1,867 tons, but was also refused a surrender. This refusal was replied
to by the guns of the rebel vessel, and after a short contest, when it
became hopeless to continue resistance, the Congress surrendered, and
was fired and abandoned. The evening was clear, the air still, the water
without a ripple, and the scene was magnificent, as the noble vessel
became wrapped in its fiery shroud. When entirely enveloped in flame,
the fire reached the magazine, and an explosion took place which
scattered the burning wreck in one vast upheaving of fragments and
cinders, kindling up the sky with its glare, and throwing portions of
the wreck the distance of a mile. The Merrimac having succeeded in
sinking the Cumberland and compelling the Congress to surrender,
withdrew for the night, evidently confident that in the morning she
would sweep away the rest of the fleet.
As the day closed, sadness and gloom filled the hearts of the Federal
officers in the fleet and Fortress. They felt assured that the powerful
enemy that had just made such murderous work had only retired for the
night to recruit, and then return to complete the destruction she had
commenced, having the sailing vessels at her mercy. While despondency
settled on many brows, and conjectures were rife as to where the
Merrimac would direct her attention the next day, a gleam of hope arose.
At eight o’clock in the evening a bright, movable light was discovered
seaward, coming from the direction of Cape Charles beacon. It being
known that the Ericsson Battery had left New York two days previous,
surmises were rife that this light might proceed from her deck. The best
night telescopes were brought into requisition, and in less than half an
hour after it first hove in sight, the fact was circulated that the
Ericsson Battery was coming up the Roads. The news spread like wildfire,
and the ramparts in the fort were soon lined with troops. At nine
o’clock the Monitor anchored off Fortress Monroe.
The next day, (Sunday, the 9th,) dawned fair and calm. The sun rose with
almost cloudless splendor, a soft haze alone hung upon the water, so
silvery and transparent that it hardly intercepted the view.
At half-past six o’clock, A. M., this haze cleared away. Looking towards
Sewall’s Point there appeared the Merrimac and the rebel steamers
Yorktown and Patrick Henry. They were stationary—the Merrimac to the
right of the others, blowing off steam. Their appearance was the cause
for a second alarm. The rebel craft seemed deliberating what to
do—whether to move on and attempt the destruction of the Minnesota,
which was aground, or to attack the Union fleet anchored near the Rip
Raps. The appearance of the Merrimac on this second visit caused great
precipitation in the removal of the Federal transport fleet to a safe
harbor a mile or two up the Chesapeake. At seven A. M., a plan seemed to
have been adopted, and the Merrimac steamed in the direction of the
Minnesota, which was still aground. The Yorktown and Jamestown were
crowded with troops, and steamed slowly after the Merrimac. The plan of
the latter seemed to be to destroy the Minnesota, and then proceed to
shell out the Union camp at Newport News, land and take possession of
the camp with their own troops.
The Merrimac steamed along with boldness until she was within three
miles of the Minnesota, when the Monitor emerged from behind the latter,
and proceeded towards the Merrimac. At first the rebel craft seemed
nonplussed, and hesitated, no doubt, in astonishment at the
strange-looking vessel approaching her. The Merrimac then closed the
distance between her and the Monitor until they were within a mile of
each other. Both batteries stopped. The Merrimac fired a shot at the
Minnesota, to which no reply was made. The rebel craft then fired at the
Monitor; the latter replied, hitting the Merrimac near the water line.
The Merrimac then commenced firing very rapidly, first from her stern
gun at the Monitor, and then her broadside guns, occasionally firing a
shot at the Minnesota. The fight went on in this way for an hour or two,
both vessels exchanging shots pretty freely. Sometimes the Merrimac
would retire, followed by the Monitor, and _vice versa_.
While the fight between the batteries was going on, one hundred solid
nine-inch shot were sent up from Fortress Monroe on the steamer Rancocas
to the Minnesota. At a quarter-past ten o’clock the Merrimac and Monitor
had come into pretty close quarters, the former giving the latter two
broadsides in succession. They were promptly replied to by the Monitor.
The firing was so rapid that both craft were obscured in columns of
white smoke. The ramparts of the fort, the rigging of the vessels in
port, the houses and the bend were all crowded with sailors, soldiers
and civilians. When the rapid firing alluded to took place, these
spectators were singularly silent, anxious and doubtful of the result.
Their impatience was soon removed by the full figure of the Monitor,
with the stars and stripes flying at her stern, steaming around the
Merrimac, moving with the ease of a duck on the water. The distance
between the vessels was forty feet. In this circuit the Monitor’s guns
were not idle, as she fired shot after shot at her formidable
antagonist.
At eleven A. M., the Minnesota opened fire, and assisted the Monitor in
engaging the Merrimac. She fired nine-inch solid shot with good
accuracy, but with apparently little effect. The Merrimac returned the
fire with shell, one of which struck and exploded the boiler of the
gunboat Dragon, which was alongside the Minnesota, endeavoring to get
her off. For the next hour the battle raged fiercely between the
Merrimac on the rebel side and the Union vessels, the Monitor, Minnesota
and Whitehall, but with no particular result. The Minnesota presenting
the best mark, the Merrimac fired at her frequently, alternately giving
the Monitor a powerful shot. The Merrimac made several attempts to run
at full speed past the Monitor to attack and run down the Minnesota. All
these attempts were parried, as it were, by the Monitor. In one of these
desperate efforts the Merrimac ran her plow or ram with terrible force
against the side of the Monitor; but it only had the effect of careening
the latter vessel in the slightest degree.
The rebel boats Yorktown and Patrick Henry kept at a safe distance from
the Monitor. The former vessel, at the beginning of the fight, had the
temerity to come within range of the Monitor. The latter fired one shot
at her which entered her pilot-house, carrying it away, when she retired
out of range.
The fire raged hotly on both sides, the opposing batteries moving around
each other with the skill, ease and dexterity of knights in a
tournament. The Merrimac, though the strongest, did not move with the
freedom of her antagonist; hence the Monitor had the advantage, taking
choice of position. At a quarter before twelve o’clock, the Merrimac was
in full retreat, heading for Sewall’s Point, and chased for a few
minutes by the Monitor. The Merrimac had evidently suffered to some
extent, and it was thought at one time that she was sinking. After she
got safely under the guns of the rebel battery at Sewall’s Point, she
stopped and signalled for help from her consorts, who were beating a
retreat. Subsequently two tug-boats or gunboats went alongside, took her
in tow, and proceeded to Norfolk. This ended the combat.
Toward the close of the engagement, Lieutenant Worden was standing in
the pilot-house, when a percussion shell struck the turret, and
exploded. The openings for sighting outside objects, through one of
which Lieutenant Worden was looking, allowed the fine dust and splinters
to enter, injuring his eyes. Almost immediately afterward the same thing
occurred, and this second injury rendered him completely blind, and he
was compelled to retire below. It was feared that he was permanently
injured in this gallant encounter, but after careful treatment his sight
was restored, and he was again ready for duty.
This remarkable encounter between two iron-clad vessels was regarded
with the greatest interest throughout Europe, where its importance to
the questions of naval architecture and warfare was fully appreciated
and understood. It had not only a direct bearing upon the construction
and working of floating batteries, but it demonstrated that a new engine
of war had been introduced that might render valueless for effective
defence all the land batteries against which these iron antagonists
might be brought to bear.
The destruction of the Cumberland and Congress on the first day of the
engagement, and the triumphant condition in which the Merrimac had
retired from the heavy broadsides of the Federal frigates, which would
almost have destroyed an ordinary vessel, created intense excitement in
all the seaport cities of the North. The loud boasts of the rebels over
the strength, sailing qualities, and impregnable character of their
vessel, apparently justified by the events of March 8th, led to an
apprehension that she might be successful in running out to sea, and
visiting Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and other cities, which were
entirely unprepared for a sudden attack.
The appearance of the Monitor alongside of the Minnesota, on the morning
of the 9th, was altogether unexpected, and the rebel commander evidently
knew that he had no common foe with which to deal.
CAPTURE OF JACKSONVILLE, FLA.
MARCH 12, 1862.
Jacksonville, the principal town in East Florida, is situated on the St.
John’s river, twenty miles from the sea. Vessels drawing twelve feet of
water can cross the bar. An important commercial city of Florida, it was
desirable to restore it to the protection of the government, and after
the capture of Fernandina, the commanders of the expedition turned their
attention to the accomplishment of this object. The United States
gunboat Ottawa, in company with the Pembina and Seneca, succeeded in
crossing the bar off Jacksonville, on the 11th of March. Commodore
Rogers found to his great satisfaction, as already at Fernandina and St.
Mary’s, no attempt to dispute his progress or resist the restoration of
the city to its allegiance to the government.
Contrary to expectation on both sides, the approaches to this place by
the river were not defended, and no resistance was offered to the Union
forces by land or water. As at Fernandina, the batteries were evacuated,
and the guns for the most part left behind. This was by order of General
Trapier, who is said to have acted upon orders from General Lee,
commanding the Confederate troops on the South Carolina, Georgia and
Florida coast. There were some five thousand rebel troops in this part
of Florida—at Fernandina, and on the line of the railroads to
Tallahassee and Cedar Keys.
When it was ascertained by the Mayor of the city that the troops were to
be withdrawn, he held a consultation with General Pyles, in company with
a portion of the city council, in which the question of resistance was
freely discussed. The retirement of the troops, and the entirely
defenceless condition in which the people had been left, allowed them no
choice had they been ever so much determined to dispute the entry of the
Federal forces. The Mayor, H. H. Hoeg, issued a proclamation, informing
the citizens that no opposition would be made, and calling upon all the
inhabitants to treat their expected visitors with proper decorum, and to
do nothing that would provoke any ill-feeling between citizens and
soldiers.
On the arrival of the vessels Lieutenant Stevens was politely received
by the authorities, who came on board his vessel, the Ottawa, and
through S. L. Burritt, Esq., gave up the town. Many of the inhabitants
had abandoned their homes, fearing to trust the Federal troops. Others,
however, remained, and testified their gratification at the arrival of
the fleet.
Unfortunately, however, they did not reach Jacksonville in time to save
that beautiful town from the flames, as a part of it was laid in ruins.
On the afternoon of the 11th, some five or six hundred armed men,
claiming to be a part of the force which had been stationed at
Fernandina, arrived by railroad, and announced that they had come, by
order of General Trapier, to burn the steam saw-mills, lumber, etc.,
which might be of value to the Federal authorities. No time was given to
save property of any description. At dusk the torch was applied, and in
a brief space eight of these immense establishments, forming nearly a
circle on both sides of the river, were in a blaze. Immediately
afterwards, the spacious and elegant hotel, well known to Northern
invalids as the Judson House, was fired by unknown persons, together
with warehouses, the railroad freight depot, etc., etc. All this
property was a total loss to the owners, as no attempt was made to save
or rescue any portion of it. The loss was estimated at half a million of
dollars.
The population of Jacksonville, before the war broke out, was about four
thousand. It had a large trade, as the St. John’s river is settled with
plantations, and is navigable for two hundred miles above the town for
large vessels, and there were a dozen steamers running on it. The lumber
trade was very extensive and prosperous. About fifty million feet of
Florida pitch pine were sawed there annually. This business was ruined
by the incendiaries. The exports of rosin, turpentine, etc., amounted to
$100,000 annually; cotton, $250,000; cedar, $100,000, etc. The arrivals
of vessels were about 400 yearly. The town was built mainly of brick,
lighted with gas, and was a great resort for invalids, for its mild and
balmy climate. The Florida, Atlantic and Gulf rail road, starting here,
intersects with the road from Fernandina to Cedar Keys, twelve miles
from Jacksonville, and then goes on to Tallahassee, the capital, one
hundred and sixty miles, and thence eighteen miles to St. Mark’s, on the
Gulf.
General Sherman and staff arrived on the 20th, in the steamer
Cosmopolitan. He immediately issued a proclamation to the people,
assuring them of protection and peace, and calling upon them to continue
their accustomed business. On the same day a meeting of the citizens was
held, at which the most loyal sentiments were avowed, and a series of
very strong resolutions adopted in favor of the Union, and denouncing
the acts of the secession convention and the State authorities in a most
emphatic manner. The resolutions also called for the holding of a
Convention of the State to organize a State government for Florida, and
called upon the chief of the military department of the United States to
retain at Jacksonville a sufficient force to maintain order and protect
the citizens and their property and persons.
The loyal men of the town, after being thus assured of the continued
protection of the government, gave evidence of their patriotism and
devotion to the constitution; and for a time they enjoyed the peace and
protection they so much desired. But it was of short duration, and the
result was more disastrous to them than the uninterrupted occupancy of
the place by the rebel force would have been. Not only had the most
important business establishments been sacrificed to the flames, but the
principal hotels and other buildings had also been destroyed by the
retiring enemy. In a short time General Hunter, the new commander in
that department, ordered the evacuation of the city by the Federal
troops, and they accordingly withdrew. Immediately the rebel forces
returned, the secession authorities renewed their administration, and
the active Unionists were arrested, imprisoned, their property
confiscated, and in many cases their lives were sacrificed. Some of them
were fortunate enough to escape with their families and some personal
effects, and obtain passage on vessels bound to New York, where they
arrived, and narrated a painful history of their sufferings.
Jacksonville occupied and speedily evacuated by Federal troops, makes a
gloomy chapter in the history of loyal adversities during the rebellion.
OCCUPATION OF COLUMBUS, KY.
MARCH 3, 1862.
The city of Columbus stands on the Kentucky shore of the Mississippi,
twenty-five miles below Cairo, which is at the junction of the Ohio and
Mississippi rivers. It is a place of great natural strength, from the
high and precipitous bluffs upon which the city is built. This important
position had been early seized as a stronghold by the enemy, and
herculean labors had been performed in the erection of batteries and
fortifications, and the mounting of immense guns of the heaviest
calibre. The necessity of holding Columbus against the Federal approach,
in order to protect Nashville, Memphis, Vicksburg and New Orleans, was
one of the great incentives to the rebel commanders in expending so much
labor and time in its defence. But all their calculations had been
shaken by the capture of Forts Henry and Donelson, and the evacuation of
Bowling Green. Their line of defence was broken by these brilliant
movements, their flank was exposed, and they were in danger of having
their retreat cut off by a vigorous movement of the Federal army flushed
by brilliant successes. There was no alternative but to risk a similar
defeat and capture, or to evacuate their works. The latter course was
adopted, and on February 27th, the army commenced its retreat from the
apprehended foe. They carried away with them large quantities of
commissary stores, ammunition, guns, and war material of every
description, and by March 2d, had abandoned their works and the city.
On the same night, Lieutenant-Colonel Hogg, of the Second Illinois
Cavalry, left Paducah to reconnoitre in the direction of Columbus. At
the same time, the flotilla at Cairo was being put in a state of
complete readiness for a movement, which was kept a profound secret from
all but the commander and his advisory officers. Commodore Foote,
himself, was not acquainted with the movement of Lieutenant-Colonel
Hogg.
On the morning of the 4th, at daylight, the flotilla left Cairo, and
dropped down the river. Commodore Foote and General Collum were on board
the flag-ship Cincinnati, accompanied by the gunboats St. Louis,
Louisville, Carondelet, Pittsburgh, Lexington, and four mortar boats.
General Sherman commanded the transports Aleck Scott, I. L. McGill and
Illinois, with the following troops aboard: Twenty-seventh Illinois,
Colonel Buford, Forty-second Illinois, and two batteries.
On reaching that part of the river which makes a curving sweep toward
Columbus, the vessels took up various positions, the mortar-boats being
placed at a favorable point on the Missouri shore, where they could
shell the rebel works, and be out of sight and range of their guns.
While the gunboats were gradually nearing the fortifications, a flag was
discovered flying from the summit of the bluffs. It was at too great a
distance to be distinctly discerned, but the possibility of the Federal
flag flying on that spot was not to be entertained. General Sherman, on
a tug-boat, advanced and turned the bend in the river, out of sight of
the fleet. No shot was fired, and the gunboats followed in time to
discover the General and some of his men scaling the summit of the
bluff. The stars and stripes were floating magnificently where only a
few hours before the flag of the enemy asserted dominion. The General
soon ascertained that Lieutenant-Colonel Hogg had arrived on the
afternoon of the 3d, and quietly occupied the abandoned fortifications,
and raised the national colors on their walls.
The works were extensive, of massive strength, capable of resisting a
protracted siege, and supplied with guns, of which 128-pounders formed a
part. The natural position, as well as the immense defensive
preparations which had been made, seemed to render them impregnable to
an attacking force. Yet with all these advantages the enemy had spiked
many of their guns, rolled them down the bluff into the river, destroyed
large amounts of stores, burnt their buildings and retired.
The Federal forces, jubilant with their easy conquest, and spared the
horrors of bloodshed, took possession of the place in a spirit of
cheerful triumph. There was no drawback to the rejoicing—no dead to
bury, no wounded to send their groans through the cheering shouts that
rang far and wide from under the stars and stripes when they were once
more flung to the wind. Columbus was drawn back to the Union almost
without an effort.
BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE, ARK.
MARCH 6–8, 1862.
One of the most brilliant events of the war west of the Mississippi, was
the battle of Pea Ridge, which lasted from the 6th to the 8th of March,
and crowned the national army with a splendid victory, after a long and
toilsome pursuit of the rebels.
After the removal of General Fremont from the command in Missouri, the
army which he had led from Jefferson City to Springfield, made a
retrograde movement, falling back on Rolla, St. Louis and the towns on
the line of the Missouri river. As was to be anticipated, the
consequence of this retreat was the return of General Price, with his
forces, and the reoccupation of the whole of Southern Missouri by the
insurgents. They remained in possession of the field until February,
when a new national force, under Generals Curtis, Sigel and Ashboth
entered the field and advanced rapidly in pursuit of the retreating
enemy. The rebels fell back, to avoid a general engagement, and
evacuated Springfield, on the 12th of February, near which, in a brief
skirmish, General Curtis’ army encountered and defeated them. On the
morning of the 13th General Curtis entered the town, and restored the
national flag to its place. Price left about six hundred sick men behind
him, and large quantities of forage and wagons. He expected that the
Federal army would remain several days at least in Springfield, to give
the troops rest, satisfied with the reoccupation of this valuable
position.
But General Curtis was not a man to sleep upon his arms. On the morning
of the 14th, he resumed his pursuit, and continued his march to Crane’s
Creek, about twenty-two miles from Springfield. He pressed closely upon
the enemy, and on the 17th had another encounter with them at Sugar
Creek. This protracted pursuit of three weeks, at an average rate of
twenty miles a day, is remarkable in the history of warfare. But like
most western men, General Curtis had learned the art of war, and the
expediency of energetic action to some purpose. He had given up his seat
in Congress when the war broke out, and took the field, forgetting
politics and every thing else in a burning love of his country. With
such men long marches and hard fighting is the business of war. They
shrink from nothing but inaction.
Both armies had now reached the soil of Arkansas. The rebels being
rapidly reinforced by regiments which had been stationed in that State
and the Indian Territory, General Price was in a better position to give
battle. Upon mature deliberation, General Curtis selected Sugar Creek as
the best position he could take to withstand any attack which might be
made upon him. The enemy had, in the mean time, taken up his position in
the locality of Cross Hollow, which was peculiarly adapted to his mode
of warfare. But this was not long permitted, for on learning that the
Union troops were turning their flank by way of Osage Spring, Price’s
followers again decamped in hot haste, leaving behind a considerable
quantity of supplies and munitions of war. By this time the lines of the
Union army extended nearly ten miles. The right was under General Sigel,
resting at the Osage Springs, and the left under Colonel Carr, extending
to Cape Benjamin. Colonel Carr’s headquarters were at Cross Hollows.
Having abandoned Cross Hollows, General Price took up a fresh position
in the Boston Mountains, a high range that divides the waters of the
White Mountains and Arkansas, where every effort was made to rally the
dispirited rebels and augment the ranks of his command. Here it was that
he was reinforced by Generals McCullough, Pike and Van Dorn. These
combined armies were estimated at thirty-five thousand men.
Matters remained comparatively quiet until the 5th of March, when
General Curtis received information that the rebels were advancing to
give battle. The information proved correct, and the 6th, 7th and 8th
will long be held in remembrance as the anniversary of one of the
bloodiest conflicts of the war.