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John Orvine,
Assistant Mate,
Roxbury, Mass., hospital at
Fort Monroe; wound on left heel.
Edward Cobb, Signal — Quartermaster,
Boston, hospital at
Fort Monroe; wounds slight of head, throat and abdomen.
John Gardner, Quartermaster, New-York City, hospital at
Fort Monroe; contusion of right thigh.
Alexander McFadden,
Mate,
Philadelphia, hospital at
Fort Monroe; lacerated wound of left fore-arm.
John B. Cavenaugh,
Whitehall, N. Y., hospital at
Fort Monroe; slight wound over the left temple.
John Bart,
Ireland, hospital at
Fort Monroe; contusion and abrasion of back.
J. V. Russell,
Philadelphia, hospital at
Fort Monroe; exhaustion — a long time in the water.
Lochlin Livingston,
Boston, Mass., hospital at
Fort Monroe; intermittent fever.
James Benson,
Detroit, Mich., hospital at
Fort Monroe; rheumatism.
M. Stuyvesant, Master,
Cincinnati, O., hospital at
Fort Monroe; slight penetration-wound on left forearm from splinter.
Respectfully your obedient servants,
Newport News, Va., March 9, 1862.
sir: Yesterday morning, at nine A. M., I discovered two steamers at anchor off Smithfield Point, on the left-hand or western side of the river, distant about twelve miles. At twelve meridian I discovered three vessels under steam, standing down the
Elizabeth river toward
Sewall's Point.
I beat to quarters, double-breeched the guns on the main deck, and cleared ship for action.
At one P. M. the enemy hove in sight, gradually nearing us. The iron-clad steamer
Merrimac, accompanied by two steam gunboats, passed ahead of the
Congress frigate and steered down toward us. We opened fire on her. She stood on and struck us under the starboard fore-channels.
She delivered her fire at the same time.
The destruction was great.
We returned the fire with solid shot with alacrity.
At thirty minutes past three the water had gained upon us, notwithstanding the pumps were kept actively employed to a degree that, the forward-magazine being drowned, we had to take powder from the after-magazine for the ten-inch gun. At thirty-five minutes past three, the water had risen to the main hatchway, and the ship cantered to port, and we delivered a parting fire — each man trying to save himself by jumping overboard.
Timely notice was given, and all the wounded who could walk were ordered out of the cockpit; but those of the wounded who had been carried into the sick bay and on the berth-deck, were so mangled that it was impossible to save them.
It is impossible for me to individualize.
Alike, the officers and men all behaved in the most gallant manner.
Lieut. Selfridge and Master Stuyvesant were in command of the gun-deck divisions, and they did all that noble and gallant officers could do. Acting Masters
Randall and
Kennison, who had charge each of a pivot-gun, showed the most perfect coolness, and did all they could to save our noble ship; but, I am sorry to say, without avail.
Among the last to leave the ship were
Sergeant Martin and
Assistant-Surgeon Kershaw, who did all they could for the wounded promptly and faithfully.
The loss we sustained I cannot yet inform you of, but it has been very great.
The warrant and steerage officers could not have been more prompt and active than they were at their different stations.
Chaplain Lenhart is missing.
Master's
mate John Harrington was killed.
I should judge we have lost upward of one hundred men. I can only say, in conclusion, that all did their duty, and we sank with the
American flag flying at the peak.
I am, sir, etc.,
Lieut. Pendergrast states that, “owing to the death of the late
commanding officer,
Joseph B. Smith, it becomes my painful duty to make a report to you of the part which the
United States frigate
Congress took in the efforts of our vessels at Newport News to repel the attack of the rebel flotilla on the eighth instant.”
The report says that “when the
Merrimac, with three small gun-boats, was seen steaming down from
Norfolk, and had approached near enough to discover her character, the ship was cleared for action.
At ten minutes past two the
Merrimac opened with her bow-gun with grape, passing us on the starboard side at a distance of about three hundred yards, receiving our broadside and giving one in return.
After passing the
Congress, she ran into and sunk the
Cumberland.
The smaller vessels then attacked us, killing and wounding many of our crew.
Seeing the fate of the
Cumberland, we set the jib and topsail, and with the assistance of the gunboat
Zouave, ran the vessel ashore.
At half-past 2, the
Merrimac took a position astern of us, at a distance of about one hundred and fifty yards, and raked us fore and aft with shells, while one of the smaller steamers kept up a fire on our starboard quarter.
In the mean time, the
Patrick Henry and the
Thomas Jefferson, rebel steamers, appeared from up the
James River, firing with precision, and doing us great damage.
Our two stern-guns were our only means of defence.
These were soon disabled, one being dismounted, and the other having its muzzle knocked away.
The men were knocked away from them with great rapidity and slaughter by the terrible fire of the enemy.”
Lieut. Pendergrast first learned of the death of
Lieut. Smith at half-past 4 o'clock. “The death happened ten minutes previous.
Seeing that our men were being killed without the prospect of any relief from the
Minnesota, which vessel had run ashore in attempting to get up to us from
Hampton Roads, not being able to get a single ”
