ho watched the battle
could make out very little of what was happening, for the two ships were
wrapped in clouds of powder smoke and blacker smoke from their furnaces.
The "Merrimac's" funnel was down, and the smoke from her furnace-room was
pouring low over her casemate. In the midst of the semi-darkness Jones
tried to ram the turret-ship, and nearly succeeded. Worden, using the
superior handiness of his little vessel, converted the direct attack into a
glancing blow, but the Confederates thought that if they had not lost the
iron wedge of their ram the day before in sinking the "Cumberland" they
would have sunk the "Monitor."

The turret-ship now kept a more respectful distance. For more than a
quarter of an hour she did not fire a shot. The Confederates hoped they had
permanently disabled her, but what had happened was that the "Monitor" had
ceased fire in order to pass a supply of ammunition up into the turret,
which could not be revolved while this was being done. Presently the
"Monitor" began firing again. Jones of the "Merrimac" now changed his
target. Despairing of seriously damaging the "Monitor's" turret, he
concentrated his fire on her conning-tower, and before long this plan had
an important result. Dana Greene gives a vivid description of the
incident:--

"A shell struck the forward side of the pilot-house directly in
the sight-hole or slit, and exploded, cracking the second iron
log and partly lifting the top, leaving an opening. Worden was
standing immediately behind this spot, and received in his face
the force of the blow, which partly stunned him, and filling his
eyes with powder, utterly blinded him. The injury was known only
to those in the pilot-house and its immediate vicinity. The
flood of light rushing through the top of the pilot-house, now
partly open, caused Worden, blind as he was, to believe that the
pilot-house was seriously injured if not destroyed; he,
therefore, gave orders to put the helm to starboard, and 'sheer
off.' Thus the 'Monitor' retired temporarily from the action, in
order to ascertain the extent of the injuries she had received.
At the same time Worden sent for me, and I went forward at once,
and found him standing at the foot of the ladder leading to the
pilot-house.

"He was a ghastly sight, with his eyes closed and the blood
apparently rushing from every pore in the upper part of his
face. He t