at Newport News, seven miles above. At the former anchorage were the frigates Minnesota, Roanoke, and St. Lawrence; the first two being 40-gun steam frigates, and the St. Lawrence a sailing ship carrying 50 guns. Near Newport News the Congress, 50 guns, and the Cumberland, 30 guns, were anchored under the protection of the shore batteries. Fire was opened on the Merrimac from these vessels and the shore batteries, but the shot glanced off without doing any damage. The Merrimac did not reply until she was in short range, when, with a single discharge from her forward pivot gun, she disabled the after pivot gun of the Cumberland. Then she passed near the Congress and rammed the Cumberland, making a great hole in her side and admitting so much water that the ship sank in little more than half an hour, carrying down many of her crew. She continued to fight to the last, and some of her guns were fired at the Merrimac just as the water reached them. Her flag remained in its position after the hull reached the bottom, fifty-four feet below the surface of the water.
The Congress slipped her anchor and dropped her fore-topsail, but in attempting to get away she ran aground. She continued to fight for more than an hour after the sinking of the Cumberland, the Merrimac choosing her position about two hundred yards away and pouring in a destructive fire as fast as her guns could be worked. Finding the contest was hopeless, the commander of the Congress ran up the white flag and the firing ceased.
Commander Buchanan ordered the gun-boats Beaufort and Raleigh, that accompanied the Merrimac, to remove the crew of the Congress, and then set her on fire, not daring to risk the Merrimac in the shoal water where the Congress had grounded. The Union batteries on shore continued their fire, so that the gun-boats could not perform their allotted work without great danger. The Confederates reported that two officers of the Raleigh were killed
