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paralyzed the efforts of the navy in the waters adjoining Hampton Roads.It was necessary that she should be neutralized at all hazards, or her appear-ance either in the York or James River would become a serious obstacleto the success of the campaign. But for the negligence of the Navy Depart-ment in postponing the building of iron-clads until six months after the warhad begun, and that of the War Department in omitting, during the sixfollowing months, when it had 150,000 men lying inactive around Washing-ton, to send 50,000 of them to capture Norfolk , the Merrimac would neverhave become a serious factor in the situation. As, however, General McClellan had been satisfied to leave Norfolk to be turned by his advance on the Penin-sula , and as the Navy Department had thus far succeeded in getting afloatonly one iron-clad, the efforts of the force at Hampton Roads were necessarilyconcentrated on holding the enemy in check. This was the first considera-tion of the flag-officer from March 9th, when the engagement took placebetween the Monitor and Merrimac [see Vol. I., p. 692], until May 11th, whenthe latter was destroyed. During most of this time — that is, from April 5thto May 4th —the Army of the Potomac was conducting the siege of Yorktown.
After the battle of the 9th of March, Tattnall had taken command of theMerrimac , and on the 4th ofApril she came out of thedock thoroughly repaired,and, except for her engines,in good condition. On themorning of the 11th shesteamed down ElizabethRiver and came out intothe Roads, advancing to aposition between Sewell’sPoint and Newport News.
Goldsborough, with the Min-nesota , the Monitor , and othervessels of his squadron, waslying near Fort Monroe. Thetransports and store-ships at this time in the neighborhood had been warnedof the danger of lying near Hampton, and most of them had withdrawn underthe protection of the fort. Three vessels of the quartermaster’s departmentstill remained near Newport News. They had been run on shore. The Con-federate gun-boats Jamestown and Raleigh , under Captain Barney and CaptainAlexander, were sent to tow them off. This was handsomely done, in full viewof the Union vessels, which offered no opposition, notwithstanding the chal-lenge offered by the captors in hoisting the flags of their prizes Union down.This event, rendered all the more humiliating by the presence of a foreignship-of-war, was suffered by Goldsborough because, in accordance with thewishes of the Department, it was his duty to hold in check the Merrimac;and he feared that a collision between the gun-boats might bring on a gen-eral engagement.
FORT DARLING. [SEE MAP, P. 272.] FROM A PHOTOGRAPH.
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