A first book in American history with European beginnings . the ports of the southern states andso keep them from getting supplies from abroad. Well-armed ships were stationed near the mouth of each har-bor and did valiant work, capturing hundreds of vesselswhich tried to run the blockade. Eight days after the firing on Fort Sumter, the Con-federates had seized the United States navy yard at Nor-folk, Virginia. But before they succeeded in getting pos-session, its Union commander had destroyed the shopsand ships. One ship, the Merrimac, had burned to thewaters edge and then had sunk. 341 A FIR
A first book in American history with European beginnings . the ports of the southern states andso keep them from getting supplies from abroad. Well-armed ships were stationed near the mouth of each har-bor and did valiant work, capturing hundreds of vesselswhich tried to run the blockade. Eight days after the firing on Fort Sumter, the Con-federates had seized the United States navy yard at Nor-folk, Virginia. But before they succeeded in getting pos-session, its Union commander had destroyed the shopsand ships. One ship, the Merrimac, had burned to thewaters edge and then had sunk. 341 A FIRST BOOK IN AMERICAN HISTORY Soon discovering that her engines were not damaged,the Confederates raised the Merrimac and rebuilt time she was covered with plates of iron, mountedwith large cannon, and made into an ironclad war vessel. When the ironclad Merrimac was ready, she put tosea and set out to attack the three wooden vessels fromthe North, which were riding at anchor in Hampton of the three Union ships opened fire on the strange-. The Merrimac and the Monitor. looking sea monster. Their shots could not pierce her ironplates, and the Merrimac came on unharmed. Steadily, steadily she drew near the Cumberland, until,with a mighty crash, she tore a gaping hole in the woodenship. In rushed the water, and the Cumberland filled andsank. Then turning to the Congress, the Merrimac forced thissecond ship to surrender, set it on fire, and left it to itsfate. The next morning the Merrimac came sailing out todestroy the Minnesota, the last of the three Northern 342 LINCOLN AND THE CIVIL WAR ships. But there beside the Minnesota lay another vessel—a queer-looking affair like a cheese box mounted on araft. It was the new Union warship, the Monitor; andIt, too, was ironclad. Never before had two ironclad vessels engaged in bat-tle. For hours they fought without being able to do eachother serious damage. The little Monitor had saved theMinnesota and had held in check
Size: 2138px × 1169px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1920, bookidfirstbookina, bookyear1921
