Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE CIVIL WAR, 1862-1865 During the winter of 1861-62 there was active preparation on both sides. The Confederates had captured the navy yard at Norfolk and the Merrimac frigate, razeed her, covered her sides and deck with iron, and thus produced the first armored cruiser. On the eighth of March, 1862, she attacked our wooden fleet in Hampton Roads, sank the Cumberland, and compelled the Congress to surrender. u Their cannon-balls rebounded from her ironclad sides. Lieutenant Morris, of the Cumberland, reported to Washington: "I can only say in conclusion that all did their duty and we sank with the American flag flying at the peak." In the North we felt that the Merrimac might sally forth at any time, break into the harbor of New York, destroy our shipping and levy a contribution on our banks. Meanwhile Captain Fox, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, had given ear to Captain John Ericsson's project for a turreted ironclad that should carry one gun of great caliber. Secretary Welles approved, and Ericsson constructed in New York Harbor what was aptly described as "a cheesebox on a raft;" Her hull was arched at the top, and pointed at each end. It was awash. The turretrose in the center, and rotated on ball bearings. The one great gun could thus be brought to bear on any objective. There was no top hamper of any sort. In this novel craft, the Monitor, Lieutenant John L. Worden sailed from New York on the eighth day of March, 1862. Some had faith in her, but more doubted. When she reached Hampton Roads, on the ninth, it was another case of David and Goliath. For the apparently puny antagonist had missiles that broke through the Merrimac's armor, and disabled her. She fled and was finally run ashore and destroyed. The exultation in our Northern ports was unbo...