the Peninsula, while it was in 5,000 available for the defense of a good part navigable by Rebel gunline of 13 miles. Gen. McClellan boats. His false information regardsays his information placed Magru- ing it was furnished, he states, by der's command at 15,000 to 20,000 | Gen. Wool's topographical engineers; men, aside from Gen. Huger's force though there must have been a hunat Norfolk, estimated by him at dred negroes about the Fortress, each 20,000. Feeling the importance of of whom could and gladly would dealing decisively with Magruder have corrected it. Our ships of war before he could be rëenforced by Johnston, McClellan ordered an ad 30 Called by Gen. McClellan, Lee's Mill. 31 Pollard says: "General Magruder, the hero of Bethel, and a commander who was capable of much greater achievements, was left to confront the growing forces on the Peninsula, which daily menaced him, with an army of 7 500 men, while the great bulk of the Confederate forces were still in motion in the neighborhood of the Rappahannock and the Rapidan, and he had no assurance of reenforcements. The force of the enemy was ten times his own; they had commenced a daily cannonading upon his lines; and a council of general officers was convened, to consult whether the little army of 7,500 men should maintain its position in the face of tenfold odds, or retire before the enemy. The opinion of the council was unanimous for the latter alternative, with the exception of one officer, who declared that every man should die in the intrenchments before the little army should fall back. By G-, it shall be so!' was the sudden exclamation of Gen. Magruder, in sympathy with the gallant suggestion. The resolution demonstrated a remarkable heroism and spirit. Our little force was adroitly extended over a distance of several what the Merrimac had left of them-were intently watching for miles, reaching from Mulberry Island to Gloucester Point, a regiment being posted here and there, in every gap plainly open to observation, and on other portions of the line the men being posted at long intervals, to give the appearance of numbers to the enemy. Had the weakness of Gen. Magruder at this time been known to the enemy, he might have suffered the consequences of his devoted and self-sacrificing courage; but, as it was, he held his lines on the Peninsula until they were reenforced by the most considerable portion of Gen. Johnston's forces, and made the situation of a contest upon which the attention of the public was unanimously fixed as the most decisive of the war." Col. Fremantle, of the British Coldstream Guards, in his "Three Months in the Southern States," says: "He [Magruder] told me the different dodges he resorted to to blind and deceive McClellan as to his strength; and he spoke of the intense relief and amusement with which he at length saw that General, with his magnificent army, begin to break ground before miserable earthworks defended only by 8,000 men' aware that time was precious, and that a few days might greatly increase the number of his foes, venture to order a determined assault." On the contrary, he sat down before Magruder's lines, began to throw up earthworks, and sent orders to Washington for siege-guns. Pressing too close to Yorktown, the besiegers were repulsed by a sudden charge of two battalions under Col. Ward. On the 16th, a reconnoissance in force by the 2d division of the 4th corps, Gen. W. F. Smith, was made at Dam steadiness of our troops. Thus, with 5,000 men, exclusive of the garrisons, we stopped and held in check over 100,000 of the enemy. Every preparation was made in anticipation of another attack by the enemy. The men slept in the trenches and under arms; but, to my utter surprise, he permitted day after day to elapse without an assault." 121 No. 1, on the Warwick, which was to have been converted into a real attack if successful at the outset. Though gallantly made, it failed; our advance being driven back across the stream with the loss of 100 men. The Rebels lost about 75 men, including Col. R. M. McKinney, 15th North Carolina, killed. Gen. McClellan had been thirty days in front of Yorktown, and was intending to open the siege in due form by the fire of breaching batteries on the morning of May 6th; but he found, two days earlier, that Magruder had abandoned his works, including Yorktown, during the preceding night, retreating up the Peninsula." The pursuit of the flying Rebels was prompt and energetic. It was led by Gen. George D. Stoneman, with 4 regiments and a squadron of cavalry, and 4 batteries of horse-artillery, followed, on the Yorktown road to Williamsburg, by Hooker's and Kearny's divisions, and on the Winn's Mill road by those of W. F. Smith, Couch, and Casey. Gen. McClellan remained at Yorktown to supervise the embarkation of Gen. Franklin's and other troops for West Point. Gen. John G. Barnard, Gen. McClellan's chief engineer through the Peninsula campaign, in a report to his commauder at the close of that campaign, says: "At the time the Army of the Potomac landed on the Peninsula, the Rebel cause was at its lowest cbb. Its armies were demoralized by the defeats of Port Royal, Mill Spring, Fort Henry, Fort Donelson, Roanoke Islaud, and Pea Ridge; and reduced by sickness, loss in battle, expirations of period of service, etc.; while the conscription law was not yet even passed. It seemed as if it needed but one vigorous gripe to end forever this Rebellion, so nearly throttled. How, then, happened it, that the day of the initiation of the campaign of this magnificent Army of the Potomac was the day of the resuscitation of the Rebel cause, which seemed to grow pari passu with the slow progress of its operations? "However I may be committed to any expression of professional opinion to the contrary Fort Magruder, just in front of Williamsburg, at the junction of several roads, commanded, with its 13 adjuncts, substantially all the roads leading farther up the Peninsula. Though not calculated to stand a siege, it was a large and strong earthwork, with a wet ditch nine feet wide. Here Stoneman was stopped by a sharp and accurate cannonading, which compelled him to recoil and await the arrival of infantry. Gen. Sumner, with Smith's division, came up at 5:30 P. м. A heavy rain soon set in, and continued through the night, making the roads nearly impassable. The several commands, marching on different roads, had interfered with and obstructed each other's progress at the junction of those roads as they concentered upon Williamsburg. Gen. Hooker, advancing on the direct road from Yorktown to Williamsburg, was stopped, five or six miles out, by finding Gen. Smith's division in his way, and compelled to wait some hours. Impatient at this delay, he sought and obtained of Gen. Heintzelman permission to move over to the Hampton road on his left, on (I certainly did suggest it), my opinion now is that the lines of Yorktown should have been assaulted. There is reason to believe that they were not held in strong force when our army appeared before them; and we know that they were far from complete. The prestige of power, the morale, were on our side. It was due to ourselves to confirm and sustain it. We should probably have succeeded. But, if we had failed, it may well be doubted whether the shock of an unsuccessful assault would be more demoralizing than the labors of a siege. THE FIGHTING AT WILLIAMSBURG. 123 which he advanced through the rain | from Fort Magruder, Webber's batand deep mud and the dense dark- tery, which at once drew the fire of ness till nearly midnight, when his the Rebel batteries, whereby 4 of his troops were halted in the road, and cannoniers were shot down and the rested as they might until dawn; rest driven off before we had fired a then they pressed on until, emerg- gun; but their places were soon suping from a forest, they came in sight, plied, and Bramhall's battery brought about 5:30 A. M., of the Rebel works into action on the right of Webber's; before Williamsburg; Fort Magruder when, between them, Fort Magruder in the center, at the junction of the was silenced before 9 A. M. PatterYorktown and Hampton roads, with son's brigade, composed of the 6th, its cordon of 13 redoubts, extending 7th, and 8th New Jersey, was formed clear across the Peninsula, hence behind these batteries as their supwidening quite rapidly and perma- port, and was soon desperately ennently just above the town. The gaged with the Rebel infantry and ground had of course been chosen to sharp-shooters, who were found ungive the greatest advantage to its comfortably numerous; so that the defenders: the forest felled for a 1st Massachusetts, 72d and 70th breadth of nearly half a mile, to ob- New York were sent to their aid, struct the advance of our infantry; and, though fighting gallantly, found while a belt of open, level land, 60 themselves still overmatched. Meanor 700 yards wide, dotted all over while, our skirmishers on the right with rifle-pits, intervened between having reached the Yorktown road, this tangled abatis and the fort and the 11th Massachusetts and 26th redoubts. Williamsburg lay in plain Pennsylvania were sent down that sight of Hooker's position, two miles road to press the enemy and estabdistant. After a careful survey of lish a connection with Heintzelthe ground, knowing that there were man's corps, supposed to be estab30,000 of our troops within two miles, lished upon it; Hooker, at 11:20 and the main body of our army with- A. M., sending a pressing message to in twelve, Hooker decided to attack, Heintzelman for assistance, and not in order to hold the Rebel force en- finding him. By 1 P. M., Hooker gaged until the rest of our army had sent in the 73d and 74th New could come up. Accordingly, send- York, his last regiments; and, though ing the 1st Massachusetts into the his force was fighting gallantly, with felled timber on the left, and the 2d varying success, he was losing men New Hampshire into that on the fast, yet making no headway. Three right, with directions to skirmish up times he had repulsed Rebel charges to the further edge of the abatis, and upon his center, each made with ordering the 11th Massachusetts and fresh troops in increasing numbers 26th Pennsylvania to form on the and with more resolute purpose. right of the 2d New Hampshire and Soon, word came from the regiments advance as skirmishers until they thus engaged that their ammunition reached the Yorktown road, he threw was giving out, while no supply train forward into the cleared field on the had yet come up; and it was found right of the road, barely 700 yards necessary to glean the cartridges |