burn her, and the Teaser, Lieut. Commanding Webb, was ordered to cover the boat. Lieut. Minor had scarcely reached within fifty yards of the Congress when a deadly fire was opened upon him, wounding him severely and several of his men. On witnessing this vile treachery, I instantly recalled the boat and ordered the Congress to be destroyed by hot shot and incendiary shell. About this period I was disabled, and transferred the command of the ship to that gallant, intelligent officer, Lieut. Catesby Jones, with orders to fight her as long as the men could stand to their guns."

In the effort to remove the wounded from the Congress, Lieut. Taylor and Midshipman Hutter of the Raleigh had been killed, notwithstanding the white flag floated from the masts of the Congress. This fire from the shore batteries killed and wounded a number of Federal men on the Congress, and became so hot and destructive as to compel the Beaufort and the Raleigh to retire with only thirty wounded prisoners, and to leave the rest to share the fate of the burning ship, in which over 150 perished. The inhumanity which Admiral Porter imagined to exist in the conduct of Čapt. Buchanan, finds its actual existence in the rash and absurd folly of the shore batteries attempting defence of the Congress at a time when she was on fire, had surrendered, and her wounded were being removed. It was this unnecessary slaughter of friend as well as foe that Capt. Buchanan regarded as "vile treachery," to be punished by burning the ship, which, having surrendered, was yet being defended by shore batteries.

Very great indignation was felt and expressed by the Confederates that their kindness to the captured officers of the Congress should have been availed of by them to escape, after surrendering their swords and themselves as prisoners-of-war. Lieut. Wood, having been ordered by Commander Buchanan to go alongside the Congress to "take the officers and wounded men prisoners, to permit the others to escape, and then to burn the ship," promptly placed the Beaufort alongside the burning frigate, and sent an officer to direct the commander of the Congress to come to him. In a few minutes, Lieut. Austin Pendergrast came down the side of the Congress, accompanied by Capt. William Smith, who was acting as a volunteer. "These two officers," Lieut. Wood says, "landed on the hurricane deck of the Beaufort where I was, and surrendered the ship. As they were without side-arms, I thought it proper to request them to return to their ship and get them. This they did, though Pendergrast delivered to me a ship's cutlass instead of the regulation sword. I now told Pendergrast my orders, and asked him to get his officers and wounded men on board as quickly as possible, as I wanted to burn the ship. He said there were sixty wounded men on board the frigate, and begged me not to burn the vessel. I told him my orders were peremptory; While we were

engaged in this conversation, the wounded men were being lowered into the Beaufort, and just then the Raleigh came

alongside. Lieut. Taylor came on board and said that Capt. Alexander had sent him to me for orders. I directed him to take the Raleigh to the starboard side of the Congress and assist in getting off the wounded men. I had scarcely given him the order when a tremendous fire was opened on us from the shore by a regiment of soldiers-Medical Director Shippen says it was the Twentieth Indiana. At the first discharge every man on the deck of the Beaufort, save Capt. Smith and Lieut. Pendergrast, was either killed or wounded. Four bullets passed through my clothing, one of which carried off my cap cover and eye-glass, and another slightly wounded me on the knee. Lieut. Pendergrast now begged me to hoist the white flag, saying that all his wounded men would be killed. I called his attention to the fact that they were firing on the white flag, which was flying at his mainmast-head, directly over our heads. I said I would not hoist it on the Beaufort; in fact, I did not feel authorized to do so without consulting Commander Buchanan. I said,' Tell your men to stop firing." He replied,' They are a lot of volunteers, and I have no control over them.' This was evident. The lieutenant then requested permission to go on board the Congress with Capt. Smith, and assist in getting the wounded down. This I assented to. Capt. Smith and Lieut. Pendergrast did not return, but escaped to shore; and, after surrendering themselves prisoners-of-war, took advantage of the permission given for the humane purpose of saving their wounded, and violated their implied parole and escaped."

It must be said that the Congress, not having hauled her colors down, as is usual in naval warfare, the right to continue fire until the colors are struck is not altered by flying the white flag. That does not of itself constitute a surrender-it implies a parley, during which firing ceases temporarily, to ascertain the object of the white flag. Under these circumstances were Capt. Smith and Lieut. Pendergrast prisoners-of-war, and were they justified in escaping, or if they escaped from the burning ship to save their lives, were they not in military honor and custom bound to have returned to their captors? Their position was not the same as that of Capt. Semmes at the sinking of the Alabama. Smith and Pendergrast had been in the actual possession of their captor, and on board his ship, and had surrendered their swords in token of their capture. Capt. Semmes never was within the power of Capt. Winslow of the Kearsarge. From the deck of the Beaufort, Smith and Pendergrast were permitted to go to the Congress for a specific purpose of helping to save their own wounded men. Capt. Semmes leaped into the ocean, preferring the risk of drowning to capture by Capt. Winslow. The officers of the Congress had come on board the ship of their captor, and surrendered their swords, and the opportunity to escape, which they embraced, was extended to them in the office of humanity, but was taken

advantage of by them to the discredit of the honor of American sailors.

In the fight between the Virginia and the Congress and the Cumberland, the former received no material injury except the loss of ram in the side of the Cumberland, and the breaking off the muzzle of two of the broadside guns. Her armor was not the least damaged, as the balls that struck glanced off, "having no more effect than peas from a pop-gun," though she was the focus upon which the fire of more than 100 heavy guns was concentrated for over three hours. But everything outside was swept away by the fire to which she was exposed. One anchor, the smokestack, and steampipes, stanchions, railings, boat-davits, and flag-staff were all shot away, and finally a boarding pike bore her colors in triumph out of the fight. Her loss was two killed and eight wounded, among the latter Capt. Buchanan, so seriously as to be compelled to transfer the command to Lieut. Jones, and, with Lieut. Minor, to be carried the next day to the naval hospital at Norfolk. The loss in the Confederate fleet aggregated in killed and wounded twenty-one.

The Minnesota, the Roanoke, and the St. Lawrence, upon seeing the approach of the Confederate fleet from Norfolk, were not slow to get underway. Each of these ships grounded before coming within short range-the Minnesota so firmly as not to be got afloat for four tides; the Roanoke grounded also, but was soon gotten off with the assistance of tugs, which towed her round; and the St. Lawrence in tow of the Cambridge, passed the Roanoke, but she also grounded, but was gotten off; "after which," Capt. Purviance reported, "a powerful broadside from the spar and gun decks of the St. Lawrence, then distant about half a mile, thrown into the Merrimac, induced her to withdraw, whether from necessity or discretion, is not known." The parting broadside of the St. Lawrence was merely coincident with the withdrawal of the Virginia. Capt. Buchanan says:

"The ships from Old Point opened their fire upon us. The Minnesota grounded in the north channel, where, unfortunately, the shoalness of the channel prevented our approach. We continued, however, to fire upon her until the pilots declared that it was no longer safe to remain in that position, and we accordingly returned by the south channel (the middle ground being necessarily between the Virginia and Minnesota, and the St. Lawrence and the Roanoke having retreated under the guns of Old Point), and again had an opportunity of opening upon the Minnesota, receiving her heavy fire in return; and shortly afterwards upon the St. Lawrence, from which vessel we also received several broadsides."

The St. Lawrence carried off a token from the Virginia"one of her projectiles of formidable dimensions." Capt. Purviance says:

"An eighty-pound shell penetrated the starboard quarter about four inches above the water-line, passed through the pantry of the ward-room,

and into the state-room of the assistant surgeon on the port side, completely demolishing the bulkhead, and then struck a strong iron bar which secured the bull's-eye of the port. It returned into the ward-room expended. It fortunately did not explode, and no person was injured. The damage done by this shot proved the power of the projectiles which she employed, and readily explained the quick destruction of our wooden and antiquated frigates. Our position at this time was one of some anxiety.”

The St. Lawrence was gotten off by the gunboat Young America. The ship's carpenter of the Minnesota reported the damage done to that frigate as follows:

"Port side received one shell on after-quarter at the water-line, which cut through the planking; one shell between main and mizzen rigging, below air-port-line, which passed through chief engineer's state-room, crossing and tearing up the deck over the cock-pit, and striking the clamp and knee in carpenter's state-room, where it exploded, carrying away the beam clamp and knee, and completely demolishing the bulkheads, setting fire to the same and ripping up the deck. One shell passed through hammock netting abaft of main rigging, striking the spar deck on starboard side, cutting through four planks, then ricochetting, carrying away trunk and axle of gun-carriage, and wounding water-ways. Two shells passed through No. 8 port, carrying away planking, timbers and deck clamps, and splintering several beams and castings. One shell passed through forward part of No. 6 port, carrying away planking timber and upper sill. One shell under fore-rigging, which cut away sheet cable, penetrating planking timber and splintering deck clamps. One shell on starboard side carried away hammock nettings and gangway boards. There are several wounds on port side received from fragments of exploding shell. One shell passed through the mainmast fourteen feet above deck, cutting away one-third of the mast and bursting some of the iron bands. One shell struck the spar deck in starboard gangway, cutting it up. One passed from port to starboard gangway, forward of mainmast, where it exploded, wounding two boats."

Darkness had closed over the water, and put an end to further fighting for that day. The Confederate fleet steamed proudly and triumphantly back to its anchorage, having sent a thrill of joyful enthusiasm throughout the length and breadth of the Confederate States, dismay and disgrace all over the United States, and revolutionized naval construction throughout the world. From that anchorage, and by the blaze of the burning Congress, the crews of the Confederate vessels saw waving from the masts of the sunken Cumberland the flag of the United States, and heard the booming of the guns of the burning Congress, until her magazine, exploding. scattered over the waters of the Roads the fragments of the frigate; the stranded Minnesota lying riddled, the Roanoke. St. Lawrence, Mystic, and other gunboats, huddled under the guns of Fortress Monroe, and no flag but the Stars and Bars waving in defiance over all the waters of the Hampton Roads.

CHAPTER X.

THE VIRGINIA (MERRIMAC) AND MONITOR.

A

T daybreak on Sunday, March 9th, 1862, the positions of the various vessels in Hampton Roads were as follows: Off Sewell's Point lay the Confederate fleet: the Virginia, the Patrick Henry, the Jamestown, the gunboats Raleigh and Teaser. Off Newport News the masts of the Cumberland rose above the waters of Hampton Roads, and the floating debris of the Congress told the story of the battle of the 8th. In the north channel, hard and fast aground, lay the Minnesota, with her sides well riddled, while, close beside, the queerlooking Monitor guarded the stranded frigate. Towards Fortress Monroe, the Roanoke, the St. Lawrence, and the many gunboats of the Federal fleet kept at a respectful distance from the dreaded Virginia. The central figure in the picture was unquestionably the Monitor, of whose construction and reputed prowess full particulars had been received by the Confederate authorities. Whatever her merits might prove, the fact that she was iron-clad was sufficient, after the previous day's experience, to make her visit inopportune and undesired to the victors of the night before. Beside the towering frigate, the little Monitor presented the appearance of a pigmy beside a giant. A "tin can upon a shingle," or a "cheese box on a plank," were the familiar similes that greeted her appearance. But though small and insignificant in appearance, she was known to be the product of American inventive genius, of American energy, industry and enterprise. The officers who were to engage her in battle were too familiar with the resources, the energy, and the skill of Northern enterprise to doubt her prowess or to expect an easy victory. But whatever she might prove herself to be, she was there, watching and guarding the prize of yesterday's victory, and must be fought, let the result be what it would. Lieut. Jones, commanding the Virginia, was not the man to decline any contest after yesterday's triumph-still less to retire before testing the endurance and capabilities of that last product of Yankee invention.