Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Poetry and Incidents., Volume 4.
Frank Moore, Ed.

United States Steamer Monitor, Hampton Roads, March 11, 1862.

The Merrimac's projectiles were mostly percussion-shells, fired from ten or eleven-inch rifled pieces. Twenty-three shots struck us, including two from the Minnesota, which, during the engagement, fired over our heads. The deepest indentation on our turret was two and one half inches, produced by a one-hundred-and-fifty-pound percussion-shell fired at a distance of twenty feet perpendicular with the side. Our deck received four shot, making slight depressions. One shot struck us on the angle formed by the deck and side, tearing up the iron-plating about one third the width of a sheet, starting the bolts and splintering the wood a little. Three or four others struck us just above the water-line, with no other effect than making indentations of two inches.

The pilot-house received one shot on one of the upper corners, nearly battering it down. A little later in the action, however, a heavy shell was thrown from the distance of about fifteen feet against the front, at an angle of about thirty degrees, striking the two upper bars, just at the look-out crack, the main force being on the lower of the two, forcing it in about an inch and opening a crack of one fourth of an inch on the opposite side. She twice attempted to open a hole in our side with her ram, as she did the Cumberland, once striking us fairly on our beam, nearly abreast of the turret, jarring us somewhat, and leaving a small dent on our iron side. Our hull remains perfectly tight, and the turret, notwithstanding the severe hammering, revolves as accurately and easily as when we left New-York.

We experienced a severe gale on our way down, coming through it safely. That and our trial with the Merrimac prove the Monitor, we think, a success.

W. F. Keeler, A. A. Paymaster.