CHAPTER VI.
IN HAMPTON ROADS.
To make entirely clear the position of the _Minnesota_ at this point,some words of explanation are necessary here. The American Civil Warwas raging hotly, with the advantage if anything on the side of theSouthern Confederacy. In the spring of the year 1861, the Federalforces had hurriedly abandoned their great naval establishment atNorfolk in the State of Virginia, why or wherefore it would be hard tosay; for they had completed an effective blockade of Hampton Roads, andmight have held their ground against all the forces likely to attackthem.
But some sudden panic seizing them, they fled across Chesapeake Bay toFortress Monroe, leaving vast quantities of cannons and other munitionsof war to fall into the hands of their opponents. They sought toconsign the navy-yard, together with a number of ships they could nottake away, to the flames, but the destruction was far from complete;and the Southern soldiers appeared upon the scene in time to rescuemuch precious material from the fire--among their spoils being twelvehundred guns, that were afterwards distributed through theirfortifications from the Potomac to the Mississippi, where they did soredamage to their former owners.
Among the war-ships burned and sunk at the navy-yard upon itsabandonment was the fine frigate _Merrimac_, of over three thousandtons, and carrying forty guns. On coming into possession of theestablishment, the Confederates raised this vessel and rebuilt her, butnot on the same plan as before. Instead of being a handsomethree-masted ship, with swelling sails, heavy rigging, and black andwhite checked sides, she became an extraordinary-looking ironclad, thelike of which the world had never seen before, and which was destinedto effect a complete revolution in the navies of the nations.
Vague rumours concerning this wonderful construction had found theirway northward, and it was in response to the call for a strengtheningof the blockading fleet in Chesapeake Bay that the _Minnesota_ had beendespatched in hot haste from Boston, and was ploughing her way towardsOld Point Comfort, that now showed upon the port bow. At FortressMonroe, which crowned the Point, she would receive her orders; and thethought of what these might be sent a thrill to the heart of every manand boy on board, from the captain down to the youngest powder-monkey.
The sun had already sunk behind the western hills before the frigatereached the Point; and the navigation of Hampton Roads being somewhatdifficult, her captain decided to anchor for the night and take on apilot in the morning. In the meantime, he himself, accompanied by twoof his chief officers, went off in a launch to Fortress Monroe, to beinformed of the situation and to receive instructions.
As Terry saw the launch shoot away from the vessel's side, there cameover him a wild impulse to spring on board her, that he too might betaken ashore. He had already begged the boatswain to let him go, andhad been contemptuously rebuffed; but this, instead of quieting him,only intensified his desire to get off the ship before there should beany fighting. He now saw what seemed to him his only chance, andwithout pausing to consider the folly of his enterprise, darted pastthe sailors at the gangway-ladder, bounded down the steps, and as theboat swung clear, gathering all his strength into one supreme effort,he sprang out towards her.
For a mere boy it was a grand attempt, but it failed nevertheless.Just as he leaped, the boatswain shouted, "Give way now;" and, drivenby twelve brawny oarsmen, the launch shot forward so swiftly thatTerry's spring fell short, and he himself vanished in the swirlingwater!
But only for a moment. Almost before the spectators realized what hadhappened, his head appeared above the surface, and with skilful strokeshe made for the gangway, where a sailor was awaiting him with agrinning face and a helping hand.
"Well, you are a daisy, and no mistake," he exclaimed, in anunmistakable tone of admiration, as he drew the dripping boy up to theplatform. "What on earth possessed you to do that?"
Terry gave a despairing glance at the departing boat, now fifty yardsaway, whose occupants had taken no more notice of his plunge than if ithad been the jumping of a pollack, before replying. Then he said witha bitter sigh, as he blew the brine out of his mouth,--
"I wanted to go ashore in her. The bosun wouldn't let me aboard, badcess to him, so I thought I'd jump for it."
By this time a number of the sailors had gathered round, while severalofficers were looking over the bulwarks, and Terry's explanation wasreceived with a murmur of astonishment. Standing in the awe they didof the captain of the ship, the idea of this slip of an Irish ladhaving the audacity to thrust himself on the launch not merelyuninvited, but after having been flatly refused, was nothing short ofastounding. They had not taken much interest in the boy before, butnow they regarded him as quite a novel type, his proceeding had been soutterly out of the ordinary.
"Come up on deck, my boy, and get some dry clothes on you," called putone of the officers. "That was certainly a dashing attempt of yours,even if it didn't come off as you hoped."
Thus commanded, Terry ascended the gangway again, feeling sorelycrestfallen, yet as determined as ever to seize the next opportunitythat presented itself of getting away from the frigate. When given asailor's suit that fitted him fairly enough, he at first refused to putit on; but Captain Afleck insisted, and so he yielded, on conditionthat he might resume his own garments as soon as they were dried.
Thanks to his being in uniform, he was allotted a hammock that night,and forgot his disappointment in the most comfortable sleep he hadenjoyed since going on board the vessel, from which he was roused thenext morning by an unusual bustle on deck, which foretold the nearnessof some important enterprise.
When he came on deck, he found the _Minnesota_ already well under way,making up Hampton Roads towards Newport News in company with two otherfrigates, the _Roanoke_ and the _St. Lawrence_. There was intenseexcitement on board, and every one whose duty permitted him to be ondeck seemed to be watching eagerly for something to appear out of theElizabeth River to the southward. Presently an officer who stood onthe main-truck with a powerful glass called out,--
"I see her! She's coming down past Craney Island Flats."
All eyes were at once strained in the direction indicated; but it wassome time yet before there came into general view, just off Sewell'sPoint, so strange a craft that it was at once agreed it could be noneother than the much-dreaded naval novelty of which such disturbingstories had been in circulation.
So far as Terry could make out, this mysterious marine marvel was likea queer-looking house afloat on a raft. There were no masts; a short,thick funnel explained how she was propelled. The roof of the housewas flat, surrounded by a light iron railing, and boasting two slightpoles, from which floated Confederate flags. The side walls sloped inat a decided angle, and the two ends were rounded off into asemicircular shape, the whole being heavily plated with iron.
From a single row of port-holes the muzzles of ten powerful rifled gunsprojected, the entire effect being warlike in the extreme; for thething was evidently a fighting-machine, and nothing else, whose powerfor harm had yet to be gauged by actual experience.
At first the new-comer's course was pointed straight in the directionof the _Minnesota_, and there was not a man on board so indifferent todanger that he did not feel a keen thrill of apprehension as thisstrange and menacing antagonist came slowly onward.
The crew at once beat to quarters, and every preparation was made for adesperate defence; but to the undeniable relief of all, the engagementdid not then take place, as the Confederate ironclad, after clearingSewell's Point, turned due west, and headed for Newport News, where thewooden frigates _Congress_, of fifty guns, and _Cumberland_, of thirtyguns, were swinging lazily by their anchors. Their boats were hangingto the lower booms, and rows of washed clothing flapped in the rigging,showing plainly that those on board were quite unconscious of theirdanger and expecting no attack.
It was not until the _Merrimac_ had approached within three-quarters ofa mile of the two frigates that the boats were dropped astern, thebooms got alongside, and fire opened upon the
intruder with the heavypivot-guns. In this cannonade the batteries on Newport News alsojoined lustily, and the ironclad was the target of many well-aimedcannon.
But although the solid shot were smiting her black sides and the shellsbursting upon her exposed deck, she kept steadily on, in sullen,appalling silence, until within close range of the frigates. Then herforward pivot gun, a heavy seven-inch rifled piece, was fired rightinto the stern of the _Cumberland_, and at almost the same instant the_Congress_ received the starboard broadside, with dreadful damage inboth cases.
Terry had never before seen cannon used for any other purpose than thefiring of harmless salutes on the Queen's birthday and similaroccasions; and although the _Minnesota_ was still some distance fromthe combat, and taking no part therein, still the almost continuousroar of the cannon, the shrieking of the shells, and the jets of sprayspringing up from the water where the balls ricochetted madly acrossthe waves, made him realize how utterly different were his surroundingsnow.
His first impulse was to seek the lowest recesses of the hold, andthere cower out of reach of cannon-ball and bullet until the firing hadceased. But curiosity got the better of this at the start, andpresently there came to its aid that love of battle which is in allmanly natures, and he determined to stay on deck and see the fight atany risk.
In his heart he hoped for the success of the Confederate ironclad, uglyand clumsy as she seemed. But he had by this time learned to represshis Southern sympathies, and he strove hard to seem a disinterestedspectator.
Captain Afleck was so carried away by the extraordinary and splendidspectacle before him that he forgot all his own troubles, and watchedthe progress of the conflict with as keen an interest as if in some wayhis own fate depended upon the issue.
"I tell you what it is, Terry," said he exultantly: "this is a greatbit of luck for us. Won't we have a fine story to tell when we getback to Halifax?"
"That we will, captain," responded Terry--"providin' we do get back.But I'm thinkin' there's some chance of our gettin' smashed ourselvesby one of these murderin' cannon-balls that go skippin' about solively. Just look at that, will you, captain?"
The _Congress_ had returned the broadside of the ironclad, and althoughthe range was close, only half the iron missiles had hit the mark, theothers playing a game of hop-skip-and-jump across the water, andsending up the spray in snow-white spurts.
"It's fine, Terry, isn't it?" said the captain. Then with a quickchange of tone he exclaimed, as he grasped the boy's arm in hisexcitement, "But look there, Terry; what can that queer black thing beup to now? Does she think she can run that fine big frigate down, likethis ship did us in Boston Harbour?"
The tone of incredulous surprise was as marked in Captain Afleck'svoice as if the ironclad had seemed to be making preparations to fly;yet he had only too correctly guessed the meaning of her next movement.Indeed, before he finished speaking, it was manifest to all; for afterexchanging broadsides with the _Congress_, the _Merrimac_, paying noheed to the land batteries that were vainly peppering her iron sideswith harmless balls, made straight for the _Cumberland_ at the top ofher speed, and struck her almost at right angles under the fore-riggingon the starboard side, the heavy iron prow crashing through the woodensides as though they had been pasteboard, and making a great gapinghole wide enough to admit a horse and cart.
A simultaneous shout of amazement, anger, and dismay went up from thecrowded deck of the _Minnesota_ at this startling and horrifyingmanoeuvre, and in breathless suspense all watched the stricken ship asher assailant withdrew a space and headed up the river, apparentlycontent with her terrific onslaught.
For a few minutes the _Cumberland_ showed no signs of disablement, herguns continuing to be fired with a regularity that spoke volumes forthe splendid fortitude of her officers and men.
"She's not done for yet," cried one of the _Minnesota's_ lieutenantsexultingly. "That rebel brute will have to try again."
He had hardly spoken when the _Cumberland_ listed badly over to portand began to fill. Down sank the gallant ship, driving her crew to thespar-deck, where they dauntlessly continued to work the pivot-gun,until, with a wild swaying of her tall masts and a sickening shudder ofher shattered frame, she plunged beneath the waves, carrying her bravedefenders down to an honourable death, yet leaving the Union coloursstill floating defiantly from her topmast, which projected high abovethe swirling water.
For the first moment after her disappearance there was an appallingsilence on board the _Minnesota_, and then there broke forth a wildstorm of groans, cheers, and curses, as the feelings of her crew foundexpression. They had witnessed a catastrophe without a parallel in thehistory of naval warfare. Never before had the tremendous power forharm of the ironclad ram been displayed, and by that one blow the_Merrimac_ had put out of date the navies of the world as thenconstructed.
Of course Terry neither knew nor cared anything about this; but hecould not help being profoundly impressed by the magnitude of thedisaster, and his warm Irish heart went out in sympathy towards thegallant men who had stood by their ship to the last moment. In hisadmiration of their bravery he quite forgot his preference for theirvictorious opponents.
"O captain," he exclaimed, in a tone of deepest concern, plucking athis companion's arm, "will you look at the poor creatures? Surethey're doing their best to swim ashore, and it's a long way for themtoo."
His sharp eyes had discovered little bits of black bobbing on thewaves, which he took to be the heads of men swimming hard for the beachat Newport News, and the lieutenant's glass confirmed the accuracy ofhis vision.
"Wouldn't I like to be giving them a hand!" he continued, jumping upand down in the heat of his excitement. He felt so thoroughly at homein the water, that he would not have hesitated a moment at any time togo to the rescue of a full-grown man, and he would have thoroughlyenjoyed now going to the relief of the struggling sailors.
But the men of the _Minnesota_ had other work on hand than giving aidto their imperilled countrymen. For aught they knew the ironclad wouldnext be trying her terrible ram on them, and they had need to preparefor her onset.
Having disposed of the ill-fated _Cumberland_, the _Merrimac_ now gaveher whole attention to the _Congress_, whose commander, realizing theimpossibility of resisting the assault of the ram, had, with notablepresence of mind, slipped his cables and run his ship aground upon theshallows, where the deep-draught ironclad could not follow her exceptwith cannon-balls.
Although the _Congress_ had four times as many guns as the _Merrimac_,and was well supported besides by the land batteries on Newport News,it was an unequal contest; for while the projectiles showered upon theironclad glanced harmlessly off her cannon-proof walls, her powerfulrifled guns raked the _Congress_ from end to end with terrible effect.
There could be only one termination to such a struggle. Gallantly asthe Northern sailors served their guns, their commander presently waskilled, and her decks were strewn with dead and dying. At the end ofan hour her colours came down, and white flags appeared at the gaff andmainmast in token of surrender.
Meanwhile the _Merrimac_ had been joined by a number of smaller vesselsthat had come down the James River after running in gallant style thegauntlet of the Federal batteries which lined the northern bank. Theywere only gunboats carrying ten guns at the most, and could not takeany prominent part in the battle, but they now proved useful incompleting the work of the ironclad.
Two of them steamed alongside the shattered _Congress_, to makeprisoners of the crew and set fire to the ship. But they were unableto accomplish either of these duties owing to the heavy fire kept up bythe land batteries, and had to beat a retreat; whereupon the _Merrimac_sent hot shot into the frigate, that soon had her blazing fore and aft,while her crew escaped on shore either by swimming or in small boats.
All this was watched with keen anxiety on board the _Minnesota_, andthe question her men asked themselves was,--
"Will the _Merrimac_ be content with the damage she ha
s already done,or will our ship share the same fate as the other two?"
They were not left long in uncertainty. Swinging slowly around, thehuge ironclad, after pausing a few minutes as though to take breath,came down the channel heading straight for the _Minnesota_. Her day'swork was evidently not yet done. She must have another victim beforereturning to her moorings.