There were 376 souls on board the Cumberland when she went into action. Of these, 117 were lost and twenty-three were missing.
The Merrimac Ramming the Cumberland.
From a drawing by M. J. Burns.
“The gallantry of her officers and crew was the theme of great praise, and painting and poetry celebrated their heroism. Lieutenant Morris, who was commanding in the absence of Captain Radford, was the recipient of special commendations from the Secretary of the Navy in a letter to him on the 21st March. Just a week later, twelve citizens of Philadelphia, all personal strangers to him, presented to Lieutenant Morris, at the house of R. W. Leaming, an elegant sword, saying in a letter to him, that it could have ‘no worthier recipient than the brave sailor who fought his ship while a plank floated, fired his last broadside in sinking, and went down with his flag flying at the peak.’ On the sword was the motto in Latin, ‘I sink, but never surrender.’”
George U. Morris.
From a photograph owned by Mr. C. B. Hall.
From the Cumberland the Merrimac turned to the government batteries on shore, which were silenced for brief intervals, and then she began on the Congress. Lieut. Joseph B. Smith was in command that day. Seeing the fate of the Cumberland, he made sail to fly toward Fortress Monroe, but unfortunately grounded. Two Confederate gunboats that had come with the Merrimac got under the stern of the Congress and opened a hot fire where only two guns would bear on them, and then finally came the Merrimac to take a raking position at a distance of 150 yards. She could not use the ram because the water was shoal, but her powerful battery knocked the guns of the Congress to pieces and “searched the ship.” Just before the last stern gun was disabled the powder cartridges ceased coming to it. The division lieutenant went to learn why. “After my eyes became a little accustomed to the darkness and the sharp smoke from burning oak,” he wrote, “I saw that the line of cooks and wardroom servants stationed to pass full boxes had been raked by a shell, and every one of them either killed or wounded.” For an hour the crew of the Congress stood to their guns, and then, Lieutenant Smith having been killed, and the ship being on fire in several places, Lieut. Austin Pendergrast hoisted a white flag.
Meantime the flagship Roanoke had sent the Minnesota over toward Newport News to attack the Merrimac, and had herself followed with the St. Lawrence. But only the Minnesota got near enough to fight. The other two “very prudently ran aground not far from Fortress Monroe.”