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. Another shell burst the boiler of the tug-boat Dragon, which lay alongside the Minnesota. The frigate was firing on the iron-clad 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 She retreats, pursued as she could get clear, she ran down the bay, by the Monitor. followed by the Monitor. Suddenly she turned round, and attempted to run her tormentor down. Her beak grated on the Monitor's deck, and was wrenched. The turret-ship stood unharmed a blow like that which had sent the Cumberland to the bottom; she mere ly 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.

the victory.

The Monitor now hauled off for the purpose of hoist The Monitor gains ing more shot into her turret. Catesby Jones thought he had silenced her, and that he might make another attempt on the Minnesota. He, however, changed his course as the Monitor steamed up, and it was seen that the Merrimack was sagging down at her stern. She made the best of her way to Craney Island. The battle was over; the turreted Monitor had driven her from the field and won the victory. ·

The Minnesota had fired 247 solid shot, 282 shells, and more than ten tons of powder. The Monitor fired 41

CHAP. LVI.]

THE MONITOR GAINS THE VICTORY.

425

The last shot

shot, and was struck 22 times. The last shell wounds Worden. fired by the Merrimack at her struck her pilot-house opposite the peep-hole, through which Worden at that moment was looking. He was knocked down senseless, and blinded by the explosion. When consciousness returned, the first question this brave officer asked was, "Did we save the Minnesota ?"

The shattering of the pilot-house was the greatest inInjuries received by jury that the Monitor received. One of the iron logs, nine inches by twelve inches thick,

the Monitor.

was broken in two.

Injuries of the
Merrimack.

On board the Merrimack two were killed and nineteen wounded. She lost her iron prow, her starboard anchor, and all her boats; her armor was dislocated and damaged; she leaked considerably; her steam-pipe and smoke-stack were riddled; the muzzles of two of her guns were shot away; the woodwork round one of the ports was set on fire at every discharge. In his report on the battle, Buchanan states that in fifteen minutes after the action began he Buchanan's report. had run the Cumberland down; that he distinctly heard the crash when she was struck, and that the fire his ship received did her some injury; that there was great difficulty in managing the Merrimack when she was near the mud, and that this was particularly the case in getting into position to attack the Congress. It was while firing the red-hot shot and incendiary shell by which that ship was burnt that he was himself wounded.

of this battle.

This engagement excited the most profound interest Important results throughout the civilized world. It seemed as if the day of wooden navies was over. Nor was it alone the superiority of iron as against wood that was settled by this combat; it showed that a monitor was a better construction than a mailed broad

side ship, and that inclined armor was inferior to a turret.

Destruction of the

On the invasion of the Peninsula by McClellan, the Confederate government determined on the Merrimack. abandonment of Norfolk (p. 383), and the Merrimack was blown up by them (May 11th). A few days subsequently, the Monitor, with the Galena and Naugatuck, made an ineffectual attack on Fort Darling, but it was found that the turret guns could not be elevated sufficiently to be of advantage. Toward the close of the year she was ordered to Beaufort, South Carolina, and foundered in a storm off Cape Hatteras.

Attack on Fort
Darling.

CHAPTER LVII.

THE SORTIE OF LEE. FORCING OF THE NATIONAL ARMY UNDER POPE INTO THE DEFENSES OF WASHINGTON.

General Pope was placed in command of an army concentrating in front of Washington.

The Confederate government, flushed with its overthrow of McClellan, and its armies being greatly strengthened by the conscription, resolved on a sortie under Lee, the counterpart of that under Bragg. It hoped to capture Philadelphia, and there dictate peace.

The first portion of these operations was completely successful. Pope was forced into the fortifications of Washington, and the way through Maryland opened by the Confederates.

Formation of the

MILITARY events showed that it was necessary to correct the false distribution of the forces in the vicinity of Washington. The armies that had been under the command of Generals Fremont, Banks, and McDowell were consolidated into one, which was designated national Army of the Army of Virginia, of which those armies Virginia. formed the First, Second, and Third Corps respectively. Major General Pope was called from the Pope placed in West, and, by order of the President, took command (June 26, 1862). Fremont was shortly after relieved at his own request, and the command of his corps given to Sigel. In addition, Burnside was brought from Roanoke Island to Alexandria.

command.

At this time McClellan was occupying a position on both sides of the Chickahominy. It was hoped that his long-delayed operations against Richmond might be fa cilitated by the vigorous use of the newly-consolidated He proposes to army. For this purpose, Pope intended to aid McClellan. advance by way of Charlottesville upon

by a direct march upon Richmond.

James River, above Richmond, thereby compelling Lee to detach a part of his army from the front of Richmond, and thus enable McClellan to complete his movement successfully. Scarcely, however, had the march begun, when McClellan commenced his disastrous retreat to Harrison's Landing. That changed at once the whole plan of the campaign. A meeting of the cabinet was held, and Pope called before it. It was plain that something must be done for the relief of the Potomac Army, and that speedily. Pope offered to march from Fredericksburg direct upon Richmond with his whole force-notwithstanding that Lee would be between him and McClellan, and could strike in succession at both-on condition that peremptory orders should be sent to McClellan, and such measures taken in advance that it would not be possible for him to evade on any pretext making a vigorous attack upon the enemy with his whole army the moment he heard that Pope was engaged. At this time Pope's force was forty-three thousand men.

On assuming command, Pope issued an order to his army, in which there occurred certain expressions supposed to cast reflections on McClellan :

order.

"I have come to you from the West, where we have Pope's offensive always seen the backs of our enemies-from an army whose business it has been to seek the adversary, and to beat him when found-whose policy has been attack, and not defense. I desire you to dismiss from your minds certain phrases which I am sorry to find much in vogue among you. I hear constantly of taking strong positions, and holding them-of lines of retreat, and bases of supplies. Let us discard such ideas. The strongest position a soldier should desire to occupy is one from which he can most easily advance against the enemy. Let us study the probable lines of retreat of our