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On March 8, 1862, the Confederate ironclad ram CSS Virginia attacked the Federal fleet blockading the James River. The conversion of the Virginia during the past year from the former steam frigate USS Merrimack, scuttled when Federal forces evacuated Norfolk in 1861, had been a remarkable test of Confederate ingenuity and resources. The Virginia, commanded by Flag Officer Franklin Buchanan and armed with 10 guns, steamed toward Newport News Point, appearing like a "floating barn belching smoke." Methodically passing the 50–gun USS Congress, the Virginia rammed the 30–gun Cumberland, creating a hole "large enough for a carriage to drive through." The USS Cumberland quickly began to sink into the James River with her guns firing and 121 men aboard. With her ram embedded in the Cumberland, the Virginia’s engines struggled to free her from being pulled under the waves. The ironclad survived because her ram broke off, thereby freeing her to attack the Congress, which had run aground trying to escape. The Congress soon surrendered. Musket fire from Newport News Point wounded Buchanan, but before he relinquished command, he ordered the destruction of the Congress. Lieutenant Catesby Roger Jones assumed command of the Virginia. The ironclad moved to attack the USS Minnesota, one of three vessels that had run aground coming to the aid of the Cumberland. The Union vessel was only saved from destruction because the tide had ebbed. The Virginia returned to Norfolk, determined to finish destroying the Union fleet on the morrow. |
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