The Monitor withdrew.
As an officer of the
Beaufort, and in close proximity to the engagement, though not in the
melee, for none of our wooden gunboats
[
16]
took active part in this day's fight, I am justified in making the statement that the
Monitor retired from the field on this her second withdrawal from three quarters to an hour.
I shall not pretend to say that this is absolutely accurate, for I did not take the actual time, but I do say it was sufficiently long to justify the opinion then formed that she had withdrawn from the action for the day.
There can be no question at this day on the point—which of the two vessels first withdrew from the action.
The official report of
Captain Van Brunt, of the
Minnesota, discloses the retirement of the
Monitor, and
Lieutenant Greene, her executive, admits that she withdrew twice from the engagement—once to hoist shot into the turret, and again when
Worden was wounded—page 725-727,
Battles and Leaders of the Civil War, volume I.
Lieutenant Ap. Catesby Jones, of the
Merrimac, concludes his statement of the engagement of March 9th in these words:
‘We for some time awaited the return of the
Monitor to the
Roads.
The loss of our prow and anchor, consumption of coal, water, etc., had lightened us so that the lower part of the forward end of the shield was awash.
After consultation, it was decided that we should proceed to the navy-yard, that the vessel might be brought down in the water and completed.
The pilots said if we did not go then we could not pass the bar until noon of the next day. We, therefore, at 12 M. quit the
Roads and stood for
Norfolk.
Had there been any sign of the
Monitor's willingness to renew the contest we would have remained to fight her. We left her in the shoal water to which she had withdrawn, and which she did not leave until after we had crossed the bar on our way to
Norfolk.’
I have a distinct recollection that at this time, when the
Merrimac had crossed the bar, and was well on her way to
Norfolk, the
Monitor, being then in shoal water on
Hampton bar, fired a gun, but apparently made no motion to come out into deep water.
Thus ended this famous engagement, in what may fairly be called a drawn battle.
Either adversary seemed powerless to vanquish the other.
Yet the
Monitor in equipment, invulnerability, speed, draught of water and manageableness was far the superior of the
Merrimac.
She was put into the fight to vanquish the
Merrimac and protect the
Minnesota; she failed in the former and succeeded in the latter purpose.
