MCCLELLAN'S DESPATCH FROM EWELL'S FARM--CALL FOR REINFORCEMENTS--NEWS
FROM NORFOLK--DESCRIPTION OF THE MERRIMAC--THE ENGAGEMENT IN HAMPTON
ROADS--FIRST AND LAST FIGHT OF THE MERRIMAC--VICTORY OF THE
MONITOR--ADVANCE ON THE PENINSULA--THE BATTLE SONG--A MUDDY MARCH--ON
THE CHICKAHOMINY--CRITICAL POSITION OF GENERAL BANKS--THE PRESIDENT'S
DESPATCHES--MCCLELLAN'S REPLY.
On the tenth of May headquarters were established beyond Williamsburg, and
communications were opened between the forces moving by land and water.
The following despatch was then sent by General McClellan to Secretary
Stanton:
"CAMP AT EWELL'S FARM,
"Three miles beyond Williamsburg,
"_May 10th--5 a. m._
"From the information reaching me from every source, I regard it as
certain that the enemy will meet us with all his force on or near the
Chickahominy. They can concentrate many more men than I have, and are
collecting troops from all quarters, especially well disciplined
troops from the South. Casualties, sickness, garrisons and guards have
much reduced our numbers, and will continue to do so. I shall fight
the rebel army with whatever force I may have, but duty requires me to
urge that every effort be made to reinforce me, without delay, with
all the disposable troops in Eastern Virginia, and that we concentrate
all our forces, as far as possible, to fight the great battle now
impending, and to make it decisive. It is possible that the enemy may
abandon Richmond without a serious struggle, but I do not believe he
will; and it would be unwise to count upon anything but a stubborn and
desperate defense--a life and death contest. I see no other hope for
him than to fight this battle, and we must win it. I shall fight them
whatever their force may be; but I ask for every man that the
department can send me. No troops should now be left unemployed. Those
who entertain the opinion that the rebels will abandon Richmond
without a struggle are, in my judgment, badly advised, and do not
comprehend their situation, which is one requiring desperate measures.
I beg that the President and Secretary will maturely weigh what I say,
and leave nothing undone to comply with my request. If I am not
reinforced it is probable that I will be obliged to fight nearly
double my numbers strongly entrenched."
Four days later he writes:
"I will fight the enemy, whatever their force may be, with whatever
force I may have, and I believe that we shall beat them; but our
triumph should be made decisive and complete. The soldiers of this
army love their Government, and will fight well in its support. You
may rely upon them. They have confidence in me as their general, and
in you as their President. Strong reinforcements will at least save
the lives of many of them; the greater our force the more perfect will
be our combinations, and the less our loss. For obvious reasons I beg
you to give immediate consideration to this communication, and to
inform me fully, at the earliest moment, of your final decision."
A few days' rest after the fatigues of the battle, and the glorious news
of the evacuation of Norfolk and the total annihilation of the Merrimac,
had a wonderful effect upon the spirits of our troops; they seemed
inspired with new courage and enthusiasm. Hitherto I have said nothing
concerning that great bugbear, the Merrimac. Perhaps some of my
"blue-nose" readers are not so well posted with regard to the origin and
structure of this formidable rebel battery as the Americans are, and it
may be interesting to some to listen to a brief description of it.
"Upon the burning and evacuation of the Norfolk Navy Yard the steam
frigate Merrimac was scuttled and sunk, by order of Commodore Macaulay.
This was one of the most magnificent ships in the American navy, being
rated as a forty-gun frigate, of four thousand tons burden. She was built
in Charlestown, Massachusetts, in 1856, and was considered one of the
finest specimens of naval architecture then afloat. She was two hundred
and eighty-one feet long, fifty-two feet broad, and drew twenty-three feet
of water. Her engines were of eight hundred horse power, driving a
two-bladed propeller fourteen feet in diameter, and so adjusted as to be
raised from the water when the vessel was driven by wind alone. Her
armament consisted of twenty-four nine-inch shell guns, fourteen
eight-inch, and two one hundred-pound pivot guns. This magnificent
structure was raised by the rebels and cut down, leaving only the hull,
which was exceedingly massive and solid. Over this they constructed a
sloping shield of railroad iron, firmly plaited together, and extending
two feet under the water. Its appearance was much like the slanting roof
of a house set upon a ship's hull, like an extinguisher, the ends of the
vessel, fore and aft, projecting a few feet beyond this roof. The gun-deck
was completely inclosed by this shield, and nothing appeared above it but
a short smoke-stack and two flag-staffs."
An eye witness gives the following account of the first appearance and
conflict of the Merrimac: "About noon of Saturday, the eighth of March,
1862, this monster was seen coming around Craney Island from Norfolk,
accompanied by two other war vessels, the Jamestown and Yorktown, and
quite a little fleet of armed tugs. The Merrimac, with her imposing
retinue in train, headed for Newport News, where there was a national
garrison, guarded by the sailing frigates the Cumberland, of one thousand
seven hundred and twenty-six tons, and the Congress, of one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-seven tons burden. The Merrimac steamed majestically
along, as if conscious of resistless strength, and as she passed the
Congress discharged a single broadside into the doomed ship, and then,
leaving her to the attention of the Jamestown and Yorktown, made directly
for the Cumberland. When the Merrimac was within a hundred yards of the
two frigates, they both discharged their tremendous broadsides against her
armor.
"The mailed monster quivered a moment under the fearful concussion, but
every ball glanced from her sloping shield like the wooden arrows of the
Indian from the hide of the crocodile. Her ports were all closed. Not
deigning to pay any attention to the fierce but harmless assault of the
two frigates, she rushed straight forward upon her prey. The formidable
national battery at Newport News opened, with all its immense guns, at
point-blank range, and these solid shot and shells also glanced harmlessly
away. On rushed the silent Merrimac, with not a soul on board to be seen,
true as an arrow, and with all the power of her irresistible weight,
plunged headlong with a fearful crash into the side of the helpless
frigate. The iron prow of the assailant struck the Cumberland amidships,
crushing in her side with a mortal gash. Then, reversing her engine, and
not even annoyed by the cannon balls rattling against her impervious mail,
she retraced her steps a few rods for another butt.
"As she drew back she turned her broadside to the wounded victim, and
hurled into her bosom a merciless volley of shot and shells. The ponderous
missiles tore through the crowded ship, hurling her massive guns about her
decks, and scattering mutilated bodies in all directions. Again gathering
headway, she crowded on all steam and made another plunge at the
Cumberland. She struck directly upon the former wound, and crushed in the
whole side of the ship as if it had been a lattice work of laths.
"Timbers as strong as nature and art could make them, were snapped and
crushed like dry twigs. As the sun went down, that night, over Hampton
Roads, every Union heart in the fleet and in the fortress throbbed with
despair. There was no gleam of hope. The Merrimac was impervious to balls,
and could go where she pleased. In the morning it would be easy work for
her to destroy our whole fleet. She could then shell Newport News and
Fortress Monroe at her leisure, setting everything combustible in flames,
and driving every man from the guns.
"'That morrow! How anxiously we waited for it! how much we feared its
results! At sundown there was nothing to dispute the empire of the seas
with the Merrimac, and had a land attack been made by Magruder then, God
only knows what our fate would have been.' All at once a speck of light
gleamed on the distant wave; it moved; it came nearer and nearer, and at
ten o'clock that night the Monitor appeared. 'When the tale of brick is
doubled, Moses comes.' I never more firmly believed in special providences
than at that hour. Even skeptics were converted, and said, 'God has sent
her.' But how insignificant she looked; she was but a speck on the dark
blue wave at night, and almost a laughable object by day. The enemy call
her a 'cheese-box on a raft,' and the comparison is a good one." But
insignificant as she appeared, she saved the Union fleet, silenced the
rebel monster, and eventually caused her to commit suicide. No wonder then
that the news of the death of this formidable foe caused great rejoicing
among the Union troops.
Orders were issued to continue the advance up the Peninsula; and as the
jubilant troops were engaged in striking tents and making the necessary
preparations consequent upon a hurried march, "The Battle Song of the
Republic" was being sung with enthusiasm throughout the encampment by
thousands of manly voices, and every loyal heart seemed inspired by the
glorious sentiments which it contained.
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grape of wrath is stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
CHORUS--Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
Glory, glory, hallelujah!
His truth is marching on.
I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded Him an altar in the evening's dews and damps;
I can read his righteous sentence by the dim and flaming lamps;
His day is marching on, etc.
I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
As ye deal with my contemners, so with you my grace shall deal;
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with his heel,
Since God is marching on, etc.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before his judgment seat;
O, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet!
Our God is marching on, etc.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me:
As he died to make men holy, let us die to make men free,
While God is marching on, etc.
The roads were so indescribably bad at this time that the army could make
but little progress. I remember it required thirty-six hours for one train
to accomplish the distance of five miles. However, after several days
wading through mud and water, the troops reached the White House, where a
portion of the army remained for a time, while the advance guards pushed
on to the Chickahominy River, and established headquarters at Bottom's
Bridge--its further progress being impeded by the destruction of the
bridge by the rebels.
"The position of the troops were as follows: Stoneman's advance-guard one
mile from New Bridge; Franklin's corps three miles from New Bridge, with
Porter's corps in advancing distance in its rear; Sumner's corps on the
railroad, about three miles from the Chickahominy, connecting the right
with the left; Keyes' on New Kent road, near Bottom's Bridge, with
Heintzelman's corps at supporting distance in its rear." The ford was in
possession of the federal troops, and a reconstruction of the bridge was
immediately commenced.
On the 24th of May the two following despatches were received by Gen.
McClellan from the President: "I wish you to move cautiously and safely.
You will have command of McDowell precisely as you indicated in your
despatch to us."
"In consequence of Gen. Banks' critical position, I have been compelled to
suspend Gen. McDowell's movement to join you. The enemy are making a
desperate push upon Harper's Ferry, and we are trying to throw Gen.
Fremont's force, and part of Gen. McDowell's, in their rear!"
On the 25th, the President also sent the following to McClellan: "The
enemy is moving north in sufficient force to drive Gen. Banks before him;
precisely in what force we cannot tell. He is also threatening Leesburg
and Geary on the Manassas Gap Railroad, from north and south; I think the
movement is a general and concerted one--such as would not be if he was
acting upon the purpose of a very desperate defense of Richmond. I think
the time is near when you must either attack Richmond or give up the job,
and come to the defense of Washington. Let me hear from you instantly."
To which McClellan replied: "Telegram received. Independently of it, the
time is very near when I shall attack Richmond. The object of the movement
is probably to prevent reinforcements being sent to me. All the
information obtained agree in the statement that the mass of the rebel
troops are still in the vicinity of Richmond. I have no knowledge of
Banks' position and force, nor what there is at Manassas; therefore cannot
form a definite opinion as to the forces against him. I have two corps
across Chickahominy, within six miles of Richmond; the others on this side
at other crossings, within same distance, and ready to cross when bridges
are completed."