Report of Lieutenant Pendergrast, U. S. Navy, executive officer of the U. S. ship Congress.

(picture is of his Uncle, who was a Commodore in the US Navy).

FORTRESS MONROE, VA., March 9, 1862.

SIR: Owing to the death of my late commanding officer, Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith, it is my painful duty to make a report to you of the part which the U. S. frigate Congress took in the efforts of our vessels at Newport News to repel the attack of the rebel flotilla on the 8th instant. The following are the minutes, as near as I can inform you:

At 12:40 p.m. the Merrimack with three small gunboats were seen steaming down from Norfolk. When they had turned into the James River channel and had approached near enough to discover their characters we cleared the ship for action.

At 2:10 p.m. the Merrimack opened with her bow gun with grape, passing us on the starboard side at a distance of about 300 yards, receiving our broadside and giving one in return. After passing the Congress she ran into and sunk the U. S. sloop of war Cumberland. The smaller vessels then attacked us, killing and wounding many of our crew. Seeing the fate of the Cumberland, we set the jib and topsails, and, with the assistance of the tugboat Zouave, ran the vessel ashore.

At 3:30 the Merrimack took a position astern of us, at a distance of about 150 yards, and raked us fore and aft with shells, while one of the smaller steamers kept up a fire on our starboard quarter.

In the meantime, the Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson [Jamestown], rebel steamers, approached us from up the James River, firing with precision and doing us great damage.

Our two stern guns were now our only means of defense. These were soon disabled, one being dismounted and the other having its muzzle knocked away. The men were swept away from them with great rapidity and slaughter by the terrible fire of the enemy.

At about 4:30 I learned of the death of Lieutenant Smith, which happened about ten minutes previous. Seeing that our men were being killed without the prospect of any relief from the Minnesota, which vessel had run ashore in attempting to get up to us from Hampton Roads, not being able to bring a single gun to bear upon the enemy, and the ship being on fire in several places, upon consultation with Commander William Smith, we deemed it proper to haul down our colors without any further loss of life on our part.

We were soon boarded by an officer from the Merrimack, who said that he would take charge of the ship. He left shortly afterwards, and a small tug came alongside, whose captain demanded that we should surrender and get out of the ship, as he intended to burn her immediately.

A sharp fire with muskets and artillery was maintained from our troops ashore upon the tug, having the effect of driving her off. The Merrimack again opened on us, although we had a white flag at the peak to show that we were out of action. After having fired several shells into us she left us and engaged the Minnesota and the shore batteries. We took the opportunity to man the boats and send the wounded ashore. We then ourselves left, the ship being on fire near the after magazine and in the sick bay. In fact, the ship was on fire from the commencement to the end of the action, three times in the sick bay and wardroom and twice in the main hold, produced by hot shot thrown from the Merrimack.

I lament to record the deaths of the following officers: Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith, Acting Master Thomas Moore, and Pilot William Rhodes, wounded (since dead).

In conclusion, I beg leave to say that the officers, seamen, and marines performed their whole duty well and courageously.

I am, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

AUSTIN PENDERGRAST,
Lieutenant, U. S. Navy

Captain JOHN MARSTON,Senior Officer.

I will send in a list of the casualties and missing as soon as I can ascertain them.

Very respectfully,

AUSTIN PENDERGRAST,
Lieutenant, U. S. Navy. 

Report of Lieutenant Pendergrast, U. S. Navy, regarding the casualties on the U. S. ship Congress.

PHILADELPHIA, PA., March 19, 1862.

SIR: I very respectfully submit the following report as to the casualties which occurred on board the U. S. frigate Congress in the action of the 8th instant at Newport News:

Total number of officers and men on board 434
Total number of officers and men on board accounted for 298
Total number of killed, wounded, and missing 136
Total number of wounded taken on shore 26
Total number killed and missing 110
Total number of wounded (since dead) 10
Total number of killed, missing, and died on shore 120

I regret exceedingly to record the death of Master's Mate Peter J. Hargous. He was a good, brave, and promising young officer, and is universally regretted.

I have the honor to be, very respectfully, your obedient servant,

AUSTIN PENDERGRAST,
Lieutenant, U. S. Navy.

Hon. GIDEON WELLES,
Secretary of the Navy, Washington City, D. C.

Screw Frigate CSS VIRGINIA (ex-USS MERRIMACK)

From: DICTIONARY OF AMERICAN NAVAL FIGHTING SHIPS, James L. 
Mooney, ed., Naval Historical Center, Department of the Navy, 
Washington, DC., 1969

tonnage. 3,200
length. 275'
beam. 38'6"
Depth of hold. 27'6"
draft 24'3"
speed. 12 k.
armament. 14 8", 210", 2 9"

The second MERRIMACK was launched by the Boston Navy Yard 15 June 1855: sponsored by Miss Mary E. Simmons; and commissioned 20 February 1856, Capt. Garrett J. Pendergrast in command.

Shakedown took the new screw frigate to the Caribbean and to western Europe. MERRIMACK visited Southampton, Brest, Lisbon, and Toulon before returning to Boston and decommissioning 22 April 1857 for repairs. Re-commissioning 1 September 1857, MERRIMACK got underway from Boston Harbor 17 October as flagship for the Pacific Squadron. She rounded Cape Horn and cruised the Pacific coast of South and Central America until heading for home 14 November 1859. Upon returning to Norfolk, 
she decommissioned 16 February 1860.

MERRIMACK was still in ordinary during the crisis preceding Lincoln's inauguration. Soon after becoming Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles took action to prepare the frigate for sea, planning to move her to Philadelphia. The day before the firing on Fort Sumter, Welles directed that "great vigilance be exercised in guarding and protecting" Norfolk Navy Yard and her ships. On the afternoon of 17 April, the day Virginia seceded, Engineer In Chief B. F. Isherwood managed to get the frigate's engines lit off but the previous night secessionists had sunk light boats in the channel between Craney Island and Sewell's 
Point, blocking MERRIMACK. On the 20th, before evacuating the Navy Yard, the U.S. Navy burned MERRIMACK to the waterline and sank her to preclude capture.

The Confederates, in desperate need of ships, raised MERRIMACK and rebuilt her as an ironclad ram, according to a design prepared by Lt. J. M. Brooke, CSN. Commissioned as CSS VIRGINIA 
17 February 1862, the ironclad was the hope of the Confederacy to destroy the wooden ships in Hampton Roads and to end the Union blockade which had already seriously hurt the South.

Despite all-out effort to complete her, VIRGINIA still had workmen on board when she sailed out into Hampton Roads, 8 March 1862, tended by CSS RALEIGH and BEAUFORT and accompanied by PATRICK HENRY, JAMESTOWN, and TEASER. Flag Officer F. Buchanan, CSN, commanding VIRGINIA, singled out as first victim sailing sloop CUMBERLAND, anchored west of Newport News. In taking position VIRGINIA passed CONGRESS and exchanged broadsides, suffering no injury while causing considerable damage. She crossed CUMBERLAND's bow, raking her with a lethal fire, before finishing off the wooden warship with a thrust of her iron ram. Gallantly fighting her guns as long as they were above water, CUMBERLAND sank taking one-third of her crew, 121 men, and part of VIRGINIA's ram down with her.

VIRGINIA then turned her attention to CONGRESS, which had grounded. Assisted by the lighter ships of the South's James River Squadron, VIRGINIA opened fire from a distance, forcing CONGRESS to haul down her colors. As CSS BEAUFORT and RALEIGH approached CONGRESS to receive the surrender of her crew, Federal troops ashore, not understanding the situation, opened a withering fire and wounded Buchanan, who retaliated by ordering hot shot and incendiary shell to be pored into CONGRESS. The latter, ablaze and unable to bring a single gun to bear, hauled down her flag for the last time. She continued to burn until exploding about midnight.

VIRGINIA did not emerge unscathed. Her stack was riddled causing loss of power-and she was initially under-powered. Two large guns were out of order, her armor loosened and her ram lost.  Nevertheless, she went on to attack MINNESOTA, but shallow water prevented her getting close enough to do her former sister frigate serious damage. VIRGINIA anchored that night at Sewell's Point for repairs. Flag Officer Buchanan was taken ashore to the hospital and Lt. Gatesby ap (sic) R. Jones, CSN, who had conned the ironclad after Buchanan had been wounded, assumed command.

On the following morning, VIRGINIA returned to battle, but in the night Union ironclad MONITOR had arrived in the nick of time to defend the fleet in Hampton Roads. The ensuing inconclusive battle, the first ever fought between powered ironclads, revolutionized naval warfare. As VIRGINIA steamed into Hampton Roads toward grounded MINNESOTA, MONITOR moved out of the steam-frigate's shadow to challenge the Confederate ironclad. MINNESOTA's commander, Capt. G. J. Van Brunt, described the ensuing action. "Gun after gun was fired by the MONITOR, which was returned with whole broadsides from the rebels with no more effect, apparently, than so many pebble stones thrown by a child.

After a while they commenced maneuvering, and we could see the little battery point her bow for the rebels, with the intention, as I thought, of sending a shot through her bow porthole; then she would shoot by her and rake her through her stem. In the meantime the rebel was pouring broadside after broadside, but when they struck the bombproof tower the shot glanced off without producing any effect."

Shortly before noon, a shot from VIRGINIA struck MONITOR's pilothouse driving dust through the eyes lit through which Lieutenant Worden was conning the ship, and temporarily blinding him. Thinking that the pilothouse was seriously damaged, if not destroyed, Worden ordered the ship to sheer off to shallow water. At the same time VIRGINIA headed back toward Sewell's Point.

Installation of a new ram and other repairs and alterations kept VIRGINIA in dry dock at Norfolk for almost a month. Flag Officer Josiah Tattnall, CSN, appointed 15 March 1862 as Commander of Confederate Naval Forces, selected Virginia as his flagship.

VIRGINIA returned to Hampton Roads 11 April ; under her protection CSS JAMESTOWN and CSS RALEIGH captured three Union transports. Strategic considerations precluded a second MONITOR-VIRGINIA duel.  MONITOR's mission was to contain VIRGINIA in support of General McClellan's campaign on the peninsula, and VIRGINIA safeguarded the important Norfolk area and the mouth of the James River. When forced to evacuate Norfolk, the Confederates tried to take Virginia up the James River, but her deep draft prevented it, so they destroyed her 11 May 1862.

Transcribed and edited by:
Larry W. Jewell
jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu