an when the British burnt
Washington in 1814, for Washington was now a larger and finer city.

Something had to be done, and right away, too. It would not do to wait
for a monster like the _Merrimac_. So Captain John Ericsson, a famous
engineer of New York, was ordered to build an iron ship-of-war as fast
as he could. And he started to do so after a queer notion of his own.

That is the way it came about that the two iron ships were being built
at once, one at Norfolk and one at New York. And there was a race
between the builders, for the first one finished would have the best
chance. There was a lively rattle of hammers and tongs at both places,
and it turned out that they were finished and ready for service only a
few days apart.

It was necessary to tell you all this so that you might know how the
great fight came to be fought, and how Washington was saved from the
iron dragon of the South. Now we are done with our story of
ship-building and must go on to the story of battle and ruin.

On the morning of March 8, 1862, the sun came up beautifully over the
broad waters of Hampton Roads. The bright sunbeams lit up the sails of a
row of stately vessels stretched out for miles over the smiling bay.
There were five of these: the steam frigates _St. Lawrence_, _Roanoke_,
and _Minnesota_; the sailing frigate _Congress_; and the sloop-of-war
_Cumberland_. They were all wooden ships, but were some of the best
men-of-war in the United States navy.

All was still and quiet that fine morning. There was nothing to show
that there was any trouble on board those noble ships. But there was
alarm enough, for their captains knew that the _Merrimac_ was finished
and might come at any hour. Very likely some of the officers thought
that they could soon decide matters for this clumsy iron monster. But I
fancy some of them did not sleep well and had bad dreams when they
thought of what might happen.

Just at the hour of noon the lookout on the _Cumberland_ saw a long
black line of smoke coming from the way of Norfolk. Soon three steamers
were seen. One of these did not look like a ship at all, but like a low
black box, from which the smoke puffed up in a thick cloud.

But they knew very well what this odd-looking craft was. It was the
_Merrimac_. It had come out for a trial trip. But it was a new kind of
trial its men were after: the trial by battle.

Down came the iron-clad ship, with her sloping roof black in the
sunlight. Past t