. History of the Civil War in America . dore Goldsborough had left there, under Captain Marston,the largest ships of his squadron, whose draught of water pre-vented them from steering through the Hatteras passes. Thisdivision, which was very strong, from the number of its guns, butnot on account of their calibre, and which was moreover unableto perform any evolution, consisted of two old sailing frigates,the Congress and St. Lawrence, the sailing sloop of Avar Cumber-land, and the two steam frigates Roanoke and llinnesota, sistersof the llerrimac. But the Roanoke, which carried CaptainMarstons
. History of the Civil War in America . dore Goldsborough had left there, under Captain Marston,the largest ships of his squadron, whose draught of water pre-vented them from steering through the Hatteras passes. Thisdivision, which was very strong, from the number of its guns, butnot on account of their calibre, and which was moreover unableto perform any evolution, consisted of two old sailing frigates,the Congress and St. Lawrence, the sailing sloop of Avar Cumber-land, and the two steam frigates Roanoke and llinnesota, sistersof the llerrimac. But the Roanoke, which carried CaptainMarstons pennant, was deprived, by the breaking of her hori-zontal shaft, of the use of her machinery. The last three vesselsalone were well armed with Dahlgren howitzers of twenty-fourcentimetres calibre. For some time past the Federals had been apprised of thework undertaken on the Merrimac, but they believed tliemselvesable to cope with that vessel, and her forthcoming had so fre-quently been announced in vain that they had ended in not be-. <fStutl^.^ -ForlNorfolk .--<^_ PORTSMOUTH HAMPTON ROADS. 597 lieving in it. Accordingly, the 8th of March found them inperfect security. The Congress and the Cumberland, riding atanchor near the tall pines of Newport News, had not even a soli-tary tug to enable them to move about, while the commander ofthe latter vessel had gone to attend a court-martial on board theRoanoJce. The other three frigates were anchored several milesfrom there, in sight of the sandy shore of Fortress Monroe, inthe rear of muddy banks which are only ploughed by narrowand difficult channels. In the mean Avhile, during the calm of a beautiful spring morn-ing, the Confederates were making active preparations for steamers, formerly employed as packets on the Chesapeake,had been armed, the Patrick Henry with six guns,-the Jamestownwith two, and each of the other three with one. This flotillahad descended the James River, and passing oif NcMport Ne
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