,
accompanied by two small gunboats as tenders. As she came
near no signs of life were visible, while her iron sides
displayed no evidence of guns. Yet within that threatening
monster was a crew of three hundred men, and her armament
embraced ten heavy cannon. Hinged lids closed the gun-ports;
raised only when the guns were thrust forward for firing. As
for the men, they were hidden somewhere under that iron
roof; to be felt, but not seen.

What followed has been told in song and story; it need be
repeated here but in epitome. The first assault of the
Merrimac was upon the Cumberland, a thirty-gun frigate.
Again and again the thirty heavy balls of the frigate
rattled upon the impenetrable sides of the iron-clad
monster, and bounded off uselessly into the deep. The
Merrimac came on at full speed, as heedless of this
fusillade as though she was being fired at with peas. As she
approached, two heavy balls from her guns tore through the
timbers of the Cumberland. They were followed by a stunning
blow from her iron beak, that opened a gaping wound in the
defenceless side of her victim. Then she drew off, leaving
her broken beak sticking in the ship's side, and began
firing broadsides into the helpless frigate; raking her fore
and aft with shell and grape, despite the fact that she had
already got her death-blow, and was rapidly filling with
water.

Never ship was fought more nobly than the doomed Cumberland.
With the decks sinking under their feet, the men fought with
unflinching courage. When the bow guns were under water, the
rear guns were made to do double duty. The captain was
called on to surrender. He sternly refused. The last shot
was fired from a gun on a level with the waves. Then, with
sails spread and flags flying, the Cumberland went down,
carrying with her nearly one hundred of her crew, the
remainder swimming ashore. The water was deep, but the
topmast of the doomed vessel still rose above the surface,
with its pennant waving in the wind. For months afterwards
that old flag continued to fly, as if to say, "The
Cumberland sinks, but never surrenders."

The Congress, a fifty-gun frigate, was next attacked, and
handled so severely that her commander ran her ashore, and
soon after hoisted the white flag, destruction appearing
inevitable. Boats were sent by the enemy to take possession,
but a sharp fire from the shore drove them off.

"Is this in accordance with military law?" asked one of the
officers