enty pounds each, against the side of the "Merrimac." The shot
produced no effect beyond showing the men of the "Merrimac" that they
had met a foeman worthy of their steel. The "Merrimac" slowed up her
engines, as though to survey the strange antagonist thus braving her
power. The "Monitor" soon came up, and a cautious fight began; each
vessel sailing round the other, advancing, backing, making quick
dashes here and there, like two pugilists sparring for an opening. The
two shots of the "Monitor" would come banging one after the other
against the "Merrimac's" armor, like the "one, two" of a skilled
boxer. In this dancing battle the "Monitor" had an enormous
advantage, on account of her size, greater speed, and the way in which
she answered her helm. The "Merrimac" was like a huge hawk being
chased and baited by a little sparrow. Her heavy broadsides found
nothing to hit in the almost submerged hull of the "Monitor." When a
ball struck the turret, it glanced off, unless striking fair in the
centre, when it fell in fragments, doing no greater damage than to
dent the iron plates, and sometimes knocking down the men at the guns
inside. The first manoeuvre tried by the "Merrimac" was to run down
her little antagonist; and she did strike her with a force that dented
the iron overhang of the "Monitor," and clashed the men in the
"Merrimac" to the deck, with blood streaming from their nostrils. For
a moment it seemed as though the "Monitor" must go under; but
gradually the terrible ram glanced off, and the little vessel,
righting, sent again her terrible two shots at her enemy. In the
action of the day before, shot and shell had beaten against the sides
of the ram so rapidly that one could not count the concussions. Now it
was a series of tremendous blows about a minute apart; and, if the men
had not been working away at their guns, they could have heard the oak
timbers splintering behind the iron plating. At a critical moment in
the fight the "Merrimac" ran aground; and the "Monitor" steamed around
her several times, seeking for weak places in which to plant a shot
Once Worden dashed at his adversary's screw, hoping to disable it, but
missed by perhaps two feet. Two shots from the "Monitor" struck the
muzzles of two cannon protruding from the portholes of the "Merrimac,"
and broke them off, throwing huge splinters of iron among the gunners
inside. And so the battle continued until about noon: gun answered gun
with thunderous re