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WATCHING THE “MERRIMAC.”
BY R. E. COLSTON, BRIGADIER-GENERAL, C. S. A.
I N March, 1862, I was in command of a Confed-erate brigade and of a district on the south sideof the James River, embracing all the river fortsand batteries down to the mouth of NansemondRiver. My pickets were posted all along the shoreopposite Newport News. From my headquartersat Smithfield I was in constant and rapid commu-nication through relays of couriers and signalstations with my department commander, Major-General Huger, stationed at Norfolk . &
About 1 P. ivi. on the 8th of March, a courierdashed up to my headquarters with this brief dis-patch: “The Virginia is coming up the river.”Mounting at once, it took me but a very short timeto gallop twelve miles down to Ragged Island.
I had hardly dismounted at the water’s edgewhen I descried the Merrimac approaching. TheCongress was moored about a hundred yards belowthe land batteries, and the Cumberland a littleabove them. As soon as the Merrimac camewithin range, the batteries and war-vessels opened
“ The situation of affairs, both Federal and State, atNorfolk , on the morning of the 19th of April [1861],” saysJ. T. Scharf in his “ History of the Confederate StatesNavy,” “was that the Federal authorities had there theU. S. frigate Cumberland , 24 guns, fully manned, readyfor sea, and under orders for Vera Cruz; the brig Dol-phin, 4 guns, fully manned, and ready for sea; the sloopGermantown, 22 guns, fully manned, ready for sea; thesloop Plymouth, 22 guns, ready for sea; themarinesof thenavy yard, and the guards of the frigate Raritan, 60 guns,in ordinary; the frigate Columbia, 50 guns, in ordinary;the frigate United States , 50 guns, in ordinary; the steam-frigate Merrimac, 40 guns, under repairs; the ship of theline Delaware , 74 guns, in ordinary; the ship of the lineColumbus , 74 guns, in ordinary; and the ship of the linePennsylvania , 120 guns, ‘ receiving-ship ’; — all lyiug atthe yard or in the stream. The yard was walled aroundwith a high brick inclosure, and protected by the Eliza-beth River, and there were over 800 marines and sailorswith officers. On the side of Virginia the situation was:that of General Taliaferro with his staff; Captain Hethand Major Tyler, two volunteer companies,—the Bluesof Norfolk and the Grays of Portsmouth,— and CaptainsPegram and Jones, of the navy* These were the onlytroops in Norfolk , until after the evacuation of the navyyard and the departure of the Federal ships.”
Captain H. G. "Wright, of the Engineers , who was onthe United States steamer Pawnee that had been sent tosecure the ships and property at the Gosport NavyYard, reached Norfolk after dark on April 20tli. He re.ported thus: “ On reaching the yard it was found that allthe ships afloat except the Cum berland had been scuttled,by order of Commodore McCauley, the commandant ofthe yard, to prevent their seizure by the Virginia forces,and that they were fast sinking. One of the objects ofthe expedition— that of removing those vessels and tak-ing them to sea —was, therefore, frustrated. On report-ing to the commodore of the yard, I found him disposedto defend the yard and property to the last, andthe troops were accordingly landed and some disposi-
fire. She passed on up, exchanging broadsideswith the Congress , and making straight for theCumberland , at which she made a dash, firing herbow-guns as she struck the doomed vessel with herprow. I could hardly believe my senses when Isaw the masts of the Cumberland begin to swaywildly. After one or two lurches, her hull disap-peared beneath the water, guns firing to the lastmoment. Most of her brave crew went down withtheir ship, but not with their colors, for theUnion flag still floated defiantly from the masts,which projected obliquely for about half theirlength above the water after the vessel had set-tled unevenly upon the river-bottom. This first actof the drama was over in about thirty minutes, butit seemed to me only a moment.
The commander of the Congress recognized atonce the impossibility of resisting the assault of theram which had just sunk the Cumberland. Withcommendable promptness and presence of mind,lie slipped his cables, and ran her aground upon
tions for defense taken. It was soon determined, how-ever, by Commodore Paulding, wlio bad come on thePawnee from Washington, to finish the destruction of thescuttled ships, to burn and otherwise destroy, as far aspracticable, the property in the yard, and withdraw withthe frigate Cumberland, in tow of the Pawnee and asteam-tug which was lyiug at the yard. To CommanderJohn Rodgers, of the navy, and myself was assignedthe duty of blowing up the dry-dock, assisted by fortymen of the volunteers and a few men from the crewof the Pawnee.” Captain Wright and CommanderRodgers lighted the matches, but the mine, as was aft-erward learned, did not explode. The heat from theburning buildings drove tbe men in the boats from thelanding, and the two officers, alone and hemmed in,had to give themselves up to the commander of theVirginia forces. They were taken to Richmond , andreleased on April 24th.
In his “Recollections,” Captain W. H. Parker, C. S.N., says: “The evacuation of Norfolk by the Federalswas a most fortunate thing for the Confederates. Whythe Federal authorities did this was always beyond mycomprehension. They had the place, and with the forceat their command could not have been driven out. Nobatteries could have been put up by the Confederatesin the face of the broadsides of their ships, and itbeing only twelve miles from Fort Monroe (Old PointComfort) it could have been reenforced to any extent.But they did give it up, and had hardly done so whenthey commenced making preparations to retake it. Thenavy yard contained a large number of heavy cannon,and these guns were used not only to fortify Norfolk andthe batteries on the York, Potomac, Janies, and Rappa-hannock rivers, but were sent to North and SouthCarolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi , andLouisiana. They were to be found at Roanoke Island ,Wilmington, Charleston, Mobile, New Orleans, Vicks-burg , and many other places. These guns, accordingto J. T. Scharf, numbered 1198, of which 52 were nine-iuch Dablgrens.” Editors.
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