In the Monitors Turret.
But over on the Merrimac matters were in quite as bad a condition. The “ship was working worse and worse. The smoke-stack was carried away, and the steam went down. Twice she grounded, while the Monitor, having but a little more than half her draft, played around her.” And even the shot from the big rifles made no impression on the turret of the Monitor. Lieutenant Jones, on going to one part of the gun-deck, found the men standing idle.
“‘Why are you not firing?’ he said to the lieutenant in charge.
“‘Why, our powder is very precious,’ replied the lieutenant, ‘and after two hours I find that I can do her about as much damage by snapping my thumb at her every two and a half minutes.’” So says Wood, already quoted.
At this, Jones determined to ram the Monitor, and for an hour manœuvred for a position before he was able to order, “Go ahead full speed!” Even then he failed because the watchful Worden gave the handy little Monitor a turn, and the Merrimac struck a glancing blow that did not hurt the Monitor, but it opened up her own bow, making an “alarming leak.” The leak was temporarily plugged, but it had its effect on the fortunes of the day, later on.
As the Merrimac sheered past the Monitor when trying to ram her, the Monitor fired while the ships’ sides were touching. The shot struck at right angles, and not only broke the armor-plates, but bulged in the wood backing from two to three inches. The concussion made the men in the immediate vicinity bleed at the nose and ears. It happened on the Monitor that a shot which struck the turret about that time disabled Mr. Stodder, but he was thoughtlessly leaning against the turret wall. These were the most effective shots fired on either side during about six hours of steady fighting. The crew of the Merrimac were ordered to board the Monitor at this time, but the ships drifted apart before it could be tried.
Meantime the Merrimac had been making occasional efforts to get at the vulnerable Minnesota. She had fired not a few shots at her from the off-side battery. One shot exploded the boiler of the tug Dragon alongside, and others made havoc on board the big ship. The Minnesota replied as well as her situation permitted, but without effect.
And then the end came when the commander of the Merrimac so far appreciated the condition of affairs as to order his gunners to concentrate their fire on the Monitor’s pilot-house. The result was paralyzing. A shell fired at a range of ten yards struck and burst against a lookout slot through which Captain Worden was gazing. Flaming grains of powder and shreds of iron were driven into his face and eyes. It knocked him across the pilot-house, and blinded and wholly disabled him.
The force of the explosion lifted a loose plate that lay on top of the pilot-house, and let in a flood of light. This “caused Worden, blind as he was, to believe that the pilot-house was seriously injured, if not destroyed; he therefore gave orders to put the helm to starboard and sheer off.” “The Monitor retired temporarily from the action in order to ascertain the extent of the injuries she had received.” Worden was helped down from the pilot-house, and Greene was sent for. He found Worden, “a ghastly sight, with his eyes closed and the blood apparently pouring from every pore in the upper part of his face.” Greene helped him to a sofa, where the doctor took charge of him. He believed himself dangerously hurt, but did not lose his fortitude. Greene then went to the pilot-house and took command.