ve. She received as commander Commodore Franklin Buchanan, an
ex-Union officer of ability and daring, to whom the cadets of the
naval academy at Annapolis owe the beautiful situation of the academy,
and many of its admirable features; for he it was, who, in 1845, under
a commission from Mr. Bancroft, Secretary of the Navy, organized and
located the naval academy, and launched that institution upon its
successful career. Of officers the "Merrimac" had no lack, and good
ones they were; but in her crew she was lamentably deficient. Most of
the crew was made up of men from the army, who knew nothing of
seamanship, but who could at any rate fire a gun. A few good sailors
were obtained from those who escaped to Norfolk after the destruction
of the Confederate flotilla at Elizabeth City by Capt. Rowan's
squadron. They had but little chance for drills and exercise on the
new ship, for up to the very hour of sailing she was crowded with
workmen getting her ready for the task of breaking down the Yankee
blockade. When she finally set out to do battle for the South, she was
a new and untried ship: not a gun had been fired, and hardly a
revolution of her engines had been made. And so she started down the
river on her trial trip, but intending, nevertheless, to do battle
with the strongest ships of the United States navy. Accompanying her
were four small Confederate gunboats,--the "Beaufort," the "Yorktown,"
the "Jamestown," and the "Teaser." Soon rounding out into Hampton
Roads, the little squadron caught sight of the Northern fleet at
anchor, and made for them. An officer on the "Congress" thus tells the
story of the events that followed:--

"The 8th of March was a fine mild day, such as is common in Southern
Virginia during the early spring; and every one on board our ship was
enjoying the weather, and pleasing himself with the prospect of going
North in a day or two at farthest, and being relieved from the
monotony of a blockade at anchor. Some of us were pacing the poop,
basking in the sun, and watching the gulls, which here, as all over
the world, wherever a man-of-war is anchored, manage to find out when
it is dinnertime, appearing regularly when the mess-tins are being
washed, and the cooks are taking the buckets of broken victuals to the
head to throw overboard. Then they chatter and scream, and fight for
the remnants as they drift astern, until all is consumed, when they
betake themselves to fresh fields out of sight until