SECRETARY STANTON'S OPINION ABOUT THE MERRIMAC.
"The whole character of the war will be changed."
Of necessity this craft, being the pioneer of its kind, had many defects. She could move only very slowly, and her great length of 300 feet and poor steering apparatus required a half-hour for her to make a complete turn, while her draft of 22 feet confined her to the narrow channel of the Roads. Still she could go faster than an ordinary sailing vessel, and her resistless momentum and iron prow enabled her to crush any vessel afloat as if it were an egg-shell.
Great pains were taken by the Confederates to keep secret the particulars of her building; but it was known in Washington that a strange craft was in course of construction at Norfolk, with which it was expected to capture Washington and devastate the leading cities along the Atlantic seaboard. Ericsson, the famous Swedish inventor, was engaged near New York in building a smaller vessel upon the same principle, and he was pressed to make all possible haste in finishing it; for, though the government did not suspect the terrible effectiveness of the Merrimac, they meant to take all reasonable precautions against it.
AWFUL WORK OF THE MERRIMAC.
There were lying at Hampton Roads at that time five Union vessels, which, being so close to the dangerous craft, were on the alert day and night for her appearance. About noon on March 8th a column of dark smoke in the direction of the Norfolk navy yard, followed by the forging into sight of the huge hulk, left no doubt that the long-expected Merrimac was coming forth upon her errand of death and destruction. In her company were three gunboats ready to aid her in any way possible. The steam frigate Minnesota and Roanoke and the sailing frigates Congress, Cumberland, and St. Lawrence immediately cleared their decks for action.
The Minnesota and Roanoke moved out to meet the Merrimac, but both got aground. In the case of the Minnesota this was due to the treachery of the pilot, who was in the employ of the Confederates. The Cumberland swerved so as to bring her broadsides to bear, and opened with her pivot guns, at the distance of a mile. The aim was accurate, but the iron balls which struck the massive hide of the Merrimac bounded off like pebbles skipping over the water. Then the Congress added her broadsides to those of the Cumberland, but the leviathan shed them all as if they were tiny hailstones, and, slowly advancing in grim silence, finally opened with her guns, quickly killing four marines and five sailors on the Cumberland. Then followed her resistless broadsides, which played awful havoc with officers and men. Swinging slowly around, the Merrimac next steamed a mile up the James, and, turning again, came back under full speed. Striking the Cumberland under the starboard bow, she smashed a hole into her through which a horse might have entered. The ship keeled over until her yardarms were close to the water. The terrific force broke off the prow of the Merrimac, but her frightful shots riddled the Cumberland and set her on fire. The flames were extinguished, and the Cumberland delivered broadside after broadside, only to see the enormous missiles fly off and spin harmlessly hundreds of feet away.
Lieutenant George U. Morris, of the Cumberland, ran up the red flag meaning "no surrender," and with a heroism never surpassed maintained the unequal fight, if fight it can be called where there was absolutely no hope for him. Finally the Cumberland went down to her cross-trees, in fifty-four feet of water. Lieutenant Morris succeeded in saving himself by swimming, but of the crew of 376, 121 lost their lives.
The Cumberland being destroyed, the Merrimac headed for the Congress, which had run aground. She replied with her harmless broadsides, but the Merrimac held her completely at her mercy, raking her fore and aft, and killing 100 of the crew, including the commander. It being evident that not a man could escape, the white flag was run up in token of surrender. The hot firing from the shore preventing Commodore Buchanan from taking possession of the Congress, whereupon he fired her with hot shot.
During the fighting, Commodore Buchanan fearlessly exposed himself on the upper deck of the Merrimac, and was badly wounded in the thigh by a Union sharpshooter, whereupon the command was assumed by Lieutenant Jones. By that time it was growing dark and the Merrimac steamed back to Sewall's Point, intending to return the next morning and complete her appalling work of destruction.