nance officer was Lieutenant Catesby Jones. She had a full staff of officers and a crew of 300 men.
Let us now look at the Monitor, which was so soon to be the antagonist of the Merrimac.
On the 3d August, 1861, the Congress of the United States enacted a law directing the Secretary of the Navy to appoint a board of three naval officers to investigate plans and specifications for iron-clad steamships or batteries, and in case of a favorable report by the board, the Secretary was authorized to cause one or more armored steam-batteries or steamships to be built. The sum of $1,500,000 was appropriated to pay the cost of the experiment. Many plans were offered, but only three were accepted by the naval board, the others being rejected for various reasons.
The first place on the list was given to the proposal of Captain John Ericsson, of New York, and on the approval of Congress a contract was made for the construction of a battery on this novel plan. The contract stipulated for the completion of the battery within 100 days from the signing of the contract (October 5, 1861), and the extraordinary provision was introduced, that the test of the battery, upon which its acceptance depended, should be its withstanding the fire of the enemy's batteries at the shortest ranges, the United States agreeing to fit out the vessel with men, guns, etc.
The following is a detailed description of this vessel; it will interest the nautical, naval, or historical student, and may be skipped by the indolent or unscientific reader. It was written at the time the vessel was delivered to the United States Government, Mareh 5, 1862.
