Monitor and the Merrimac: Both sides of the story — The Last of the Monitor
_By an eye-witness, Rear-Admiral E. W.
Watson, U. S.
N.
_ On the 29th of December, 1862, nine months after her memorable combat with the _Merrimac_, the _Monitor_, Commander John P. Bankhead, left Hampton Roads in tow of the _Rhode Island_, commanded by Captain Stephen Decatur Trenchard, for Beaufort, North Carolina.
The weather at the time of starting looked favorable for the trip, but on the following day, when nearing Cape Hatteras, the wind came out from the southeast and gradually freshened until by evening it was blowing a moderate gale, with a tolerably heavy sea running.
It was soon seen that the _Monitor_ was making heavy weather of it, and the engines were slowed down, but the course was still kept head to the wind and sea.
This was a mistake, for experience later on in towing other vessels of her class proved that the safest way to handle them in heavy weather was to let them lie in the trough of the sea, when the waves would wash over their decks and the roll would not be excessive.
The _Monitor_ was closely watched, all on board the _Rhode Island_ feeling anxious for her safety.
Toward the end of the first watch--between 8 P. M.
and midnight--the signal of distress, a red lantern, was hoisted on the _Monitor_, and, unknown to those on the _Rhode Island_, the hawser was cut and the anchor of the _Monitor_ let go.
The _Rhode Island_ immediately stopped her engine, and three boats were called away with an officer in charge of each, and were sent to take off the _Monitor's_ people.
With the heavy sea running it was a difficult matter to go alongside of her, and the first boat to reach her was thrown by a wave upon the deck and a hole stove in her.
The next wave washed the boat off, and with considerable difficulty she took on board as many of the men as in her leaky condition could make the return trip safely.
When the boats came alongside of the _Monitor_, her captain and executive officer went upon the deck and, clinging to the life-lines with the waves washing over them, called to the crew to come down from the turret and get into the boats, which they were reluctant to do at first.
Some were able to jump into the boats, and some landed in the water and were hauled in.
Seeing an old quartermaster with a large bundle under his arm, the executive officer, thinking that it was his clothes-bag, told him that that was no time to be trying to save his effects.
He said nothing, but threw it into the boat.
When the bundle was passed up over the side of the _Rhode Island_ it proved to be a little messenger-boy--probably the smallest and youngest one in the service.
The three boats were finally loaded and made their way back to the ship.
In the mean while the _Rhode Island_, in backing her engines, had fouled the hawser with her port paddle-wheel, and being directly to windward of the _Monitor_, with her engines helpless, drifted down upon her.
It looked at one time as if she would strike the bow of the _Monitor_, but, fortunately, she just missed it, and, scraping along her side, drifted off to leeward.
Another boat was sent to bring off the remainder of the _Monitor's_ crew, but, being to leeward now, she could make only slow headway against the seas, and before she got to her the men saw the _Monitor's_ light disappear, and knew that she had gone down.
The hawser having finally been cleared from the _Rhode Island's_ wheel, she steamed around searching for the boat, sending up rockets and burning blue lights to show her position.
When the day dawned nothing could be seen.
After hailing a passing government vessel and telling them to search for the boat, the _Rhode Island_ steamed with all speed for Fortress Monroe to report the loss.
When the survivors of the ill-fated vessel were mustered on the deck of the _Rhode Island_, four officers and twelve men were found missing, all of them probably buried in an iron coffin in a watery grave about fifty miles to the southward and eastward of Cape Hatteras Light.
* * * * * The missing boat and crew of the _Rhode Island_ were found by that vessel a week later safe in Beaufort, North Carolina.
They had been picked up by a schooner and taken into that port.
The officer in charge of the boat reported that in the early morning he had sighted a schooner standing toward them, and had hoisted a black silk handkerchief belonging to one of the crew on an oar as a signal of distress, but the people in the schooner, evidently thinking them pirates who had come out of some one of the inlets of the coast, turned tail and scudded away from them.
A second schooner, coming along soon after, was more hospitable and took them aboard.
THE END
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