whose blessings on my efforts I have many times invoked.
I must say I was astonished at the success of the
. She destroyed the
The Virginia.
Richmond, March 18, 1862.
To the
Editor of the
Whig:
As the brilliant success of the
Virginia has attracted the attention of all the country, and is destined to cast much glory on our infant navy, it may be of general interest to publish some account of the origin of this magnificent ship.
On the 23d of June a board consisting of
W. P. Williamson,
chief engineer;
John M. Brooke, lieutenant; and
John L. Porter,
naval constructor; met in
Richmond by order of the
Secretary of the Navy to determine a plan for the construction of an iron-clad vessel.
The
Secretary of the Navy was himself present at the meeting of the board.
After full consultation a plan proposed by
Lieutenant John M. Brooke was adopted, and received the full approval of the
Secretary of the Navy.
The plan contemplated the construction of a light-draft vessel, but the means at our command being limited, many reasons induced them to take the
Merrimac and alter her according to the plan adopted.
Her boilers were good, and her engines only partially destroyed, and could be repaired in less time than would be required to construct an engine for a new vessel of light draft.
It was found that the plan of
Lieutenant Brooke could easily be applied to the
Merrimac, and, in fact, no other plan could have made the
Merrimac an effective ship.
Her guns now command every point of the horizon.
A report was made up by the above-named officers to the
Secretary of the Navy on the 25th of June, in accordance with these facts, and the
Secretary ordered the work to commence forthwith.
Experiments to determine the mode of applying the armor and to fix the dimensions of its parts were conducted by
Lieutenant Brooke.
From the moment that the plan was adopted the
Secretary of the
